Broan Solitaire S130 bathroom fan - problems

6 years ago

Here I go again. I have replaced the motor on the fan already a few years back. Now again, it is making a screeching noise and looks like it doesn't maintain a centered position. What part do you think needs to be replaced...and is it worth it? I am trying to avoid having to replace the fan as the housings aren't a consistent size. Is that accurate? Any thoughts appreciated.

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DavidR

6 years ago

"it doesn't maintain a centered position ..."

What does this mean/ That the fan blades wobble as they turn?

If so, it's a safe bet that the motor bearings are worn out. I've quieted down fans by squirting oil in the bearings, but it never lasts. Installing a new motor (if you can get one to fit) will make it almost as good as new one, without the size headaches.

Wouldn't it be nice if bathroom fans were all one or two standard sizes?

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Comments (6)

jlsch
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks for your reply. It just seems like these are made so poorly and they just don't last! Ugh.
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DavidR
6 years ago
As long as homeowners and builders continue to choose products primarily on initial price, they'll (the products, I mean) continue to be designed to be as cheap as possible, and to last about as long as the warranty is in effect.
ionized_gw
6 years ago
Does this fan run a lot, hours a day rather than an hour or less?

This is a really vexing problem. If you try hard enough, you might be able to find a replacement, aftermarket, motor that works. That is a daunting prospect for the time. involved I never looked at one of those cheap motors with an eye to rebuilding it with a real bearing. it is probably not practical, again, time. I'd probably just bite the bullet and buy an entire replacement fan of known good quality and that you know will have replacement motors available even if you don't ever need one due to higher quality. You might try to find a fan with a common and standard NEMA motor. That way you know that you can find a replacement (maybe in several quality levels).

If I were to go out today and try to find a good quality vent fan today, I'd start with Tamarack. I am not saying that i know that they are goodquality, but I suspect it is is a good source to look into and check on their replacement parts situation.
DavidR
6 years ago
I notice that replacement motors seem to be readily available for a fairly wide range of Broan/Nutone bath fans. I also notice that replacement motors for Panasonic bath fans seem less plentiful, and cost about as much as an entire mid-range Broan bath fan assembly. But maybe that applies only to the few I looked at.

All the Broan/Nutone fans I've run into have had basic shaded pole induction motors with sleeve bushings. They're not really suited to continuous operation.

I have no idea what kind of bearings Panasonic or other brands of bath fan motors use, but I'd be pretty darn surprised to find real (ball/roller/needle/whatever) bearings in any of them.

My experience with this is limited, so I welcome corrections of and/or expansions on this information.
mtvhike
6 years ago
Having tried to repair many things, it is common that the replacement part is as expensive as the entire device. For example, the ballast in a 4' fluorescent lamp: a new, cheap fixture costs less than the ballast, although I think the replacement ballast is higher quality. The fan motor may be in this same category.

Broan Solitaire S130 bathroom fan - problems

DavidR

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jlsch
Original Author

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Broan Solitaire S130 bathroom fan - problems

DavidR

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jlschOriginal Author

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jlsch
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