How to Check If Your Extractor Fan Is Working Properly
Extractor fans play an important role in keeping your home’s indoor air quality good. These ventilation fans remove moisture, pollutants, odour, and other particles from the air, making it easier to breathe and stay healthy.
If you notice a problem with the ventilation in your home, your extractor fan may be the problem. Fortunately, there's an easy way to check if your fan is working properly.
As part of your Tenancy agreement, you are required to undertake minor repairs and maintenance to the property and this includes checking your extractor fans if they are functioning properly.
As a tenant, you may think that checking an extractor fan if it’s working properly is too big a task but in fact, it is a simple task and will take no more than a few minutes. Of course, you can call a contractor to do it but this will likely cost £80 upwards.
Checking your extractor fan is actually a simple process. All it takes is doing a suction test. The video below demonstrates how a suction test works in checking if your extractor fan is functioning properly or not.
Thanks to for the video demonstration on how a suction test works using a smoke flare. No, don’t try this at home—use the baby powder method instead, it’s much safer and cleaner.Testing your kitchen hood extractor
- Turn on the kitchen hood extractor
- Hold a sheet of light paper or a kitchen paper tower up to the filter grille.
- If the paper stays in place, your extractor fan is good. If not, check for blockage or grease buildup.
Testing your bathroom and indoor extractor fans
- For this test, we will use baby powder.
- Spray some baby powder near the fan grille.
- If the fan is working, the powder will be sucked into the fan.
- If not, then your fan isn't functioning at all. If it sprays the powder back out, there is some sort of blockage that you need to clean out.
In both tests, if your extractor fans are not functioning at all, they will need to either be cleaned out properly, repaired, or even replaced.
Extractor fans are an important part of keeping your home’s indoor air clean and healthy. By doing a suction test, you can quickly and easily determine if your extractor fan needs to be cleaned, repaired or replaced.
If you do find that your extractor fans are blocked or will need repair or replacing then please contact us on 02071508844 and we will be able to send out a contractor. However, if it is found that it falls under your responsibility as a tenant then you will be charged for the work.
Reminder That You May Be Charged - Where our contractor has arranged a time with you to attend and you postpone, cancel, or don't show up or where it is your fault for the appointment not proceeding you will be responsible for paying the call-out charge for the contractor and potentially any restocking fee for parts. Where the fault, issue or damage, is put down to your or other tenants, permitted occupiers, or guests' actions, you will be responsible for paying for the repair. These terms are already part of your Tenancy Agreement.