How do I Remove a Bathroom Ceiling Fan?
- 1). Turn off the power to the fan at the house circuit box. Remove the vent cover from the fan, either by taking out the screws or unhooking the spring hooks, depending on the design.
- 2). Move to the attic above the bathroom. Locate the exhaust fan unit, which will be on the floor facing down into the bathroom. There will be a bundle of wires from the house circuit running to it, and an exhaust hose running off of it to an exterior wall.
- 3). Disconnect the wires at the fan unit by loosening the wire clamp that holds the bundle in place. Remove the wire caps connected to the individual wires from the fan unit (generally, black to black and white to white). Loosen the green ground screw on the fan unit to release the copper ground wire that's connected to it from the bundle.
- 4). Pull the wire bundle free of the fan unit. The other end of the bundle will still be connected to the house circuit. Put a wire cap over each exposed wire end, and wrap each one in electrical tape. Hang the wire bundle over a rafter, so the ends are fully visible and aren't misplaced on the floor.
- 5). Loosen the exhaust hose from the fan unit by unscrewing the clamp-belt that holds it to the unit. Leave the other end of the hose attached to the wall. (Note: Your new fan unit may have a different type of exhaust hose that will require removing the old hose from the wall, but you should see first if you can reuse the one already in place.)
- 6). Locate the mounting brackets holding the fan unit to the two floor joists on either side of the unit. Remove the screws holding the brackets to the joists. Lift out the fan unit, exposing the vent hole looking down into the ceiling. You can now install your new fan unit or ceiling light, or patch the ceiling.
Source...