Fan in my bathroom- won't turn off!

[pickeboots]

Hi,
I have been living (renting) in a condo for about a month now, and have noticed that the fan in the bathroom won't turn off. I a) don't like wasting electricity b) am a student and am afraid of a high bill and c) don't want to wear out the fan....
I tried asking my landlord about it, but don't want to be a pain and bring it up again...

Sooo.... can anybody help me figure out how to turn it off?
Here is the info....
There are 2 seperate switches in the bathroom---one for the light and one for the fan... even though the fan switch remains off, it is on 24/7....
There is a weird little box called "intermatic" in the laundry room, which I think controls the fan somehow...like some sort of humidity sensor....I tried to turn this thing off, and i even pulled out the battery, but the fan remains on....

I have unplugged the fan, and just put the little cover back on, and was planning on just plugging it back in every time i want to use it. So, first of all, is this okay to do? I know this sounds silly, but it won't cause any fire or something from being unplugged, and covered up right?
Second, is there another way to turn this thing off? I am absolutely not handy, so if it involves any wiring or anything I probably won't be able to do it, haha, but if it is simply i can try..
Well, that's my story, and I know I sound silly, but I am new to being in my own place and need to learn somehow...
Thanks in advance!
~Jen

[hardnut]

First, no, there is no problem with unplugging the fan and leaving it that way. The obvious caution is to make sure you are not standing in water when you unplug it or plug it in. Also, unplugging and plugging can cause wear on the wire, plug or outlet, and it's always best for something to be "off" when it is plugged in or unplugged if possible, not to mention the nuisance factor. Obviously this is not the best way to go.

The Intermatic box is most likely a timer of some kind for something. If this box is not just plugged into an outlet, then it is probably hard-wired into the house wiring and the battery is most likely just for backup and removing it will do nothing. Are there any dials in/on this box? If so, you should be able to set the controls to "off." but since you say you already tried this, I would guess that (most likely) this does not control the fan or, if it does, that something has malfunctioned in the timer.

If the fan does not turn on and off with the wall switch, my first attempt at correcting the problem would be to replace the switch, but as you say you are not handy, it's probably best to get someone else to do it - like maybe your landlord? After all, that's why you pay rent and what landlords are supposed to do - repair stuff when it breaks.

[crash 99]

....

If the fan does not turn on and off with the wall switch, my first attempt at correcting the problem would be to replace the switch, but as you say you are not handy, it's probably best to get someone else to do it - like maybe your landlord? After all, that's why you pay rent and what landlords are supposed to do - repair stuff when it breaks.

I agree. As a landlord, I will be the 1st to say that this is an issue that needs to remedied. In the meantime, (until the landlord can get to it, I would strongly suggest leaving the darn thing unplugged until the cause is found. Just to make sure that YOU are safe.)

Get in touch with the landlord and "gently" remind him/her again about the problem, and explain that you have disconnected the fan for now, until they can get it fixed.

Cheers,
and good on you, for asking for input!

[pickeboots]

Thanks to both of you I feel much better now knowing that it being unplugged is okay
I will muster up the courage to call again and, as you said, give a gentle reminder. Maybe the fridge will stop working or something and then I won't feel so silly calling, haha.

Thanks again!
~Jen

[cv23]

Most likely there is nothing wrong with your fan.
For many years , especially in electrically heated dwellings, it was mandatory to have the fan on the manual switch you see in the bathroom and on a dehumidistat to control humidity levels. The dehumidistat turns the fan on automatically when the humidity level inside the dwelling exceeds the setting. This not only reduces your heating costs because you will be heating dry air not water suspended in the air it also makes it feel warmer as the air is drier not leaving your skin feeling moist and clammy. Excessive humidity in a dwelling can also cause mold and mildew to form resulting in health issues for the occupants.
Look around and you will probably find what looks to be a second thermostat control ( see link below). It will have a numbers like 10, 20 , 30 , 40 , on it. Those are the settings for relative humidity or percentage of water in the air. The lower you set it the more the fan will run as it is trying to remove the moist air in the dwelling and trying to bring in fresh drier air from outside through all the cracks. If you turn up the dehumidistat it should turn off the fan but you will be defeating it's purpose.
The fan is most likely running for a reason, your home is too humid. It will shut off when you reduce the amount of moisture you are putting into the air each day.
Simply unplugging the fan is not the solution, not OK and not a healthy choice for you and your family.

http://www.honeywell-thermostat.com/hon ... 46C166.htm

http://www.apq.org/News.aspx?id=1&lang=en&newsid=938

http://commons.bcit.ca/bsce/pdf/Section%208.pdf

http://www.cmhc.ca/en/inpr/bude/himu/co ... geID=70417

[Glacier]

The fan always running is better than no fan running - especially this time of year. The outside humidity for the past week in Kelowna has been between 90 and 100%. The humidity in my house has been running at 60% (I have a weather station at my place), and I would venture to say in the bathroom it has been much higher. Without a fan on I would be getting some serious mold.

[gardengirl]

I think it depends on your heating system. I have forced air and my house is always dry. If I don't use a humidifier in the winter, it gets down to 40-45%.

[Glacier]

I think it depends on your heating system. I have forced air and my house is always dry. If I don't use a humidifier in the winter, it gets down to 40-45%.

But if you just had a shower, the humidity in your bathroom will be close to 100% for quite a while without a fan on.

[Infinitum3d]

Late bump, but this happened to me also.

I replaced the wall switch, but no help. Then I reread the OP and went to the laundry room to look for a secondary switch. I too have an "intermatic" box on wall. It has a single button, so I pressed it, heard a click (reset maybe?) and checked the bathroom fan again. Switch works just fine.

House was built in 2005 by a chain construction company. Maybe it's a code thing, I don't know.

Oh, and also, at 15 cents per kilowatt hour, the cost of running an exhaust fan is about one and a half cents an hour, give or take. So constantly running the fan can cost about a quarter a day, or seven to eight dollars a month, or about $100 a year rough estimate.

[Archi6758]

It was a really good information I found here. from the past 2 weeks the same problem I am facing in bathroom. I am done exactly that you guys give the solution.

[TylerM4]

Your landlord must be a rookie ;)

I learnt to re-wire the bathroom fan to the bathroom light switch pretty early on. Too many tenants wouldn't turn the fan on resulting in moisture damage.

[mexi cali]

All who have pointed to the "auto" switch in your laundry room are correct. And your landlord should know how to operate it and if it is operating properly.

Great question to ask.