Modify and Repair Ceiling Exhaust Fan.

One afternoon, my maid came running to me and said “Tuan, itu kipas siling dalam bilik jatuh!” (Sir, the ceiling fan in the room fell).  Instantly, I knew she was referring to the ceiling exhaust fan. I ran up to the room and found the ceiling exhaust fan cover dangling.

I have many fans in the house but only one is the conventional ceiling fan whereas the rest are exhaust fans. An exhaust fan is more effective in ventilating the room.

Most exhaust fans have a cover secured by two pieces of tension springs anchored to the cover plate with a small metal clip and screw. It is designed in such a manner to facilitate easy removal of the cover for regular cleaning as well as cleaning the fan blade and the housing. However, there is one design flaw; the screw and grove are too short and the material too brittle to support the weight of the cover, resulting in the force of pulling, damaging it. The grove that held the screw cracked and then broke off.

How to fix this?  If you call the fan distributor or manufacturer, they will not be able to provide any solution other than replacing the cover. The cover itself cost more than 1/3 the price of a new fan.  Using an industrial glue or a melted glue with a glue gun can provide a temporary solution.  Unfortunately, it will give way after a short period of time.

The best solution, I have discovered, is to modify the way the tension clips are anchored on to  the cover. Drill a hole through the screw grove and use a similar diameter size bolt and nut to secure the tension clip. The required size bolt and nut are easily available from the DIY or your neighborhood hardware shop.  I have a big collection of screws, bolts and nuts of different sizes and shapes in my tool box.

After the modification, this is how my exhaust fan cover looks. It is as aesthetic as the original cover.  Nobody will notice the alteration done to the cover.   It is not conspicuous.  Can you see the modification done?