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?    

Repairing & Servicing Fan

Don't throw out your fan if it suddenly stops without any burnt smell.

I have an i-stand fan that I have used for more than ten years. One day it suddenly stopped turning, while still switch on.

 I was contemplating to cannabalise the fan for parts, which can be salvaged for other repair jobs. I have dismantled all removable components of the fan.    

After brushing  away the dust in the motor, I discovered there wasn’t any burnt mark on the motor coil.

The fan is a very simple electrical appliance. The heart of the fan is only the motor with a capacitor. If the motor is not burnt, then the  whole fan can be serviced and repaired. Either the carbon bush is worn out, the wiring is broken or disconnected or the spindle has jammed due to dust and dried grease. I sent the motor to my colleague, who is a qualified chargeman, for checking. He tested and confirmed that the motor is not burnt. He helped me to clean and grease the motor.

 

I re-installed all the components to the stand and now I have a fan that is working perfectly.

Most people would have discarded the fan as it is not justifiable to repair. The repairman would easily charge RM90.00 (USD28.00). That is RM60.00 (USD19.00) for transport and RM30.00 (USD9.00) for service charges. A new 16” stand fan costs only RM130.00(USD40.00). My own repair cost threshold for any appliances is below 30% of the cost of the new appliance of equivalent specifications.

 

If you are a DIY buff, you can repair at your own leisure hours, without costing a cent. 




WARNING!!! For safety  reason, always switch off the power and disconnect the power supply cord before dismantling any electric appliances.

Modifying Light Fixtures.

I like things unique and exotic. “Visibility and standing out amongst the rest” is being practised by many to get a sense of satisfaction and contentment. Houses in the upmarket areas have unique facades. They have lots of rare designs and fixtures in them.

I have the privilege of visiting some of these exclusive houses.  It gives me a sense of euphoria when I am inside the house. 

I cannot afford exotic cars or houses but I have some exotic light fittings in my house.  

The manufacturer of these exotic lightings only produced a batch and there is no re-run. Breaking any of the components is like breaking the whole light fittings. There is no spare part. Cleaning is another problem. The parts, some in fragile glass sticks and moulded glass panes, have to be removed piece by piece to clean. The bulbs and the fluorescent tubes used in these light fittings are also non-standard type.

 

One of the fluorescent tubes in my kitchen blew out recently. I dismantled the tube and took it to numerous lighting and electrical shops in town. Unfortunately, none of the shops that I visited has the fluorescent tube. It was an uncommon and non-standard tube. 

I have two options. One is to discard the whole light fitting and buy a new one. That would be costly. The light fitting comes in a pair. So that means discarding two units.

 Being a DIY buff, I chose the second option to modify the light fitting.

I changed the fluorescent tube holder from the 4-pin to a standard 2-pin type and replaced the choke (ballast) as well. 

The 2-pin fluorescent tube holder cost RM4.50 (USD1.35) each while the standard fluorescent cost RM9.90 (USD3.00) each.  With this modification, I need not worry about replacing any blown-out fluorescent tubes again. 

The only tools required for the job are test pen, screw driver, wire stripper/cutter and a ladder.

Replacing Kitchen Counter-top Water Filter

I used a stand-alone counter-top water filter that was easily connected to the water tap (see the picture). This type of water filter is available at any supermarket or hypermarket. Anybody can fix this with a screw driver.

The disadvantage of this type of water filter is the high maintenance cost. The filter cartridge cost RM80.00 (USD24.00) each and last about six months only. Another problem with this type of filter is the adapter for connecting the filter to the tap. Water frequently leaked from the adapter. Once the filter cartridge is clogged,  water will sprout from the adapter. The original adapter from the manufacturer is very expensive. It cost RM60.00 (USD18.88), whereas the common adaptor from the hardware shop cost RM15.00. (USD4.50) but this will not indicate if the cartridge is clogged. Moreover, the filter cartridge is not serviceable. Once clogged, it must be replaced. The filter housing is also bulky and occupied the limited space at the sink counter.

In order to overcome the high maintenance cost and the leakage problem, I have decided to replace it with a stainless steel ceramic cartridge filter. This type of water filter is slim and aesthetic for the kitchen. It cost RM128.00, (USD18.00) for the standard wall mounted type. Because I wanted a counter-top mounting(sitting on top of the kitchen counter), I have to add in a brass counter-top tap and an adapter to change the mounting.  Accessories are available at the bathroom & kitchen fitting shop for you to modify whatever fittings you so choose.

Unless you are a handyman, you may required a plumber to fix this.  You can DIY with just two pieces of wrench and a roll of sealing tape. I have added a stop valve under the counter-top.

 This is to enable any repair work to the counter-top filter without shutting down the water supply to the entire kitchen. Just disconnect the flexi-hose and fix the stop valve with a wrench. 

Then, re-connect the flexi-hose to the filter housing unit. Ensure that the filter housing unit is properly anchored on the counter-top before connecting the flexi-hose.  Connect the ceramic filter cartridge to the housing cap, insert the filter cartridge into the housing and close it securely.

This is a fairly simple job but can turn complicated if the joints are not sealed properly. There should not be even a single drop of water dripping from any joints.

See my new filter on the left and compare this with the old filter on the right.

De-Clogging the wash basin/kitchen sink.

“The wash basin waste water is not flowing out. Please call the plumber!” This is a common exclamation you will hear whenever a wash basin or kitchen sink is clogged.

No worry. You do not need a plumber nor any special tool to de-clog it.

Under every wash basin or kitchen sink, there is an L-shape outlet pipe with a bottle-like contraption at the elbow. This is called the bottle trap. The function of this device is to prevent cockroaches and other creepy crawlies from entering the wash room or kitchen through the outlet pipe.

Besides preventing insects from entering, this bottle trap is also a catchment for sediments and hairs.  Hairs and solid particles are the biggest culprits that caused clogging of the sink and wash basin.

To de-clog, just unscrew the bottle trap with your bare hands and remove the sediments and hair. Wash the bottle trap thoroughly and screw it back. It’s as simple as that.

However, this simple de-clogging technique can become complicated if any of the O-ring rubber seal is damaged. When this happens, the whole set of bottle trap should be replaced.

Recently I inadvertently damaged the O-ring rubber seal while removing the sediments and hairs in the bottle trap.  It was a chrome bottle trap and cost RM39.00 (USD11.00). This chrome-type bottle trap is slimmer and is more aesthetic but clogs easily. It was rusty on the inside and sediments and hairs got trapped faster.

So, I decided to change to the PVC type which costs only RM4.50 (USD1.30). However, I could only find a white colour PVC bottle trap which does not match well with my stainless wash basin.

To overcome this, I bought a can of silver colour spray paint costing RM7.80 (USD2.30)). The final result is an aesthetic looking PVC bottle trap that looks like aluminium and the total cost is only RM12.30 (USD3.60) as compared to the chrome version costing RM39.00 (USD11.50). Furthermore, no tools were used to fix the PVC bottle trap. Only one roll of white sealing tape (RM0.50/USD0.15) was required to seal the threaded joints.  

Re-assemble the bottle trap and putting the O-ring in correct position.

Re fix the bottle trap to the basin.
See for yourselves.  My new PVC bottle trap on the right and the same set re-sprayed with silver paint below.  

Completed job with the new PVCbottle trap. Q.E.D.