How should I go about selecting a new bathroom vent fan?
A. Some inexpensive bathroom vent fans are noisy right out of the box. If your old fan was quiet years ago, you may be able to repair it. Remove the cover and unplug it. Clean out all the dust and tighten all the screws. Just a loose screw or two can create an annoying, loud sound. Bathroom fan rebuilding kits are available for many of the economy fans that builders often install. A kit costs less than $50 and takes only about 15 minutes to install. It includes a new quiet-design motor, multiple motor plates to adapt to many models and an updated grille. When installed, the fan can be as much as 50 percent quieter than the old one when it was new. If you decide you really need a new bathroom fan, there are some ultra-quiet ones available. Most of these fans have all the newest features for both convenience and energy conservation. They are so quiet that running one at night when using the bathroom should not wake anyone else in your house. You can expect to pay up to several hundred do
