To maintain the efficiency, safety, and useful life of your bathroom or kitchen exhaust fans, it is important that your home maintenance program include the proper maintenance for your bathroom or kitchen exhaust fans.

Exhaust fans in bathrooms, kitchens, work areas, etc.  draw fumes out of these rooms and send them outside through ports with swinging louvers or a flap.  See also:  Showers & Tubs and Pest Control.

Shown in the "Maintenance" tab above are the recommended routine maintenance tasks for your bathroom or kitchen exhaust fans. The "Questions / Answers" tab above shows our answers to related questions. And the "Articles" tab above provides links to related informational articles and sources.

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 Maintenance Task:  Clean and inspect exhaust fan ports

Clean both the inlet and the outlet of the exhaust system using a mild detergent.  Oil the louvers or flaps so that they operate freely.

Inspect for:

• Louvers or flaps that stick

• Any missing pieces

• Insect nests

Repair as necessary.

Sticking louvers or flaps allow for loss of heating or cooling, which increases your energy bills.  It also allows an opening for insects.