Broan exhaust fan: ok to use light socket for the fan?/extensions available?


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Old 05-21-16, 06:13 PM
I
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Broan exhaust fan: ok to use light socket for the fan?/extensions available?

Hi. We recently bought a house that had a non working exhaust fan in the bathroom. After taking the ceiling mount off, I discovered that the fan is fine, but there is an electrical issue with the socket used for the fan. This particular model has both a light and a fan. We don't really need the light, so I just plugged the fan into the socket made for the light and it works. My questions are--is this ok to do? The sockets were color coded (white for light and black for the fan), but i am assuming they wouldn't use different voltages? The other concern is that I had to really work to force the fan cord in to the light socket. It is a super tight fit, and I covered it with electrical tape. Should I be concerned that it is so taught and are there mini extension cords out there that I could use to extend it so it isn't such a tight fit? I know the right thing would be to just fix the electrical issue with the bad socket, but I am not really comfortable with electrical projects. Thanks in advance!
 
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Old 05-21-16, 06:32 PM
Tolyn Ironhand's Avatar
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Welcome to the forums!

What you did is fine, but if you want to make it so the cord is not so tight you can re-wire the fan. By code the wiring compartment of the fan will be accessible from below. Look for a screw holding the compartment cover in place. It will be small but all the wires you need will be there. Just move the hot wire of the working outlet to the one for the fan. Of course, turn off the power before doing any work.
 
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Old 05-21-16, 06:34 PM
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We have no picture of what you've done, no model number.
Most can be completely replaced from below, simple plug in no rewiring needed.
 
 

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