Testing An Attic Fan

Sometimes you face an issue where the attic fan s motor comes on but the fan blades don t move.

Testing an attic fan.

They include rafters and ceiling joists that are damp or blackened with mold. Place the leads of the ohm meter on the wires that run from the capacitor to the motor. Look for movement of the needle on the meter toward infinite ohms. If the attic fan is plugged into an outlet use a voltmeter to make sure that the outlet is working.

Locate the thermostat casing and open it using a screwdriver. Switch off the power of the attic fan and remove the power cord. Also note down the power rating and the fan capacity in cubic feet per minute. One static vent style is the turbine vent which uses wind to power its enclosed fan all it takes is a light breeze to rotate the blades and suck heat out of the attic view example on the home.

It is preferable to do this test without the moving blade. Once done test that the motor still works by plugging the motor into an extension cord that is connected to an outlet. Step 2 test the thermostat. You may need to replace a circuit breaker an electrical outlet or one of the wire connections.

You ll need to take out the outer casing of the fan and look to see if the belt is cracked sagging worn out or broken. If there s a problem with the belt replace it with a new one. If the fan turns on the motor is still good. Note down the temperature settings for later reference.

Turn the attic fan off and unplug the motor from the thermostat. The cause of the problem could be the belt. Inspect the attic if your attic is not sufficiently vented you probably won t have to look very hard to find signs. Fan motor runs but not the blades if the motor is working but the fan blades are not moving the problem may be the belt.

Reverse the leads on the capacitor. Count to three while the leads on the meter charge the capacitor.