Leaking extractor fan - help!

[yjones]

Hi
Ive just heard the sound of intermittent dripping. I tracked it to the bathroom and every minute or so a drip falls from the extractor fan. Ive been up in the loft and a lot of water has pooled in the duct. The duct has never gone vertical (becuase of the position of the extractor fan to the outside). Theres a length of duct which its horizontal and thats where all the water has pooled. What can I do!? I can post photos if that helps.
Thanks

 

[Doggit]

You need to take the ducting higher up before it the goes downward (ideally with a piece of straight tubing), and then you want to fit a condensation trap to catch the water that might drip downwards, and this'll get taken out with a 20mm overflow pipe.

 

[yjones]

I see.
Its been working fine for 5 years, and now suddenly started doing this.
Silly question: If I lifted the pooled bit of the duct and emptied the water (about half a bucket's worth) down and back through the extractor fan catching it in a bucket - would this be a sensible thing to do? (ie a quick fix). Maybe that would ruin the electrics and/or fan? Or would I be better off getting a plumber to take a look?

 

[Doggit]

I certainly wouldn't put it back through the fan, as it'll ruin the motor and the bearings in the spindle. As you can get up in the loft, you'd be better off nudging the water outwards, but if you can't do that, then isolate the fan, remove the cover and unscrew it, and then pour the water out of the tubing. This is more of an electricians job than a plumbers if you decide not to tackle it yourself.

 

[yjones]

How about (and yes I know this is a bodge) if I prick a hole in the duct and bleed it off and then put duct tape over the hole. Its taken 5 years for it to get to this point. Ill keep an eye on it every few months each winter to make sure the duct tape is still on. If/when it happens again I just peel off tape and bleed it again.

 

[Doggit]

Well, I suppose it's a creative bodge, but I doubt it'll work. Yes, it took 5 years to collect, and you could very likely just check it once a year, but the ducts tape will get wet, and fall off (that's if you can get it to stick in the first place) and then you get a wet loft.

You need a downwards slope to take the water out (yet make sure it doesn't drip down the wall), so ideally, you'd change the duct to a solid one, and possibly insulate it so that the moisture doesn't collect before it get to the outside vent.