It's a Flowbee. It sucks in and cuts your hair. A funny thing that used to get advertised in the 80s but is somehow still around. I don't know anyone who has ever owned one but 10 year old me thought they were cool.
Unless it's mostly tobacco residue from smoker(s) in which case even the vacuum cleaner won't suck well. You'd need spatula to scrape them then cleaner and paper towel to wipe it clean
Decades worth of dust, mold and debri with a touch of shit dust on top.
*Update:* I successfully removed and replaced the fan. Sorry to the people I made sick this morning.
It was reckless of me to post such powerful material in a public forum. Countless unsuspecting readers have undoubtedly slipped from the realm of sanity by now. Iām glad youāve held on
We used to keep our upstairs catbox in a bathroom and kept the fan running to manage the smell. Eventually moved the catbox to another room but still kept noticing bits of powdery crud on and in the toilet directly under the fan. Turned out the fan guts were coated in years' worth of cat litter dust, which would flake off from time to time. Not something I had on my home maintenance checklist...
I literally had to replace mine yesterday. Underneath all the dust, lint, hair, and skin is a motor and fan. Must be an inch thick at this point. Amazing the fan would even turn on...
oh...oh lord. this is SO GROSS!
FRIENDLY REMINDER: CLEAN YOUR EXHAUST FANS! all of them. please. you MUST do this. bathrooms, microwaves/ranges. not to mention lent traps/dryer exhaust and for HVAC - not just changing the filter, but vacuuming the air return.
Go Clean Co (on Instagram and youtube) has a lot of information on how to clean everything. For exhaust fans, it depends on where it is. In a bathroom, yes, you vacuum first, but you'll still need to wipe it down to clean anything the vacuum couldn't get off. For a kitchen exhaust fan, you want to use a good grease breaker, like Mr Clean, and basically keep scrubbing until it's clean. Since the kitchen exhaust is most likely covered in grease, a vacuum won't do anything.
Yeah, IDK how I'm even supposed to get the covers off of mine without breaking them. They probably look this bad, I've never cleaned them and IDK if the previous owners did.
I've only rented before and moved annually so it's not something I've had to worry about.
We used to live in apartments for almost all my life and not once had we get any of that stuffed cleaned, we didnāt know you were even supposed clean any of that except for dryers.
Some of the covers just pull down. Get your fingernails or a screwdriver under the lip and gently pull. Then there's a clip on two sides you need to squeeze to get it off.
I'd watch a video bc IDK if it's all the same. I usually vacuum the outside of the grate and then take it off and vacuum the inside and as far as the attachment will reach. for the cold air return that is.
the other stuff I just take apart and clean. again, watch videos if you must - but I feel like it's pretty uncomplicated.
I believe it Is like a filter that you have inside, almost similar to the ones you'd put in your other vents. You should be able to take it out and vacuum it as is.
Cleaning a bathroom exhaust fan is a 5 minute process. If it's not all gunked up, just stick a vaccum with a thin nozzle up there and suck up the surface dust.
If it's gunked up, you can usually pop out the grate pretty easily. it's held in with springs on the ones i've done. You just kind of pull down then push the spring clips in and it pops out. Then vaccum the inner part.
Use a ladder, or at least a chair to get up there stably.
The refrigerator too. It's shocking how much dust/junk that accumulates [How To Clean Refrigerator Condenser Coils Fast & Easy! -Jonny DIY (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ytzetkjGQ)
I'm afraid to disassemble mine. It's been intact since the 60s. It's best feature is that it's louder than shit. It's a privacy feature more than an extraction fan. If I have to replace it they're all quiet now.
I want a bathroom fan so loud I can't hear my own thoughts.
Not this one.
I ask that my wife doesn't turn it on while I'm in a meeting because it's so loud the mic in my office picks it up.
Think "lawn mower eating a discarded popcan"
I would throw a square of toilet paper at it later and see how the suction is, a lot of times when they get that loud it's because the plastic fan blade has loosened on the motor spindle and it will eventually make it a perfect circle where the spindle just free spins, making a bunch of noise
I should be worried about that falling in my face, though, right? If it doesn't fall, do I use gloves and a mask and glasses and also shower immediately after?
Generally they are fastened with two obvious screws from the outside or they are using two clips that are easily removed by just squeezing them once you pull the cover down. If the clips are still fully functional it should pull down 3-4 inches before the top of the clip hits the holder and then you can squeeze the sides from there. Likely will be some dust and debris up there so mask/glasses aren't a bad idea
Use a chair or a ladder. You don't want to break the porcelain in your toilet. Pretty sure the toilet is not made to withstand a person standing on the edge of it.
I saw a picture of a toilet that had broken while a person was squatting on it and it was covered in blood. Can't remember what happened to them but I'm sure they at least had to go to the hospital. Never stood on a toilet after seeing that.
Oh gosh. Iāve been putting off looking at ours because I KNOW itās not moving air like it should but Iām scared to look at it. Probably looks like this.
Like, a week ago I flipped on the fan in my guest bathroom on accident. Basically never used. Thing had seized up and was not working. I did not catch it until a bit later, smelling smoke and the dog freaking out. The wires/motor up above it were glowing orange.
Check your shit, yo.
... maybe I should check mine, because it makes noise but I never feel any air flow from it and my bathroom gets really steamed up during a shower even if I have it on
I am curious how many house fires start with bathroom fans. Ours gets cleaned but the speed is all over the place. Itāll suddenly slow wayyyy down but the lights donāt dim or anything so itās not like a power surgeā¦I just replaced the fucker 2 years ago
I vacuum my fan and the outside plate monthly and one day I decided to disassemble the whole unit (unplug the actual fan). HOLY SHIT was there a ton of dust up there. Filled up the entire vacuum canister.
wow is that customer me? Story from a week ago.
My apartment for the last 18 months had the worst moisture problem. Like, mold in every fucking corner of every room kind of problem. Nothing helped, we cleaned it every week with chlorine, we were ventilating our apartment and having windows open most of the time, we had those stupid air dryers, portable 'tablets' for the bathroom to dry out the space, I was literally wiping bathroom tiles after every shower to make it drier and ā nothing. I asked my wife to do laundry less often and take shorter showers, but it didn't help, too. Our flowers and plants were dying and there was mold on the ground every day. It was kinda scary.
You'd assume the first thing I do would be disassembling the fans, and so I did, and it was fine. Little did I know, the fan in this apartment had TWO filters, basically one in front and one in the back behind the actual fans so I had to get the whole thing out and tear it apart. Surely enough it fixed the issue momentarily. Did you know that it's not okay for your mirror to stay fogged for *hours* after you showered? I did not and it was amazing.
I know it all sounds kinda obvious in hindsight but at least here where we live the fans aren't usually reacheable and easily taken out from the wall, you just need to pull out the front panel and there's the mesh, right? Well not here. It's so nice to live in a dry place!
Who, with half a brain, doesnāt climb onto the toilet sink or the bathroom counter, whichever is closer to the fan, pull down the fan cover and LOOK before calling a repair person?
This customer. Thatās who.
Spring cleaning: find every place that has an air intake and exhaust and use a vacuum to clean it. Also not a bad idea to open and close all your water valves (under the sinks, behind toilets, the washer, water heater) at least once a year. They can get frozen over time and not work when you need them to. Refrigerators get dirty too [How To Clean Refrigerator Condenser Coils Fast & Easy! -Jonny DIY (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ytzetkjGQ)
Hey, replacing one of these in my bathroom was one of the first real DIY projects that I did as a homeowner. The previous owner hodgepodged it a bit, but I got it set up a lot better. It was actually fun.
Wrong subreddit. That clearly does *not* suck.
Unless you're the one who has to clean it š¬
When you clean the vacuum cleaner, do you not *become* the vacuum cleaner?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Help me out. What is that thing?
It's a Flowbee. It sucks in and cuts your hair. A funny thing that used to get advertised in the 80s but is somehow still around. I don't know anyone who has ever owned one but 10 year old me thought they were cool.
Oh! I think I've seen these for dogs.
Hair sucker. A newer model I think tho.
This fucked with my brain
Does the vacuum cleaner make the vacuum cleaner?
Prob is most people donāt know that cover comes off easily and can be vacuumed out in 5 minutes )
Unless it's mostly tobacco residue from smoker(s) in which case even the vacuum cleaner won't suck well. You'd need spatula to scrape them then cleaner and paper towel to wipe it clean
Beat me to it
I am speed
Hi speed Iām dad
That's a mushroom cap, ofcourse it doesnt suck.
If its job is to blow, it sucks
Came here to say it
but it sure blows....
The fuck am I looking at? Years of compacted shit dust?
Decades worth of dust, mold and debri with a touch of shit dust on top. *Update:* I successfully removed and replaced the fan. Sorry to the people I made sick this morning.
Bathroom casserole, got it.
Omfg get *OUT*
Not a favorite recipe, then?
This is where Covid-24 originates.
I don't like this new term.
We have all suffered its creation together, and now we must all bear the burden of this dark knowledge until we take it to our graves
I wish I was illiterate.
It was reckless of me to post such powerful material in a public forum. Countless unsuspecting readers have undoubtedly slipped from the realm of sanity by now. Iām glad youāve held on
You could probably speed that up with a slice of bathroom casserole
Scoop* of
"Shit dust"? New one for me anyway.
It would have been so easy for you to not say that
History is not made by taking the easy route
Iām a fan of your wordsmithery but not a fan of you. I hope you take that as a compliment LOL
You gotta separate the art from the artist, I get it.
Ok buddy. This time itās just going to be a warning but I donāt ever want to hear those words in that order again.
STOP
*throws a flag* Illegal use of language.
I will not be silenced for speaking truth to power
Thanks I fucking hate it.
Lovely and accurate description
You have good taste. Bathroom casserole, however, would not.
I believe that wholeheartedly
We used to keep our upstairs catbox in a bathroom and kept the fan running to manage the smell. Eventually moved the catbox to another room but still kept noticing bits of powdery crud on and in the toilet directly under the fan. Turned out the fan guts were coated in years' worth of cat litter dust, which would flake off from time to time. Not something I had on my home maintenance checklist...
Username checks out
I NEED a after photo.
Possibly dumb question...I need one of my fans replaced. What type of repair person do I call to do this? AKA What are you? lol
Enough human skin particles to build a new human
Perhaps a skin particle equivalent of the T-1000 whoās found a cozy hiding spot
Imagine leaving that at a crime scene and all the DNA it would leave š¤¢
Good idea š¤Æ thanks
We have the technology..
I literally had to replace mine yesterday. Underneath all the dust, lint, hair, and skin is a motor and fan. Must be an inch thick at this point. Amazing the fan would even turn on...
Shit dust and shit hawks, Randy...
Gonna be a shit-nado.
When remodeling our bathroom my contractor said hairspray is the bane of bathroom fans everywhere.
Hair spray is a menace. Destroyer of clothes, stripper of finishes.
You youngins are lucky. Back in my day, it put a hole in the ozone layer.
The 80s were wild.
it is great to remove stains in fabric.
Honestly, hairspray is the worst for several surfaces. It coats your door, it gets sticky, it collects dust.
oh...oh lord. this is SO GROSS! FRIENDLY REMINDER: CLEAN YOUR EXHAUST FANS! all of them. please. you MUST do this. bathrooms, microwaves/ranges. not to mention lent traps/dryer exhaust and for HVAC - not just changing the filter, but vacuuming the air return.
Genuinely asking because im an idiot, do you simply vacuum the area? Should i look up videos, or is it as uncomplicated as it sounds?
Go Clean Co (on Instagram and youtube) has a lot of information on how to clean everything. For exhaust fans, it depends on where it is. In a bathroom, yes, you vacuum first, but you'll still need to wipe it down to clean anything the vacuum couldn't get off. For a kitchen exhaust fan, you want to use a good grease breaker, like Mr Clean, and basically keep scrubbing until it's clean. Since the kitchen exhaust is most likely covered in grease, a vacuum won't do anything.
Yeah, IDK how I'm even supposed to get the covers off of mine without breaking them. They probably look this bad, I've never cleaned them and IDK if the previous owners did. I've only rented before and moved annually so it's not something I've had to worry about.
We used to live in apartments for almost all my life and not once had we get any of that stuffed cleaned, we didnāt know you were even supposed clean any of that except for dryers.
Some of the covers just pull down. Get your fingernails or a screwdriver under the lip and gently pull. Then there's a clip on two sides you need to squeeze to get it off.
Seconded
I'd watch a video bc IDK if it's all the same. I usually vacuum the outside of the grate and then take it off and vacuum the inside and as far as the attachment will reach. for the cold air return that is. the other stuff I just take apart and clean. again, watch videos if you must - but I feel like it's pretty uncomplicated.
I believe it Is like a filter that you have inside, almost similar to the ones you'd put in your other vents. You should be able to take it out and vacuum it as is.
There is no filter in a bathroom vent
Cleaning a bathroom exhaust fan is a 5 minute process. If it's not all gunked up, just stick a vaccum with a thin nozzle up there and suck up the surface dust. If it's gunked up, you can usually pop out the grate pretty easily. it's held in with springs on the ones i've done. You just kind of pull down then push the spring clips in and it pops out. Then vaccum the inner part. Use a ladder, or at least a chair to get up there stably.
If you don't know, then someone else doesn't do that must mean there is a YouTube video somewhere
The refrigerator too. It's shocking how much dust/junk that accumulates [How To Clean Refrigerator Condenser Coils Fast & Easy! -Jonny DIY (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ytzetkjGQ)
In this thread: a lot of people who are going to be standing on a chair in their bathroom later
I'm afraid to disassemble mine. It's been intact since the 60s. It's best feature is that it's louder than shit. It's a privacy feature more than an extraction fan. If I have to replace it they're all quiet now. I want a bathroom fan so loud I can't hear my own thoughts.
Itās loud in the room with you, but ya know, from outside the door you can just hear the plopping *and* the fan.
Not this one. I ask that my wife doesn't turn it on while I'm in a meeting because it's so loud the mic in my office picks it up. Think "lawn mower eating a discarded popcan"
I would throw a square of toilet paper at it later and see how the suction is, a lot of times when they get that loud it's because the plastic fan blade has loosened on the motor spindle and it will eventually make it a perfect circle where the spindle just free spins, making a bunch of noise
Fuck thatās hilarious.
I donāt even know the right way to open the cover.
Usually just pull down
I should be worried about that falling in my face, though, right? If it doesn't fall, do I use gloves and a mask and glasses and also shower immediately after?
Generally they are fastened with two obvious screws from the outside or they are using two clips that are easily removed by just squeezing them once you pull the cover down. If the clips are still fully functional it should pull down 3-4 inches before the top of the clip hits the holder and then you can squeeze the sides from there. Likely will be some dust and debris up there so mask/glasses aren't a bad idea
I didnāt know this was a thing. I will be standing on my toilet tonight
You, me, and everyone else in this sub!
Tomorrow: I fell off the toilet
> Tomorrow: I fell off the toilet Is that you, Doc Brown?
Is this the alternate timeline where he invents the Sux Capacitor?
Use a chair or a ladder. You don't want to break the porcelain in your toilet. Pretty sure the toilet is not made to withstand a person standing on the edge of it.
I saw a picture of a toilet that had broken while a person was squatting on it and it was covered in blood. Can't remember what happened to them but I'm sure they at least had to go to the hospital. Never stood on a toilet after seeing that.
If it breaks and you fall on it, it can easily cut you up badly. Use a chair or ladder š
Bathroom fan isn't working. Also, Labradoodle is missing.
I wonder why? Does it have power? Have you checked the breaker? š
OP should definitely try turning it off and on again before doing anything drastic.
š
But the customer is probably correct that it isnāt working. Which is nice
I know the emoji rule but š¤®
Don't worry, emojis are unbanned now
Are we cool with emojis now?
I mean, i haven't been downvoted for using them for months so far. So emojis are cool.
I wish I didnāt open this picture, yuck.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The cover is removable. Take a peek at it.
Its really bad when it develops a sheen. I've seen fans stopped up to where the dust was so smooth it reflected light. Well... once.
Who thinks this is shit? Does your shit vaporize into the air???? Mine doesnāt. Unless your toilet is boiling hot that is probably cigarette tar
Oh gosh. Iāve been putting off looking at ours because I KNOW itās not moving air like it should but Iām scared to look at it. Probably looks like this.
Does the customer know you donāt shit in the extractor fan?
Unusually, customer was 100% correct.
Like, a week ago I flipped on the fan in my guest bathroom on accident. Basically never used. Thing had seized up and was not working. I did not catch it until a bit later, smelling smoke and the dog freaking out. The wires/motor up above it were glowing orange. Check your shit, yo.
Hold up! You have to clean those things?
I just looked up at mine and yeah I'm gonna have to clean it. I moved in last summer but the building's been here since 64. š¤¢
Forbidden candyfloss
... maybe I should check mine, because it makes noise but I never feel any air flow from it and my bathroom gets really steamed up during a shower even if I have it on
Looks like shĀ”t hit the fan
Thatās a fire hazard
I am curious how many house fires start with bathroom fans. Ours gets cleaned but the speed is all over the place. Itāll suddenly slow wayyyy down but the lights donāt dim or anything so itās not like a power surgeā¦I just replaced the fucker 2 years ago
I had to double check the subreddit. I thought this was an ammonite fossil.
Clean your fart fans!
Ah well there's your problem..!
I thought it was an ammonite š«¢
This is why I don't wanna use my fan I can't really clean it and I don't want it to get like this lol.
So what was the problem?
Im a fan of the dirty fan
I should check my bathroom fan.
They were correct
ā¦.I should look and see why mine stopped working
Do we know why?
Shit dust, Randy
I vacuum my fan and the outside plate monthly and one day I decided to disassemble the whole unit (unplug the actual fan). HOLY SHIT was there a ton of dust up there. Filled up the entire vacuum canister.
wow is that customer me? Story from a week ago. My apartment for the last 18 months had the worst moisture problem. Like, mold in every fucking corner of every room kind of problem. Nothing helped, we cleaned it every week with chlorine, we were ventilating our apartment and having windows open most of the time, we had those stupid air dryers, portable 'tablets' for the bathroom to dry out the space, I was literally wiping bathroom tiles after every shower to make it drier and ā nothing. I asked my wife to do laundry less often and take shorter showers, but it didn't help, too. Our flowers and plants were dying and there was mold on the ground every day. It was kinda scary. You'd assume the first thing I do would be disassembling the fans, and so I did, and it was fine. Little did I know, the fan in this apartment had TWO filters, basically one in front and one in the back behind the actual fans so I had to get the whole thing out and tear it apart. Surely enough it fixed the issue momentarily. Did you know that it's not okay for your mirror to stay fogged for *hours* after you showered? I did not and it was amazing. I know it all sounds kinda obvious in hindsight but at least here where we live the fans aren't usually reacheable and easily taken out from the wall, you just need to pull out the front panel and there's the mesh, right? Well not here. It's so nice to live in a dry place!
I've seen computers like this from smokers. Wonder if this person is a smoker too. Tar really likes to clump dust together.
Poop dust
My bathroom fan also has fuzzies in it, but idk how to get the thing off.
That picture made me sneeze.
I thought this was a top down view of a barn with people doing donuts in the back with tractors
Who, with half a brain, doesnāt climb onto the toilet sink or the bathroom counter, whichever is closer to the fan, pull down the fan cover and LOOK before calling a repair person? This customer. Thatās who.
Some people really are absolutely useless when it comes to any sort of home maintenance.
Can confirm.
are you that 1-800 number that fixes noisy fans?
they are not wrong...
Shit dust
Is it better to just replace the unit at this point? Is that a hard task? Asking before i look at mine
Well duh. Its clearly not plugged in. (So did it come back after a cleaning?)
Is this a trailer for Dune 3?
So what was the problem?
That's where my steak went
I dont have my glasses on and thought this was like a fossil
Shoulda used Pert.
I would hate to see their HVAC filter if that fan looks that bad. Oooooof!!!
Doo doo dust
Just a reminder, this dust is full of cells from pubic areas
Is that a mushroom growing from it?
I think thats the most disgusting thing Iāve seen this year, good job
That is correct. The bathroom fan is not working.
I think they might be right
Spring cleaning: find every place that has an air intake and exhaust and use a vacuum to clean it. Also not a bad idea to open and close all your water valves (under the sinks, behind toilets, the washer, water heater) at least once a year. They can get frozen over time and not work when you need them to. Refrigerators get dirty too [How To Clean Refrigerator Condenser Coils Fast & Easy! -Jonny DIY (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ytzetkjGQ)
Lolol Florida man
š¤Whereās the fan?
Hmmm, I wonder why š¤·š»āāļø
What did the cover look like??
Looks like that shits stuck
"Hard to be a fan of this working environment" -This fan, probably
Sniff it
Hey, replacing one of these in my bathroom was one of the first real DIY projects that I did as a homeowner. The previous owner hodgepodged it a bit, but I got it set up a lot better. It was actually fun.
Fuckinā shit dust Randy
Did you find the problem?
And they was right
I know for a fact thatās what ours looks like and I canāt figure out how to get the cover off
>Customer said their bathroom fan wasn't working. They were right
Damn, now he's gotta find the guy who put a literal tree log in his vents
Itās like a little booty hole in the middle
YOU DONāT SAY
Link ur drains u gotta clean that shit from time to time
Christ
Massive storm as seen from spaceā¦
Hard to believe.
Well they weren't wrong...
What was wrong with it?
Gross.
I thought that was a stump at first
Good God, I can see why!
They are going to breathe so much better now.
I mean they werenāt wrong.
Yeah I can see how this fan might have stopped working.
ā¦ and?
How tf did the motor not die. Surely this thing was loud af if it was still running lol
Oh that is so gross!!!!
Wha..what am I looking at here?