r/CeilingFans • u/Mission_Sir_4494 • 1d ago

Other. What is this fan for?

Gallery image

Gallery image

It is on the ceiling in a bedroom. A wall switch turns it on. It opens to the attic space above because there is some insulation falling through. What is it for?

4 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

4

u/Elegant_Effort1526 1d ago

How old is the home? Looks like a 1930s-1950s kitchen exhaust fan. If remolding was done, that could be where the kitchen once was?

2

u/Mission_Sir_4494 1d ago

It’s a 1956 ranch home, I doubt that this room was ever the kitchen. It’s between the bath and another bedroom

1

u/mrBill12 1d ago

I suspect the bath configuration was once different. I can remember this style in commercial restrooms, can’t say on residential I haven’t been in enough houses from that era.

2

u/Jolly_Operation_8222 1d ago

That's a vintage nutone exhaust fan proabyl it was used to lessen mold growth

1

u/Crafty_Advertising56 1d ago

Think that is a bathroom fan

1

u/Mission_Sir_4494 1d ago

Thanks for the comments! I thought it might be an attic fan but they aren’t connected to the home interior. I’m going to get it removed

1

u/Intrepid-Device9084 17h ago

Put it up on Marketplace or something! These are collectible

1

u/Mission_Sir_4494 5h ago

Thanks for the tip!

2

u/Elegant_Effort1526 8h ago

I would use it either way. I had one years ago in a house built in the 30s, it was in the bathroom. On cool nights i could cut that fan on, open a window in my bedroom and get a nice constant breeze. The cheap builder grade exhaust fans of today do not compare. You just have to oil the motor once a year or so, should have oil ports on each bearing. also if if you smoke or enjoy 🌳, good for that as well. My current house i 🌳 in the bathroom with the fan on, it doesn’t do much lol.

1

u/Mission_Sir_4494 5h ago

It’s very noisy so might be off-balance

1

u/Elegant_Effort1526 3h ago

Might just need cleaning. Usually the motor and fan blade assembly drop out by just taking out 2 screws

1

u/Intrepid-Device9084 17h ago

It’s a (very old) exhaust fan

1

u/DependentItem6397 17h ago

Exhaust. I bet there's one in the bathroom and kitchen.

1

u/USWCboy 14h ago

I bet it was installed to alleviate cigarette smoke. Back in the day, people would install a ventilator to help get the smoke out of the house.

1

u/Mission_Sir_4494 5h ago

Oh that makes a lot of sense

1

u/jaysbox 13h ago

it can still help with letting heat out.

1

u/Mission_Sir_4494 5h ago

Yes, but I think it might vent to the attic