Broan bath heater outlet not working

[Victor Hastings]

Hello all,

My house is 40 years old & has Broan bathroom vent fans/heaters <EDIT: model 655>. Last week one of the heaters (but not the light or extractor fan) stopped working. I pulled the heating unit, plugged it directly into a wall outlet -- nothing. Then I noticed that the thermal fuse was connected incorrectly (it was on top of the heating element rather than below it). The fuse tested okay, so I reconnected it correctly. I plugged the unit into a wall outlet, & it fired right up, blower as well as element.

I put the heater back into the housing, flipped the wall switch & nothing happened. I swapped out the wall switch -- still nothing.

So --- the light & extractor fan work fine. They are on the same circuit as the heater. I guess there is a problem with the outlet that the heater plugs into.

Where do I go from here? I don't want to remove the housing unless I really have to.

Thanks.

 

[WorthFlorida]

If I read it correctly, with the heating element removed you were able to plug the unit in a wall outlet and it actually got hot? You really need a voltmeter to check voltages at the heater part of the unit. Could be a burned out connector or wire. the electrical outlet that the heat plugs into is probably bad.

The company is now Broan-NuTone and heated exhaust fans are still made. There might be a heater kit for your model. At Amazon search "Broan-Nutone heater"

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

The socket in the main unit may be too loose, or the heat caused one of the wires to break, or, if the switch has a separate one for heat, the switch could be bad. You really need a close visual inspection, and probably a meter, but using a meter takes a bit of skill and knowledge to interpret, too.

 

[Victor Hastings]

If I read it correctly, with the heating element removed you were able to plug the unit in a wall outlet and it actually got hot? You really need a voltmeter to check voltages at the heater part of the unit. Could be a burned out connector or wire. the electrical outlet that the heat plugs into is probably bad.

The company is now Broan-NuTone and heated exhaust fans are still made. There might be a heater kit for your model. At Amazon search "Broan-Nutone heater"

 

[Victor Hastings]

Sorry to be unclear -- the heater fan & heating element are fine now that I've installed the thermal fuse correctly. If I plug the unit into a wall socket, the fan comes on & the heating element gets hot.

But when I plug the unit into the outlet built into the housing, it doesn't turn on. Since the vent fan & light come on, I assume the problem is the outlet

 

[Victor Hastings]

The socket in the main unit may be too loose, or the heat caused one of the wires to break, or, if the switch has a separate one for heat, the switch could be bad. You really need a close visual inspection, and probably a meter, but using a meter takes a bit of skill and knowledge to interpret, too.

The heater has its own switch, but I swapped out the switch & the heater still doesn't work. I guess I need to look at the outlet in the housing.

 

[Victor Hastings]

The socket in the main unit may be too loose, or the heat caused one of the wires to break, or, if the switch has a separate one for heat, the switch could be bad. You really need a close visual inspection, and probably a meter, but using a meter takes a bit of skill and knowledge to interpret, too.

Grainger sells that receptacle for $3, so I'm going to grab one before I start taking down parts of the housing.

My unit is a Broan 655, FWIW. Thanks.

 

[Victor Hastings]

If I read it correctly, with the heating element removed you were able to plug the unit in a wall outlet and it actually got hot? You really need a voltmeter to check voltages at the heater part of the unit. Could be a burned out connector or wire. the electrical outlet that the heat plugs into is probably bad.

The company is now Broan-NuTone and heated exhaust fans are still made. There might be a heater kit for your model. Search "Broan-Nutone heater"

Grainger sells the receptacle for $3. I'm going to grab one before I take out any more of the housing. FWIW I have model 655. Thanks.