bathroom extractor fan stinks

[happydutchmummy]

My bathroom extractor fan is pongy. For the last week or two the bathroom has smelt mouldy, and after weeks of investigating we have narrowed it down to blaming the extractor fan. How do I sort this problem? Help!!

is there something obstructing the airflow through the fan? it should be the best ventilated part of the room. When is it switched on and off? Do you know a smoker who you can permit to hold their disgusting fag under the fan to see if it whisks the smoke away?

Is the external grill clogged?

It might be that it has a lot of old dust in it that is harbouring damp. Bathroom dust is mostly dead skin cells.

A new fan is very inexpensive and not much more difficult than taking out the old one to clean it and its duct.

What switches/isolators does it have?

Thanks piglet!

There is nothing obstructing the airflow from what I can see, it's a fan directly above the shower cubicle. Will get my smoker friends to test it tomorrow.

Not sure how to check the external grill. It's the bathroom on the top floor of the house, so I assume the vent comes out somewhere on the roof but I've honestly not ever thought to look for it.

It comes on automatically when I turn on the bathroom light. There is a wall switch outside the bathroom to turn it on/off but we always have it switched on and then when turn on the bathroom light it kicks in.

Will getting a new fan sort the problem?

there may be something wrong with the duct. Have you got a flat roof, or a loft? Can you see where it comes out?