Author Topic: Best Bathroom Fan  (Read 13194 times)

MsGuided

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Best Bathroom Fan
« on: April 07, 2016, 10:51:35 PM »
I've been searching the MMM site for a recommendation for the best bathroom fan (and possibly a bathroom fan with light).  I have some memory of MMM himself mentioning an expensive but worthwhile model.  Anyone remember this, too?  If not, please share your recommendations for the best bathroom fan. We're finishing our basement and I'm willing to spend for a better fan if it's truly superior to lower priced models.

The light/fan we bought for our master sucks! It's so loud I almost never use it.

Thanks!

lthenderson

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2016, 07:41:15 AM »
I put in an inline attic mounted Air King fan and that was by far the best fan I've ever owned. Because it is in the attic, you can't hear any noise when the fan is on except for the swooshing of air as it leaves. It allows for me to put any vent/light cover on that I want since I am not tied to that particular opening size or lighting style. I can take the hottest, longest shower on the most humid of summer days and there will not be one bit of moisture fogging up the mirror or windows when I am done. I will never go back to those wimpy fan/light combos.

Grosgrain

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2016, 04:56:00 PM »
From my research, these Panasonic fans are supposed to be the best.  Super quiet and effective.  I just bought one but haven't installed it yet, so no first-person experience.  Lots of different sizes/configurations are available on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-FV-11VQ5-WhisperCeiling-Ceiling-Mounted/dp/B003TJAGO4

MsGuided

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2016, 10:20:13 PM »
Thank you both for responding!  It was very helpful. We'll put the rec for the Air King on file for our master, which has an obnoxiously loud fan.  Since this is for our basement, we looked over the reviews of the Panasonic fan you recommended and ordered it tonight.  Yay!

paddedhat

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2016, 07:01:13 AM »
Thank you both for responding!  It was very helpful. We'll put the rec for the Air King on file for our master, which has an obnoxiously loud fan.  Since this is for our basement, we looked over the reviews of the Panasonic fan you recommended and ordered it tonight.  Yay!

You would be amazed at how quiet a bath fan can get if you take the thing apart, give it a good cleaning to remove the caked on gunk, and put a few drops of oil on the motor shaft. I have done fans that were so bad that I just assumed that there was no option but to replace the fan motor, and ten minutes worth of vacuuming, brushing and a few drops of oil made everything work like new.

Jim2001

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #5 on: April 10, 2016, 05:15:26 PM »
It may sound counter intuitive, but a loud fan could be a better option.

It doesn't just vent the room, but provides white noise (e.g. privacy).

I'm just saying....

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2016, 04:57:02 AM »
Yeah, I'm going to get a bathroom fan for my powder room, and because of its location, the fan noise will be a plus.

Cromacster

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #7 on: April 12, 2016, 06:30:49 AM »
Thank you both for responding!  It was very helpful. We'll put the rec for the Air King on file for our master, which has an obnoxiously loud fan.  Since this is for our basement, we looked over the reviews of the Panasonic fan you recommended and ordered it tonight.  Yay!

I also installed a panosonic bathroom fan.  It does a great job getting the moisture out of the bathroom during a shower and I barely ever realize it is running because it is so quiet.

kudy

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #8 on: April 17, 2016, 04:44:07 PM »
I also installed a panosonic bathroom fan.  It does a great job getting the moisture out of the bathroom during a shower and I barely ever realize it is running because it is so quiet.

Did you get one that required replacement of the housing, or one that could be snapped into place in the existing housing? I am hoping to replace mine with a quieter fan, but I'd rather not have to re-do the mounting of the fan housing and the hose connection, etc. (e.g. stay out of the attic).

Cromacster

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #9 on: April 18, 2016, 06:29:15 AM »
I also installed a panosonic bathroom fan.  It does a great job getting the moisture out of the bathroom during a shower and I barely ever realize it is running because it is so quiet.

Did you get one that required replacement of the housing, or one that could be snapped into place in the existing housing? I am hoping to replace mine with a quieter fan, but I'd rather not have to re-do the mounting of the fan housing and the hose connection, etc. (e.g. stay out of the attic).

There was no existing fan, so I installed it from the attic.

kudy

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #10 on: April 18, 2016, 02:11:05 PM »
There was no existing fan, so I installed it from the attic.

After a bit more research, it appears I have a builder's grade nutone fan, so I ordered this "upgrade" kit to add 10 CFM to the throughput and slightly decrease the loudness:
http://www.nutone.com/products/product/088cb36d-e2eb-41da-8187-f79a099bb9e1

The best part is, I get to just swap out the fan part and not worry about crawling in the attic more.

Yesterday I popped my head up there and found that the exhaust vent was just laying in my insulation with water resting in the low point (condensation?), which has definitely been causing issues. Some day I will have to get that shitty implementation replaced with an insulated exhaust pipe going all the way to the outside... for now I've pointed the existing exhaust at an attic air vent.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2016, 02:13:37 PM by kudy »

Macrolide

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #11 on: April 19, 2016, 05:50:48 PM »
There was no existing fan, so I installed it from the attic.

After a bit more research, it appears I have a builder's grade nutone fan, so I ordered this "upgrade" kit to add 10 CFM to the throughput and slightly decrease the loudness:
http://www.nutone.com/products/product/088cb36d-e2eb-41da-8187-f79a099bb9e1

The best part is, I get to just swap out the fan part and not worry about crawling in the attic more.

Yesterday I popped my head up there and found that the exhaust vent was just laying in my insulation with water resting in the low point (condensation?), which has definitely been causing issues. Some day I will have to get that shitty implementation replaced with an insulated exhaust pipe going all the way to the outside... for now I've pointed the existing exhaust at an attic air vent.

I made a similar discovery. Mine didn’t have any vent pipe at all. The fan was just pumping warm moisture straight into the attic, begging for some mold to grow. At any rate, it was a fun weekend project to fix:



A few key points gleaned from my research that I implemented: (I’m sure you can have a working system without following these rules, but I liked the theory behind them – not looking to start an argument)

1) Use 4” PVC (My fan doesn't have a 4" exhaust, but I wanted to future-proof my vent since most fans nowadays are 4"). Compared to flexible duct, rigid smooth wall pipe provides much better airflow (quieter) and doesn’t have low spots where condensation can collect.

2) The pipe has a slight rise from the fan, then slopes down to an exit through a gable. Any condensation flows out through the side of the house. I haven’t (yet) seen the need to insulate the pipe. After one winter, there hasn’t been a single drip come back through the fan.

3) Don’t terminate at a soffit – those are for air intake. Don’t terminate through an existing roof vent – a lot of the moist air won’t escape and it blocks normal airflow.

4) Exiting through a gable, if you have one, is a good choice in order to prevent adding another roof penetration that has the potential to leak.

Lastly, I would just note that it’s important to get the right-size fan for the size of your bathroom. Too weak is an obvious problem. But don’t just get the fan with the most CFM you can afford. Too powerful of a fan is an inefficiency - that conditioned air that is being removed from your house needs to be replaced somewhere from outside air, which will have to be heated or cooled depending on the season.

Now, I gotta change out this buried knob and tube wiring and add a ton of insulation up there.
« Last Edit: April 19, 2016, 06:37:01 PM by Macrolide »

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #12 on: April 20, 2016, 07:47:39 AM »
Macrolide:

Would insulated pipe would take care of the condensation problem?

We just changed the piping on our fan exhaust last fall.
It was suggested to us that the 8 inch travel length to the vent was piping super cold air back into our bathroom and it would be move efficient to have a longer pipe.  DH turned the fan unit 180 degrees and bought a flexible insulated pipe. Length to the vent is now about six feet with a really generous turn around to the existing vent in the gable.
Not sure if the sharp turns are all that efficient for air movement in your rigid assembly.  The furnace guy told me that in an air duct, a turn is the equivalent of adding ten feet of length.  But not sure that is relevant to this application.

SomedayStache

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #13 on: April 20, 2016, 08:44:01 AM »
I need to add a vented fan to my bathrooms .
I've also been longing to add some natural daylight via a Solatube.

Turns out that there is an add-on Ventilation Kit for Solatubes that combines these two features!  I haven't made the leap yet (because $) but that's currently on my home improvement short list.

Posting here to let others know about this and as a request for feedback from anyone that has experience with the Solatube/vented fan combo.  Seems like a great idea to me, but I've been wrong a few times in my life.

Macrolide

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #14 on: April 20, 2016, 10:23:53 AM »
Macrolide:

Would insulated pipe would take care of the condensation problem?

We just changed the piping on our fan exhaust last fall.
It was suggested to us that the 8 inch travel length to the vent was piping super cold air back into our bathroom and it would be move efficient to have a longer pipe.  DH turned the fan unit 180 degrees and bought a flexible insulated pipe. Length to the vent is now about six feet with a really generous turn around to the existing vent in the gable.
Not sure if the sharp turns are all that efficient for air movement in your rigid assembly.  The furnace guy told me that in an air duct, a turn is the equivalent of adding ten feet of length.  But not sure that is relevant to this application.

Insulating the pipe was in my original plan and I haven't ruled it out for the future, but I haven't had a condensation problem yet. If there is condensation it is just flowing out the side of the house. You're certainly right that sharp turns are a major drag. Substituting a couple 45 deg turns for my 90 deg one probably would have been better. I seem to be getting good airflow out the side vent though and I can't hear any whooshing air resistance (However, I don't have the quietest fan).

lthenderson

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #15 on: April 20, 2016, 11:45:17 AM »

I made a similar discovery. Mine didn’t have any vent pipe at all. The fan was just pumping warm moisture straight into the attic, begging for some mold to grow. At any rate, it was a fun weekend project to fix:



A few key points gleaned from my research that I implemented: (I’m sure you can have a working system without following these rules, but I liked the theory behind them – not looking to start an argument)

1) Use 4” PVC (My fan doesn't have a 4" exhaust, but I wanted to future-proof my vent since most fans nowadays are 4"). Compared to flexible duct, rigid smooth wall pipe provides much better airflow (quieter) and doesn’t have low spots where condensation can collect.

2) The pipe has a slight rise from the fan, then slopes down to an exit through a gable. Any condensation flows out through the side of the house. I haven’t (yet) seen the need to insulate the pipe. After one winter, there hasn’t been a single drip come back through the fan.

3) Don’t terminate at a soffit – those are for air intake. Don’t terminate through an existing roof vent – a lot of the moist air won’t escape and it blocks normal airflow.

4) Exiting through a gable, if you have one, is a good choice in order to prevent adding another roof penetration that has the potential to leak.

Lastly, I would just note that it’s important to get the right-size fan for the size of your bathroom. Too weak is an obvious problem. But don’t just get the fan with the most CFM you can afford. Too powerful of a fan is an inefficiency - that conditioned air that is being removed from your house needs to be replaced somewhere from outside air, which will have to be heated or cooled depending on the season.

Now, I gotta change out this buried knob and tube wiring and add a ton of insulation up there.

You may have a vent with damping capabilities on your gable end but if you don't, I would also suggest adding a vent damper somewhere in line to prevent wind from blowing into your bathroom on cold windy days. It's amazing how many houses I've been in on a cold windy day and you can feel a breeze coming in through the bathroom exhaust fans when not in use.

ctmustache

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #16 on: April 30, 2016, 05:14:55 AM »
Last summer I installed a Panasonic bath fan that has a humidistat and motion sensor (FV-11VQC5 $200 with tax), as well as an Air King (BFQ 90 $30 with tax). The Panasonic is a bit quieter, but the Air King isn't particularly loud. I installed 4" solid duct for both, with exit at the gable of the house.

If I made the decision today, I'd go with two Air Kings for the money and ease of installation. I liked the idea of the Panasonic's sensor features, but in reality find them a bit annoying and prefer the wall mounted timer instead.

fishnfool

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #17 on: April 30, 2016, 08:34:54 AM »
I had to replace my ceiling fan a few years ago and the motor pops right out and I pulled a replacement off the shelf at Home Depot for under $20. Most attics are (should be) well ventilated. It isn't really necessary to vent it out of your house.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #18 on: May 01, 2016, 08:10:05 AM »
I had to replace my ceiling fan a few years ago and the motor pops right out and I pulled a replacement off the shelf at Home Depot for under $20. Most attics are (should be) well ventilated. It isn't really necessary to vent it out of your house.
Actually, you *do* want to vent it outside the house.  Blowing warm, moist air into your attic during cold times will encourage condensation and mold growth.

Spork

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #19 on: May 01, 2016, 10:37:45 AM »
I had to replace my ceiling fan a few years ago and the motor pops right out and I pulled a replacement off the shelf at Home Depot for under $20. Most attics are (should be) well ventilated. It isn't really necessary to vent it out of your house.
Actually, you *do* want to vent it outside the house.  Blowing warm, moist air into your attic during cold times will encourage condensation and mold growth.

Yep.  And "most attics are vented" applies to older homes.  Newer building methods and foam insulation make unvented attics more common in newer construction.

sokoloff

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Re: Best Bathroom Fan
« Reply #20 on: May 01, 2016, 02:59:49 PM »
I installed one of the quiet Panasonics with a humidity sensor and love that feature. It's hard to get the rest of the family to consistently run the fan when needed and shut it off when not and the auto-humidity sensor takes about half of that out the way. (There's still the "it's cold and I don't want the airflow" argument.)

If you need the fan to clear a "non-humidity" fan need, you can turn the fan off and back on and it will run a timed cycle to "clear the air".

I'd buy one again for sure.