Perfect bathroom vent fan - does it exist?

15 years ago

I've not had much luck finding my "perfect" bathroom vent fan. I'm looking for a combination workhorse because I have such a tiny little bathroom. I'm hoping someone can help me out with this.

Features I am looking for, in the order of importance:

1. Waterproof for install over shower ceiling (it's here or nowhere)

2. Humidity sensor (I always forget to turn my fan on or off, so this is a very important feature to me)

3. Heater (I hate the feeling of a drafty bathroom when I'm taking a hot shower, but I don't really have any other space for a heater)

4. Light (I have both a window in the shower and overhead lights elsewhere in the bathroom, so not so important, just a bonus)

5. Some styling. This is a vintage bath but I've yet to see a high functioning vent fan that looked vintage. So, something low-profile, flush or recessed into the ceiling.

6. Quiet is a plus, but this is not something that has ever really bothered me before

Featured Answer

stu2900

15 years ago

Panasonic Whisperwarm should do everything you ask. We got a switch for for ours that has on, off, and timer on it. We just finished installing our second Panasonic fan and they're fabulous. There not available in the Midwest, so I order from this company.

Here is a link that might be useful: RE Williams Panasonic Fans

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (16)

blueribbon
14 years ago
The Panasonic fans are very nice, but the big box stores in my area don't carry them, either. Seems they prefer the cheaper brands like Broan. Shop around on the web, and you can find some good deals. I found my Whisperline fan for about 35% less than the R E Williams site mentioned above.
Related Discussions
Bathroom Vent Fan
Q
Comments (3)
Mav, I know...there is that search box up by the top with a red button that is worthless for searching for posts. It is the same with galleries. The "galleries" heading up there takes you to some really useless place, but if you look at the Switch to Gallery link at the top and bottom of many of the forums, (when you are looking at the list of posts, not when one is open) you can go to a gallery of pics that users have posted. Took me a while to figure it out, too.
...See More
Bathroom Vent fan repair - what do you typically do?
Q
Comments (10)
It's possible to get replacement bare motors sometimes. Broan are good about having replacement bases -fan/motor, that fit into the existing box. They have a plug/socket, so you don't have to do any wiring. That being said, I just replaced one, and it turned into quite a big job because the replacement base was more than a whole new unit. I put in a new one, which meant a bit of carpentry etc because the boxes were different sizes. I had to cut the nails/screws holding the old one in, and insert the new box from below, which required a bigger hole, and careful saw cuts in addition to allow for the nailing tabs. The fan cover covers the repairs from it, in the ceiling. The insulation around the duct had no vapour/air barrier so I used a mylar bubblewrap product and foil tape for it. Since the house was old enough to not have had an vapour bag around it, I built one with the mylar stuff and sprayfoamed it in. Lastly I decided the fan should have its own switch, so I could use one of those timer/humidity sensing ones. It turned out well and I'm glad I did it, it works better and is much quieter. But in most cases, just replace the fan motor and base.
...See More
Does this bathroom fan vent anywhere?
Q
Comments (3)
You could start by checking your roof and all your outside walls for any unaccounted vent opening. That said, it used to be common for bathroom vents to just vent into the attic. That's a big no-no, as it's bound to lead to mold up there. Our master bath fan didn't even manage that much. Whoever installed it in the 60s, didn't bother to attach a duct to the fan at all. For decades, the fan just "vented" into the fiberglass insulation surrounding the fan housing. You should have seen the color of the insulation, arrgh...
...See More
venting bathroom exhaust fan
Q
Comments (2)
The main reason is laziness and cost. What they should have done is installed an insulated 4 inch flexible duct to a capped roof vent. It needs to be insulated so the warm air does not condense in the winter and drip into the fan. Your old fan probably got rusty because there was no roof cap and the duct was not insulated.
...See More
kevin1727
14 years ago
Another good site for Panasonic is Wamhomecenter. I shopped several sites and no one beat them. I am very happy with my purchases there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wam Home Center Fans
arleneb
14 years ago
Just wanted to add my .02 to Kevin's comment . . . I also bought a Whisperwarm from Wam. They were cheaper than anywhere else I found, and quick. I ordered Monday morning and it was here Wednesday noon (Florida to Tennessee). My local supplier said it would take two or more weeks to get it in, and the cost was $150 more.

Arlene
makennedy
14 years ago
Check out the solatube site for their light tube/light/vent/fan combination. We're planning to install one in a small bath to reduce ceiling clutter. I'm not sure about in a shower. Have not seen reviews of this all-in-one option, but we're early adopters by nature so cross my fingers.
andrewmi
14 years ago
Thanks for the info on the fans.
The panasonic whisper quiet sounds like what i need.

I have a bathroom that is suggested for 70cfm extraction.
I am thinking of getting a much higher rated extractor(190 or 290) and putting a variable speed control switch in (all from WAM)

Is this even possible ?
Will the noise noticably decrease as the rotation decreases?

One of my main reasons is i would like to keep the noise down and heat in when little steam is produced ie bathing. but have much more extraction and noise when much more steam is produced ie showering.

Thanks for any advice
fidoprincess
14 years ago
I have whisper warm and we installed a timer switch for the fan portion so we dont have to remember to turn the fan off when we are leaving the bathroom. Works great. I was told it cant go inside the shower though so ours is right outside where you step out and the heater is great. I too bought one bigger than the space called for and have no regrets. I read that some complained that the heater didnt warm up enough and that made me get the larger size. The heater is great! Remember though that it takes a whole circuit breaker of its own-20 amp if I recall correctly so make sure you have enough space on your electric box.
momfromthenorth
14 years ago
Another vote for Panasonic WhisperLite or WhisperWarm and a timer switch. We need the timer switch because ours is so quiet we can't hear it if we are in another room. Purrs like a kitten.
andrewmi
14 years ago
Thanks for the info
I am pretty sold on the Panasonics, specifically the series without heat or lamp as i just don't need them.

The only thing i dont know is if they can be controlled by a variable speed switch. WAM have them in their fan>accessories section, but they only specify the Broan dials for Broan models.
golddust
14 years ago
Thanks to this forum, we just installed our Whisper warm fan. It takes a couple minutes to warm up but it's going to be wonderful. We bought a separate fan/light combo for inside the shower that is a nutone. It is noisier but I won't hear it while showering.
sarahandbray
14 years ago
Hope I like the one we just got!! Just ordered the 110 CFM Whisper Warm with heat & light. I shopped around FOREVER today looking for the best price, and WAM almost got it--they were at $234.22 (shipping included). But I found that even though faucet depot charged $8.95 for shipping, they had a coupon code going on now -- PANASONICFANS -- which gave you 10% off. So that made it $211 + $9 shipping. Hopefully, they're OK to deal with--keeping my fingers crossed!!!

:)
Sarah from Albany, NY

-sarah
andrewmi
14 years ago
I just installed the Panasonic whisper quiet with the Braun speed control.
It works really well and does accomplish the 2 things i set out to do:
1) Adjust the volume of the fan
2) Adjust how much air to extract

The only thing i am concerned about (any insight here would be most grateful) is when i lower the speed of the fan, i hear the motor whine/hum (?) a little.
Does this sound bad to anyone more knowledgeable than me?
john604
13 years ago
you get the Bathroom Master (heat/fan/light combo), which can instantly warm up when you take a shower without pre-heating requirement, from the following distributors:
http://www.rewci.com/baexhefaninh1.html
http://www.aupu.us/PRODUCTS/BathMastr/BthMstr.htm
http://www.bainsneptune.com/english/ventilateurs/v-csbm.html
MongoCT
13 years ago
Based on my experience with the links that John604 referenced, I wouldn't buy from any of them.
PRO
Masterworks Window Fashions & Design, LLC
5 years ago
I found this discussion, and it was very helpful, as I was unsure about selecting a bathroom fan for my own home. Thank you!
Olychick
5 years ago
Search also in these forums for Fantech fans.

Perfect bathroom vent fan - does it exist?

stu2900

Comments (16)

blueribbon

Related Discussions

kevin1727

arleneb

makennedy

andrewmi

fidoprincess

momfromthenorth

andrewmi

golddust

sarahandbray

andrewmi

john604

MongoCT

Masterworks Window Fashions & Design, LLC

Olychick

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US