Panasonic WhisperQuiet exhaust fans are not so quiet.

16 years ago

I splurged on my exhaust fans a little but now I am disappointed... The fans have a sones rating of 0.8, 1.3 and 1.5... I was under the impression that these fans should be barely audible and it was suggested that I put them on motion sensors on/off switches because they are that quiet that guests would leave them on: this is NOT the case, they were only a little quieter than the builder grade fans that I desperately wanted to avoid...

Now a little more info I did not want to mention just in case I am being unrealistic...

The fans where installed before drywall was up... The painters sprayed the primer coat of paint but they did not cover the fans, so paint got all over the uncovered fans, blade and motor... When I turn the fan on and look at the motor I can see that it is not balanced and is wobbling... I did ask my GC when the fans where first installed if they needed to be covered to protect them from paint and was told that paint would not affect their operation...

What do you guys think?

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Comments (12)

rhome410
16 years ago
I am not knowledgeable enough to help you with your particular situation, but I think our Panasonic fans are VERY quiet. The kids leave them on all the time.

I personally wonder, though, how anyone could guarantee that spraying paint into the fans would not affect them. It sounds like a risk not worth taking.
bus_driver
16 years ago
Your GC is very mistaken. Or worse.
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sierraeast
16 years ago
"I did ask my GC when the fans where first installed if they needed to be covered to protect them from paint and was told that paint would not affect their operation"...

Sad! What other steps of your build wont be "affected"?
sweeby
16 years ago
We have two of them, and they ARE very quiet. At least, if they are installed according to the directions, if the vent pipes are installed as suggested, and if the motors aren't wobbling and covered with paint.

Your builder messed up --
astridh
16 years ago
One more thing to consider is the ducting. We replaced a powder room fan with a Panasonic Whisper Quiet a year ago, and I was disappointed that it was still quite loud. Now, we are renovating and replaced the ducting from flex to hard metal (not sure what that's actually called). NOW it IS "whisper quiet".
sierraeast
16 years ago
typically termed hard ducting. It applies to sheet metal,fiberglass, and the pvc type that i guess didn't catch on because i've rarely seen it used. Imo, you cant go wrong w/ sheet metal when installed properly.
stinkytiger
16 years ago
Hi,

I think to a certian extent it is a matter of what you call "quiet." The Panasonic ones are more quiet than say NuTone, which is more like a 747 on take off, but they do make some noise.

Best, Mike.
klabio
16 years ago
I'd like to go on the record and state that I've never understood the appeal of a quiet bathroom fan. The more sones the better I say. I can't stand a quiet bathroom when nature calls.
minnt
16 years ago
Mine is so quiet even I forget to turn it off. We have it vented with flexible tube, not hard tubes. I agree with the others, your builder or painter messed up. Ask them to replace it.
mcassel
Original Author
16 years ago
I brought it up with the builder who agreed and said the painter should have covered them... He is going to talk to the painters about the problem but as far as I'm concerned they have to be replaced.
heimert
16 years ago
I have to say I'm a bit disappointed because I can hear them at all. That said, they're quite quiet--wouldn't interfere with conversation (since we talk a lot in the bathroom . . . ;).
chisue
16 years ago
This story of paint not harming the fans goes right along with the painters who told me their paint would 'come right off' the screens. Not! Every one had to be re-screened -- at their expense.

Since the screens get delivered with the windows, be sure to store them somewhere safe -- far from painters spray guns.

Panasonic WhisperQuiet exhaust fans are not so quiet.

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rhome410

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Panasonic WhisperQuiet exhaust fans are not so quiet.

Comments (12)

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