My electrician recommended panasonic, he said the Panasonic is always spec'd in new custom homes. I got one and found out why- you can't hear it, well at least I can't. I checked out Broan and Hunter first and found them both to be far noisier than the Panasonic. I don't know about the motion detector thing though.

I looked up the specs on the broan you are looking at for a 120 cfm size and the equivalent Panasonic, the broan is rated at 3.5 sones, the panasonic 1 sone

Hi--I was the one with the unanswered question a while back. I did end up getting the Broan Sensaire fan after all, but the bathroom's still in progress so I haven't had a chance to try it out.

There are several different kinds of Broan Sensaire fans, and one is rated as low as 0.9 sones if noise is a concern. The lower the sone rating, though, the higher the price.

I chose the HS90 with 90 cfm and a 2.5 sone rating, no light. I was torn about whether or not to install a switch, and did end up putting one in for smell eradication. We put our switch near the toilet to make it more convenient for that purpose (an idea from this forum) and to avoid having a confusing bank of switches by the door. Airshack.com had the best deal back when I bought mine.

Once I use it I'll either feel like a sucker or a pioneer, depending on how well it works! I'll be sure ot post a review. Good luck with choosing!

Here is a link that might be useful: Airshack Sensaire fans

Hey guys,
Thanks for the helpful advice. I am going to check into their quieter ones as I was under the impression that the whole line was listed as whisper quiet. I am less concerned with the noise as I am with the function of the humidity sensor. I have a dh who loves to crank the hot water and we are installing a shower unit in our master bath that also features a steam function. I believe it has its own vent, but I want to make doubly sure that it is not a moisture problem. There won't be a window in the room, but there will be an operational skylight. In the winter (NY), it is not practical to open it most of the time.
We have been in this house for less than a year and the paint is cracking up by the skylight of the family bathroom due to dh's hot showers and baths (and this bathroom is at least 10 y.o. with no prior sign of moisture issue). I am thinking of adding one of these there too. The skylight opens, but dh has so much steam happening, I think it could use more help and in the winter, he does not open it. I am also hoping that once we start using the master bath's shower, that may take the load off of the family bath. We suspect a problem in the master bath shower as the floor is cracked. The whole master is being extended and the bathroom moved to a new location, so we will find out on demo day how badly the shower may have leaked during the p.o.'s stay here. We have never taken a shower in it, so the family bath gets well used. Once our 2 sons are tenneagers, I am sure there will be another uptick in usage of the family bathroom as well, lol. They now share baths, so we have some time.

Amy - thanks for the tips about the switch. Those make total sense, so I will be sure to have the contractor do as you suggested.
Lynne - as I said, the noise does not worry me so much, but I will try to find their quietest version. It makes sense if it is not a crazy difference in price. Better to change that now rather than after one is in!

Here is a link that might be useful: vent at a good price

Hey again,
What do you think of this version? It has .9 sones and does not have the motion sensor. I know Broan and Nutone seem to be a combined company, but is there a quality difference in their lines?
I will check with dh if a motion sensor or quieter fan is more important to him. I wish I could find both...
Also, this one can be found for $249, so is higher than the motion sensor one.
Has anyone heard the difference in 3.5 sones and .9 sones in person? To me they are numbers and I don't know how to compare the difference. Is this a big deal or is it like a late model computer where they are all fast enough and it takes a pro to note the difference in real time? What were older fans or current cheap ones rated (in sones)?
Thanks again!

Here is a link that might be useful: nutone version

I love the idea of the moisture sensor in the fan since not everyone using the bathroom remembers to turn on the fan when showering. I had a problem with my family leaving the fan running in the half bath downstairs and then shutting the door (odor issues) I was tired of going around shutting off fans so I installed a motion detector wall switch for the fan. It has three choices on the switch itself, on, auto or off, and under the switch plate you can adjust for length of time to run after sensing motion in the room. It is not tied into the vanity lights, it is just running the fan for 5-30 min. after you leave room. It works like a charm.

Hey pink,
We have a timer type switch for the jacquzzi and it can't stay on more than half an hour. I wonder if that kind of switch can be used for the manual mode? If we had it on motion sensor, it may go off with each time someone goes in and does not need a fan (for #1). We live in NY, with cold winters, so I would not want to vent unless it needs it them. I suppose we could use auto only in the warmer weather though....
This is crazy... that a vent fan can be such a difficult decision. The vent system for the kitchen is equally a pain. Who knew that these would be the questions that gave us so much trouble? I picked out my other appliances pretty easily and most of the other materials (not that I didn't search endlessly and nitpick each decision). I usually knew what I wanted and just had to find it. With venting, I don't know what we want and what the true priorities are (other than moisture and odor removal). Other than that, I have no clue what sone level is acceptable for us, what method of switching would work best and what combo of features is the best value for our situation. This should not be so hard, lol. It is a vent fan for heaven's sake!
Sorry for my venting... it seems the only kind of vent that comes easy to me.

Ok... had a brainstorm last night, at least I think I did.
Is there some sort of snooze button that can be used intstead of a switch to limit how long the fan can run? I'd rather someone pushed a button and had it go for a few minutes at a time. That would seem to limit how much it was running when not needed (at least after the first week, when the boys would push it as often as possible).
Do they make something like that that can be used with it?
Help!

"Has anyone heard the difference in 3.5 sones and .9 sones in person"

My panasonic is rated at .3 sones. I have to really 'try' to hear it..I mean really make an effort to tell if it is running or not, and this is in a small 5x9 bathroom. The average refrigerator motor noise is 1 sone. A fan at 3.5 sones is going to be 3.5 times louder than your refrigerator. My local home depot had a display of broan and hunter bathroom fans you could turn on and listen to, that is what made me decide against them and go with Panasonic. My electrician said that Panasonic is preferred in all custom and spec homes and he installs them in about 95% of all the remodels he does.

In my situation I have a 5 and 7 year old who would probably never turn on the fan, so I had to find a way to "trick" them into turning it on. I saw an article in Finehomebuilding on installing a vent fan. From that, I found a switch that from the outside lookes like a regular toggle switch. Under the faceplate is a timer with several time settings (3, 10, 15, 30minutes, etc).

In my install, I wanted the light directly over the tub, but the fan in the middle of the room. The switch allowed 2 different fixtures to be "homerun" wired back to the switch. I also wired a second switch to handle vanity lights. I finally got around to the final connections over the weekend, and the thing works like a charm.

The fan is a Panasonic, and yes it's very quiet. The switch is by a company called E.F.I. and they do have a website...I think it's EFI.com. Not sure if this directly helps you, but it's another idea.

Hi again,
Spanky - Is the switch for the light and the timer for the fan? That sounds like a great idea.

Lynne - so if your fan is a 3.0 sone rated fan and you hardly hear it, that makes me think the 3.5 sone won't be so bad. I will check the local HD and see if I can find a display too. I would prefer the motion sensor for at night for our family bathroom, at least, and so can give up the extra quiet feature, since they aren't offered on the same model. For our master bath, I still have some thinking to do.
It seems like the decisions never end. I love to shop, but with a large remodel and so much to decide, the thrill is waning ;) Esp. when the discussion is about venting in either the kitchen or bath! I'd rather discuss colors or decor any day :)

I was looking for a vent/light for the MB and immediately went to check out the Nutone since I'd heard it mentioned a lot. The ad on the site I saw it said "if you will not be using everyday and are concerned about energy savings, this unit is not for you." I thought that was so strange but, an honest ad. I quickly went to the energy saving brands/models.

I have (still in the box) the Panasonic Whisper FV11VH1. It's 110CFMs. The sone rating is 1.1. From what I'm reading, that's gonna be a bit on the loudish side? Maybe not loud but not "whisper quiet"?? I'm wondering if I need one that large. There is no shower in this bathroom. It measures about 10x10 but a couple of closets take up some of that space.
Monica

Dianalo...Had to point out that Lynne's fan is 0.3 sones, not 3.0. I am in this same boat today..Switching from kitchen mode to bathroom fans, which I know nothing about. HD signage confused me completely, referring to 100 CFM as high volume even though they had fans offering up to 300 CFM...80 CFM was listed as 'medium' volume. With that much range, I wonder why 100 is high, while 80 is medium, and what does that really mean in the bathroom while the shower is running? I felt the same about sones, wondering how much change it takes to notice a difference. Lynne's comparison to a fridge motor was very helpful with that.

The Panasonic brochure I picked up at the lighting store had a chart for CFMs according to square footage and duct length. That means I'd only need 50 CFMs for our shower areas... I'm a little afraid of going that weak, so this thread is my first step at investigating what I need.

The CFM requirement can be calculated. There are other more detailed calculations you can find on the internet, but this is good enough. And there are charts too.

Step 1: Calculate the cubic feet of your bathroom (length x width x height)
Step 2: Divide by 60 (the number of minutes in an hour)
Step 3: Multiply the result by 8 (the number of recommended air changes per hour)

There is no reason to go crazy and greatly oversize your fan. The best thing you can do is install the fan inside the shower area.

I personally do not get caught up in the sone thing. A little noise is find for me. When you take a shower, the water noise is louder than the fan anyways. And it helps me remember it is on, especially in todays high energy costs.

Tom, using your calculations, I get 106cfm needed...rounding up to 110 (which is what I have). My ceilings are 8ft, my bathroom is 10x10 BUT there is a 5'x30" closet and a 3'6"x3' closet (both, floor to ceiling). If they'll let me exchange it, should I downsize or keep the 110cfm model?
Thanks,
Monica

Technically the switch operates both, but the timer keeps the fan going once you turn off the light.

To the naked eye, the switch looks like a garden variety toggle switch. You simply flip the switch, like you would any light switch. In my case that action turns on the recessed light over the tub and the fan in the middle of the room simultaneously. When I'm done I flip the switch off and the light goes off, but the fan stays on for the pre-set time...I think I chose 30 minutes. You can't see the timer unless you remove the faceplate.

Dianalo, my Panasonic is .3 not 3.0, I'm not sure his math is right, but my electrican told me, a 3.0 is 10 times noisier than a .3

Monica, I would downsize to the 80cfm. I would not include the closet space, which would bring the calculation to the lower cfm model. You have no shower in this room, so you do not have moisture damage issues so exhausting more volume than necessary does not really make sense. If there was a shower, I would say the 110cfm would be the way to go. If they do not exchange, do not worry either.

Dianlo,
I was considering the humidity sensor version too. I have found no posts regarding real life results. I think it makes sense for me to have more noise, but no moisture issues. This fan sounds great because it keeps running until the moisture level is reduced to proper levels. This way, you know the room is being dried out properly. You mentioned you are installing a switch by the toilet..would you need to turn the switch on to run the fan while showering too? Or does the humidity level in the room turn on the fan regardless of the position of the switch by the toilet?

Spanky67- I saw the same Finehomebuilding article. I couldn't find the switch they mentioned in the article locally so I went with the motion detector version. I might upgrade to the toggle switch someday if I ever get around to ordering it online ($30?), but for now the fan works great and I don't have to remember to go down and see if someone left it on which was my main pet peeve. It does go on every time someone enters the room, which can be a pain if you are just replacing towels or to empty trashcan. The toggle like yours (wired just to fan) would allow me to leave the switch off, change out the towels, trash and no fan running for extra time. Teaching the kids to turn on both switches is a little trickier (one for fan, one for lights) turn both off (fan still runs) turn on only lights (no fan continues to run). I know I could wire both fan and light onto one switch and use a blank over the other faceplate but then I am back to the same problem of the fan running too long if I only needed to drop off some TP, soap, etc. This is a ½ bath so no moisture to worry about. In the meantime this works out 90% of the time just the way I need it to. When we redo the kids & master bath upstairs I will start this mental dance of the electric switch plates/ fan/ vent/ moisture/ odor/ how many buttons to turn on/ off and not think about it again Âall over again. LOL

Our fan is a Nutone 1.0 sones much quieter then any of the older bath vents we have upstairs which you can hear running from across the hall when the door is closed. The 1.0 is a very soft white noise you hear while in the room but cannot hear it running at all from out side the room when door is closed and can barely hear it outside the room when door is open unless standing close to doorway. I hope this helps. I know how hard it is to get an idea about these things until they are already installed and itÂs too late. I donÂt think you can go wrong with a fan 1.0 or less but definitely not more than 1.0 you wonÂt be happy.

IMNSHO ;-) you should have the quietest fan you can in an ensuite bath like a master, since it's practically in the bedroom and you don't want to get woken up by the fan if your partner produces something foul at 2am and needs to run the fan so you don't both asphyxiate! We have a Panasonic Whisperlite at 0.3 sones in the master and a Broan decorative fan/light at 2.5 sones in the upstairs bath; the Broan is LOUD in that small room full of hard surfaces! Like blow dryer loud. OTOH you have to be right underneath the Panasonic and listening for it to hear it, which is wonderful. We have it on a Leviton pushbutton timer switch (5/15/30/60 minutes). The 5 minute setting is great for "odor issues", the 30 for showers. If I'm going in for a long, super steamy bath, which is almost daily, I'll push the 60 minute button when I go in, since the fan's so quiet I can run it while I'm relaxing in there without feeling like someone's running a vacuum cleaner. We have solid wood wainscoting and handprinted wallpaper and absolutely NO moisture issues.

Most larger electrical supply stores carry exhaust fans (often a larger selection than the bath showrooms) and have a display where you can listen to the different fans at different sone levels.

If you live in a place where it gets very humid, a fan with a moisture sensor can get false readings and turn on when you don't want it to, according to our electrician.

Pink, I went right to the website then called the company. I had a wiring question and they were great to deal with. They're located in MA (I'm in CT) so shipping was a no brainer. When I checked locally I also pulled a bagel. Even the concept got blank stares from 2 different supply houses (Not HD or Lowes).

My lighting solution was to wire the vanity lights to a seperate switch and the tub light and fan to the EFI switch. I figured if the kids just needed to wash up, the vanity lights get used. If they're in the tub then the fan and tub go on. I'm not an electrician, but this layout seems to work well.

Hi all,
Now I am confused. Dh & I talked and had basically decided that the noise would not bother us much and the price and option difference for the "louder" fan would not be bad.
By the calculations above, it appears we need 54 CFm and not all the way to 100, but dh takes long hot showers, so maybe more is better for us. BTW - if anyone needs to kill the bath at night, the family bath is right outside our door and/or hopefully, the stench would not wake the sleeping spouse anyway. We also will have an operational skylight in there.
I think we really need to listen to a display to better know how much we can put up with sound wise. I hope this does not complicate things.
BTW - where did anyone buy the humidity sensing fans? So far, ventingdirect.com seems like the best deal to me.

Dianalo- all I can tell you is that the broan in my master bath (which is right off the bedroom) is 3.0 and when my husband turns it on at night I am wide awake sitting straight up in the bed, it's that bad. The panasonic in the guest bath is on most of the time because it's so quiet no one remembers to turn it off. I don't know about the humidity sensor thing, but I would think a switch such as johnmari described would do the same thing.