Whole house fan Whisper Aire vs. Tamarack

18 years ago

I've done so much research on this in the past now have to come down hard on the decision -

We have 2000 sq ft Dutch Colonial revival (1930) no central air - during remodel project I would like to include a whole house fan. due to the age of home w/ little storage space I use the walk up attic a lot so wanted a smaller type fan that will not take up too much floor space w/frame out.

We are in CT - and do have window units for bedrooms - this would be nice to cool the house down in summer - I keep the house closed up during the day in summer and open up at night. We just had all the old double hung windows refurbished so that will help with ventilation.

I was getting ready to purchase the Whisper Aire WHSP 2000 made by Air Vent Inc compact, twin motors, 5 speeds 26" x18" , fits btwn joists insulated (r25) 2200 CFM's

Just spoke to manufacturer and a nice sales rep told me these are VERY NOISY - like sitting on the runway 75 decibels on low 87 db on high -

ANyone know what the db rating converts to in sones?

*** the rep did mention that the quality of the fan & what it does is excellent and engineering is actually doing some installs w/getting the fan off the attic floor framed up 4-6" which significantly cuts down on noise.

- She agreed it probably cut down on some of the efficiency of the fan but did not know to what degree.

Power Requirements: 115 volts AC, 60 Hz

Power Consumption: 440 watts

Dimensions: 26 inches x 17 inches

Maximum Airflow: 2,200 cfm

Manufacturer Warranty: 5 years

Weight: 34 pounds

Origin: United States (assembly), Germany (motors

On to Tamarack relatively similiar size as Whisper aire - 1600 cfms,

Fan Voltage/Power: 115 volts AC 60Hz, 276 watts

Lift Motors Voltage/Power: 115 volts AC 60Hz, 6 watts

Cover R-Value: 22

Sound Level: not rated, but substantially louder than the 3 sone rating of the HV1000 (perhaps 6 to 7 sone).

Air Flow Rate: 900 cfm (low speed), 1600 cfm (high speed)

Rough Opening: 14.5" wide x 22.5" long (cover requires 11" clearance when open)

Manufacturer Warranty: 3 Years

Weight: 27 pounds

Approvals: UL Listed

Origin: United States

Manufacturer Warranty: Three Years

I have 3 windows in the attic which convert to aprox 10 sq ft of exhaust ventilation which someone told me you need to cut in half making it 5 sq

I know whisper aire only requires 2.9 sq & tamarack was going to get back to me on that requirement.

WHICH DO I CHOOSE?

Whisper aire - noisy ,but more effective - frame it away from floor 4-6"

OR

Tamarack - less effective but quieter.

THANKS

Eileen

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Comments (9)

bas157
18 years ago
Have you looked into the Ghost by Tamarack? I would get the ghost, but it won't fit into my attic between the rafters, nor is my attic tall enough for it.

A house fan is something I've been putting off for the past 2 summers, maybe I'll get one put in this year. The Tamarack is the one I was planning on going with, not sure if it'll be the 1000 or 1600.

The ghost is more expensive, but seems to be quieter, but it does use more power.
Sound Level Below Fan:
High Speed 68 DBa
Low Speed 59 DBa

High Speed 450 Watts - 4 amps
Low Speed 340 Watts - 3 amps

Have you looked around for the best price on Tamarack products, and if so, where did you find the best prices?

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.wholehousefan.com/theghost.html
jejvtr
Original Author
18 years ago
I did look into it and choose the Whisper aire because it is more powerful and greater cfms 2200
I will frame it out & have it sit above the attic floor 4"-6" put some ductwork around that

that will make it quieter.
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solarpowered
18 years ago
In my book, even 59 dBA is pretty danged noisy.
bas157
18 years ago
The Ghost on "high" actually is listed at 2800 cfm

Once you get it installed, can you do a followup post on it about the noise, like if you think it is very loud or not. I know that would be subjective though, but first hand opinions are always nice to read (or should I say "hear" in this case)
socalinspector_msn_com
17 years ago
If you divide the db by 10, that is pretty close to the sones number. The Tamarack HV1600 requires an attic vent opening to outside of at least 3 square feet and the HV1000 needs approximately 1.5 square feet. The best price I have seen, so far, is $430.00 plus shipping at www.houseneeds.com which is for a HV1000R unit (remote control with the R22 insulation package). The noise rating on this unit is 3 sones which would be about 30-35 decibles. The HV1600 did not have a noise rating in the information but it would certainly be higher. I will probably buy the HV1000R unit to vent out the heat build-up in the house and attic as I live in So. Cal. and it takes 3-6 hours for the house to cool down at night after it has been well over 100 in the summer during the day and quickly cools to the low 80's to upper 70's by 3-4 p.m. so this will save running the A/C for this extra length of time. The Tamarack Ghost requires 4 1/2' of opening above the ceiling joists (30" for unit and 2' for air space). The HV1600GR would be more efficient but noisier and costs about $215.00 more than the HV1000R. I am simply looking for something to vent out the hot air and waiting 7.5 more minutes for that to happen is not a critical issue vs. the extra price so I would probably get the HV1000R unit. The cost of running the smaller unit is ~$.01/hr. vs. ~$.025 for the larger unit at high speed. As you can tell, I spent a lot of time researching these units. There is a WhisperAire unit for sale on E-Bay and the current bid is $186.00 but there are still 5 days for bidding to take place so price will certainly go up.
terry4all
17 years ago
There is also another whole house fan called Airscape with 2 models which look like they are the most efficient fan in the industry and cost about the same as the Tamarack units. The Airscape company used to be a dealer for Tamarack and switched to Airscape after reviewing the product literature and choosing to go with the better built unit.
stevenkeith
16 years ago
I have an AirScape 1.7 (mentioned above).
I'm happy with it. It uses less electricity per cfm than the others, it's pretty quiet & has decent power.
On low, I find the noise unobtrusive, so I keep it on low all night and in my 2200 sq ft ranch house in central Calif., I get by without needing AC in weather reaching up to about 95 degree high temperatures.
The high power setting is a bit noisier, but not too bad. I do avoid it when possible.
The dealer & manufacturer have recommendations on sizing the larger & smaller models to your home size, & info on energy efficiency & stuff. The large model on high is 140 watts & on low is presumably 70. Visit the dealer link and also the 'AirScape' manufacturer link.
My bottom line is AirScape an expensive unit (over $700), but is very cheap to run, is built well with metal construction, & will pay for itself in a summer or two.
One other caveat: The AirScape blows horizontally. I mounted mine on a "box" of 2X8s to raise it above the rafters and attic insulation. One of the websites suggests lining this kind of box with "thin duct board" to further quiet the noise. I haven't found any retail sources for that stuff yet (help?) but it sounds good.

Here is a link that might be useful: AirScape dealer
ionized_gw
16 years ago
I have 3 windows in the attic which convert to aprox 10 sq ft of exhaust ventilation which someone told me you need to cut in half making it 5 sq

Huh? I see no way you can have too much!
slyscribe_gmail_com
14 years ago
None of these fans are real whole house fans and their ability to move air is inadequate for really cooling any size home over 500 square feet. In order to do the job properly, it is necessary to move the entire volume of air out of a house in about 3 minutes. In other words, both these fans are whole ROOM fans. To do the job correctly, you'll need 2, 3, 4 or even 5 units to cool the entire house properly. Why not install a 30' or 36' fan that will do the job correctly & quietly? atticfan dot com.

Here is a link that might be useful: real whole house fans

Whole house fan Whisper Aire vs. Tamarack

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bas157

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solarpowered

bas157

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Whole house fan Whisper Aire vs. Tamarack

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jejvtrOriginal Author

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jejvtr
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