Quiet Giant whole house fan - wild claims.....

16 years ago

I'm getting ready to replace our 30" direct drive whole house fan because it's way too noisy. Looking at several brands like Tamarack which has actually been tested by HVI labs, and AirScape.

There's another one that caught my attention too. It's made by www.quietcoolfan.com and is called the quiet giant.

It's a larger version of their QC-1500 but uses to fans remotely located via 7 foot ducts to reduce the motor noise. The duct itself is 14x22". Their claim is that it is 4500 CFM and only 0.7 sones...yes that's POINT 7, not 7.

And therein lies the problem. In order to pull 4500 CFM through a 300 sqaure in opening, the velocity has to be 2100 feet/second or 24 MPH. That kind of velocity is only seen in high pressure HVAC applications and is associated with tremendous noise. My own 4500 CFM fan uses a 30 x 30 opening (900 square inches). It's air velocity is about 8 MPH. The air noise by itself on my system is about 1/2 of the entire system noise. So to have 3 times as much air velocity with the increase in sones not being linear, it just seems that the system would either be extremely loud or their not pulling the rated CFM.

The product has not been certified by any independant lab like HVI. I called quietcoolfan and asked them about the discrepancy. The person I spoke with said he didn't know how the fan was so cool and didn't seem to think he could hook me up with anyone technical that could explain it too me. I asked about certification. His response was that they sell so many fans that they don't feel they need to get it certified.

So, on the surface, it looks like a fraud. Mabye I'm wrong. If I am, maybe someone here can set me right.

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Comments (3)

daddo
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
4500 cfm with a 14x22. I get 2250 vel ft/sec with a static of 0.4".
Noise is present where there is a restriction or deflection as in a register/grill. Open or remove a grill and the noise is greatly reduced if not terminated as long as motor and/or the actual blower/fan is at a distance and it's pressure friction noise is absorbed within that distance.
If the duct source near the final exit of the air is smooth and transitioned smoothly, it can be very quiet.
Noise comes from;
1. The source- motor/blower/fan.
2. The restriction of air at or near the exit and turbulence.
sorka
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks. Since both fans are located up a flexible duct of 7 feet, the exuast sound could be quite low. The only issue seems to be the amount of noise generated at the intake with velocities that fast. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on the rest of the system for discussion's sake.
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fasola-shapenote
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have a recommendation for whole-house fans, and that is to go with the ones made by Triangle Engineering of Arkansas (made in the USA!).

These things move more air than any other brand. As an example: the 36" belt-drive model sold at Lowes & Home Depot moves 6,900 CFM on its highest speed. The 36" one that Triangle makes moves 10,600 CFM.

I just put one of these in last week and am so taken with it that I'm evangelizing for Triangle now.

These things are much higher quality than the other brands too -- these are made with very heavy-gauge solid welded steel (as opposed to the thin, flimsy metal - often aluminum - that other brands use). They use a very solid motor made by Emerson, the best of the top three motor-making companies (the other two being Fasco and A.O. Smith). They come pre-framed on a wood frame for installation, AND they have sponge-rubber noise-dampening material between the fan and the frame, so they are much quieter than the other brands. Also, Triangle holds a patent on an automatic belt-tensioning system these things use, so you don't have to worry about getting the tension right when you install the fan (or in the years thereafter as the belt loosens up).

Also, they come in more sizes than the other companies -- from 24" all the way up to 48" blade diameter (which moves a ridiculously whopping amount of air; no one else makes one that big).

They're sold online at Southern Tool amongst other places that ship nationwide, so they're available wherever you live.

Also, Triangle re-brands some of these as a private label for Dayton, which is the "store brand" of Grainger - so if you have a Grainger store near you (check your phone book or their website), you can buy one there. I will say this, though - Grainger/Dayton makes their own shutters, and those shutters are much better than the one Triangle makes. Triangle makes great fans, but crappy shutters. Luckily, they're sold separately -- so buy a Triangle fan and Dayton shutters; money can't buy better products.

They also re-brand some for a company out in San Francisco called "Fanman" (a/k/a "Delta Breeze").

A word to the wise -- these fans move a lot of air, so make sure to install at least the recommended minimum amount of attic exhaust space (gable vents, soffit vents, roof vents, some combination thereof, whatever works for you) - if you don't have enough, the fan will operate at reduced capacity, and there will be a backpressure which will cause the shutters to rattle when the fan is in operation (any time you hear whole-house fan shutters rattling, you know there isn't enough exhaust space). Oh, and one other thing -- only buy a belt-drive whole-house fan, don't EVER buy a direct-drive model...the direct-drive models are at least five times louder, they sound like standing on an airport runway next to an old prop plane getting ready to take off.

Several of the dedicated whole-house fan installing companies have chosen to use Triangle fans; that should tell you something. These companies want satisfied customers, so they use Triangle and only Triangle.

Refer to http://www.trianglefans.com/wholehouse.html for more info

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

Quiet Giant whole house fan - wild claims.....

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daddo

sorka
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Quiet Giant whole house fan - wild claims.....

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daddo

sorkaOriginal Author

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sorka
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