Replies

1. 
   RichMast | Nov 06, 2006 03:17am | #1

   here is one i found.  most of the manufacturers' sites have their own calculators.

   http://www.rewci.com/panvenfan.html

   hope this helps.  rich

1. 
   JoeArchitect | Nov 06, 2006 04:16pm | #4

   I always spec out 100 CFM to get the smell out ASAP. If it's a mega size maste bath, I'm not afraid to put in two of those at the points of most importance, above the water closet, and near the shower. Get the smell out, get the humidity out.

2. 
   artworks | Nov 06, 2006 04:20am | #2

   Figure out the cubic feet of the room,  (highth x width x lenght = cubic feet ) Then figure out how long you want the fan to run in minutes. All fans are rated in cubic feet per minute. I usualy size the fan to make a complete air change in 7 to 10 minutes. So for a average 8 ft x 5 ft x 9 ft. bathroom  = 360 cubic feet  divided by 7 minutes, you would need a fan that puts out 51 cfm. remember that you will loose some cfm from lenght of duct work and elbows on the duct to.  so to be safe I would run a 70 cfm or larger and  noise rated for  less than 2 sones ( Canadian code now ) and put it on a timer . You find that with the fan in use as you shower, that the vanity mirror will not be fogged over when you come out !

   IF IT WAS EASY, EVERYONE COULD DO IT !!!

3. 
   experienced | Nov 06, 2006 02:18pm | #3

   The Home Ventilating Institute (HVI)  ( www.hvi.org ) recommend a fan that will give 8 air changes per hour (ach) for bathrooms and 15 ach for kitchens.

4. 
   JDRHI | Nov 06, 2006 05:17pm | #5

   Also keep in mind the "noise factor".

   I know folks who oversize them in order to clear room air faster....and then have to live with the sound the unit makes in a room smaller than it was designed for.

   FREE SPONGE BOB, SANCHO PANTS!

1. 
   JoeArchitect | Nov 08, 2006 12:53am | #16

   I always spec out the Ultr Silent lines.

5. 
   BruceT999 | Nov 06, 2006 06:45pm | #6

   Other posts have referenced sound levels. You will be doing your HO a favor if you suggest that they spend three times as much for a Panasonic Whisper series as for a Broan from HD (about $100; $136 with very bright light, nightlight and fan.

   Those things are rated for 80cfm and up, but run so quietly you almost can't tell that they are on. They also have an in-line version that hangs from rafters or joists.

   BruceT

1. 
   RobWes | Nov 06, 2006 10:23pm | #7

   I swear I'm the only one who was not impressed with the Panasonic units. I bought 2, a 100 and and a 150. There not loud but I know that they are on.

1. 
   BruceT999 | Nov 07, 2006 12:59am | #8

   Do you know of a quieter one? It would be good to know about it.BruceT

1. 
   RobWes | Nov 07, 2006 01:16am | #9

   I used a remote fan in my house here in MA. I bought it at Grainger. The reason was that I have a flat roof and no attic so I had to vent it "up and out". When I say it's quiet it is. You must listen for it. If it was not wired to the shower light you'd never shut it off.

   I do have a Fantec inline blower that I never used. I may install it and rip the guts out of tha Panasonic unit. I'll need to see how quiet it is. I did not want my builder getting involved in something he had never delt with on a T&M job.

1. 
   BruceT999 | Nov 07, 2006 05:18am | #10

   What, you didn't want to pay his hourly rate to read the installation instructions on an unfamiliar device? Tsk TskThanks for the Fantek and Grainger ideas - i'll look them up for the in-line I want to inatall to exhaust warm air from the refrigerator cabinet. New fridge is bigger than the old one so the 3" venting gap at the top is now 3/4".BruceT

   Edited 11/6/2006 9:22 pm ET by BruceT999

2. 
   RobWes | Nov 07, 2006 04:22pm | #11

   No it was more of a case to keep going on what they do best and that is pound nails. I am more than capable to rework it when it annoys me enough to do so. For now it works just fine. Really with 2 shower heads and 5 body sprays running you can't hear it at all.  :-) 

2. 
   JAlden | Nov 08, 2006 06:14pm | #17

   American Aldes brand. http://www.americanaldes.com/

   Remote mount, very quiet. Quality motors. I have two and need to order another one for a current bath remodel.

   They are FHB advertisers also.

1. 
   BruceT999 | Nov 08, 2006 08:22pm | #18

   Thanks, I'll check them out.BruceT

2. 
   JDRHI | Nov 08, 2006 08:31pm | #19

   To the original poster as well....one remote unit, sized properly, can do the job of several.

   Something to keep in mind should you be planning additional bath renovations for the future.

   FREE SPONGE BOB,SANCHO PANTS!

2. 
   43Billh | Nov 07, 2006 05:19pm | #12

   Not true Rob. I'm not impressed either.

   I installed a 120cfm model in my tiny little bathroom ( less than 40 square feet ). It's quiet but doesn't clear the moisture very well at all. The manual even talks about water "dripping off the cover"

    I used 4" duct with 1 elbow and about 5' of duct straight up and out, so resistance or long duct work is not an issue. 

    Google "FanTech". It's a quality product that works.

   Bill

2. 
   Dave45 | Nov 07, 2006 05:31pm | #13

   Actually, you can get some very quiet Broan units from HD.  A couple of years ago, I put in a bathroom fan and a range hood for two different customers.  I had recommended that they buy the quietest units they could afford and they both got the top of the line Broan's from HD.

   I don't remember the models, but when I first turned them on, I thought I had wired them wrong because I couldn't hear them.  Even at high speed, the range hood just made a barely audible whisper.

1. 
   BruceT999 | Nov 07, 2006 06:28pm | #14

   Thanks, I'll check those out. All the Broan units I have repaired sound very loud.Perhaps my scorn for Broan stems in part from their abysmal spare parts service. Since Broan bought NuTone it takes 3 to 4 weeks to get a replacement motor shipped.BruceT

1. 
   Dave45 | Nov 07, 2006 09:04pm | #15

   Yeah, I was really surprised by the Broan's, too.  When I saw what the HO's had brought, I gave it an eye roll and thought "Oh well, you can't hear them from my house" - lol.