VERY quiet ceiling mounted (min IP X4) bathroom fan recommendations?

[HappyHippyDad]

My very well off customer wants the most quiet ceiling mounted extractor fan there is. They have stipulated that cost is not a barrier and they just want something quiet.

I have used one extremely quiet fan in the past, but it simply didn't do it's job, so that's pointless. This fan still needs to be able to extract.

IPX4 as a minimum as it will be in Zone 2.

An in-line fan is not an option unfortunately as there is no space above.

Any recommendations?

Cheers

 

[DPG]

Revisiting this as I was quite harsh in that initial assessment. The noise reduction is stark - I still don't believe they're as quiet as 25dB, but they're much quiter than previous fans and most noise is from air being extracted. From outside the bathrooms they can barely be heard and from more than a few feet outside their operation is barely preceptible.

On a different note, the humidistats are fantastic. First couple of days they seemed to operate for longer, which suggests some residual moisture in the rooms - no damp, but obviosuly more moisture than expected. Since then they've worked flawlessly - they come on quickly when shower or bath is running and do their thing for as long as necessary. Humidistats are set at 60%, which I thought might be too ambitious for winter in NI, but that's worked out well and I like the idea of moist air being efficiently extracted.

Any news on the other fan, @HappyHippyDad ?

Thanks for the feedback. Very useful.

 

[123]

Revisiting this as I was quite harsh in that initial assessment. The noise reduction is stark - I still don't believe they're as quiet as 25dB, but they're much quiter than previous fans and most noise is from air being extracted. From outside the bathrooms they can barely be heard and from more than a few feet outside their operation is barely preceptible.

On a different note, the humidistats are fantastic. First couple of days they seemed to operate for longer, which suggests some residual moisture in the rooms - no damp, but obviosuly more moisture than expected. Since then they've worked flawlessly - they come on quickly when shower or bath is running and do their thing for as long as necessary. Humidistats are set at 60%, which I thought might be too ambitious for winter in NI, but that's worked out well and I like the idea of moist air being efficiently extracted.

Any news on the other fan, @HappyHippyDad ?

They have some interesting colours in those fans...did you go for the red one?

 

[nicebutdim]

They have some interesting colours in those fans...did you go for the red one?
View attachment 95207

Those look nice

Sort of thing that would have left me looking for somewhere new to live

 

[Steffano]

Is the Envirovent the one with 2 speeds? The slow speed being incredibly quiet, almost silent, yet extracting hardly anything? I might be getting this mixed up with another fan.

The environment infinity is a trickle fan which runs almost silent constantly then has a boost which can sound like a vulcan taking off in comparison

 

[Electric Magic]

Vent Axia Svara is supposed to be very quiet, is very powerful, and can be ceiling mounted. Expensive though and not sure what the max ducting run is.

 

[nicebutdim]

Vent Axia Svara is supposed to be very quiet, is very powerful, and can be ceiling mounted. Expensive though and not sure what the max ducting run is.

That's one which never appeared in my searches. Took a look at its specs, although wasn't expecting much, and was surprised to see a decent rate of extraction, along with low souund levels on its highest speed. Worth keeping in mind.

 

[OMGneophyte]

Useful thread

Has anyone experience of domus/silavent/polypipe humidistat pull switch ANC808A?

This claims smart humidity detection (AI, would you believe?), has override pullswitch, and can accept additional switched live. With 2.5A inductive load capacity sounds ok for an inline soler Palau fan - but is the humidistat really any better than eg Manrose one? They're considerably more pricy

 

[LukeD]

Ceiling mounted and quiet is a huge debate as its been mentioned in this thread.... the bets fans run at 2 speeds . I like the constant running Xpelairs . This brand seems to cover 99.9999999% of what i have ever used and clients like . Its about "Reality " and clients been made aware that only certain things in life tend to be possible . God didnt think about extractor fans !!. BIGGEST mistake... tight closing bathroom door . Fan is on a hiding to nothing . There has to be a airflow

 

[OMGneophyte]

Ceiling mounted and quiet is a huge debate as its been mentioned in this thread.... the bets fans run at 2 speeds . I like the constant running Xpelairs . This brand seems to cover 99.9999999% of what i have ever used and clients like . Its about "Reality " and clients been made aware that only certain things in life tend to be possible . God didnt think about extractor fans !!. BIGGEST mistake... tight closing bathroom door . Fan is on a hiding to nothing . There has to be a airflow

Good points

Fan not ceiling mounted but via cork blocks to roof trusses to diminish sound/vibration intrusion

Fan intended to run on demand (elevated humidity from shower, toilet flush) with overrun timer. Won't need long; extract rate 250cu m ph; room 7.6cu m

An airflow is needed, yup! Probably undercut door

 

[UNG]

I've always found quiet fans a bit of a compromise as they generally have a lower extract rate to keep the noise down so you end up with a larger fan and duct to achieve the end result of keeping the noise down while maintaining the extract rate needed

 

[LukeD]

Given the chance I always use a "Push pull " set up.2 x
fans , one pulling in and one extracting . Really works well in steamy bathrooms .Ok a bit noisy , but most of the time people are in a shower or making some noise themselves etc ..

 

[nicebutdim]

Definitely need to keep doors open when no one's in the rooms. One consideration that didn't occur to me was the fact that humidistat fans run as much in a few months as standard fans do in years - doesn't seem to trouble the fans I bought, but notice how quickly dust/hairspray (or whatever the other half sprays) builds up.

The push pull idea sounds okay if there's no window to open, but I can see humidistat fans running non-stop when outside humidity is high - maybe a heat recovery unit might work well in those situations?

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Will do and @HappyHippyDad should soon have something to report about the Airflow Quietair

Just rereading this thread. My customer has only just got around to needing/wanting the work done, so I am back researching fans. I'll update with whichever one I buy.

 

[123]

Given the chance I always use a "Push pull " set up.2 x
fans , one pulling in and one extracting . Really works well in steamy bathrooms .Ok a bit noisy , but most of the time people are in a shower or making some noise themselves etc ..

I've never once come across anything like this in a domestic bathroom. Is it something you'd install often?

 

[LukeD]

I've never once come across anything like this in a domestic bathroom. Is it something you'd install often?

Yes ! Given the opportunity .It gives a much better air exchange . The secret is to draw in the air from within the property so its not cold !