# Forum Home Renovation Bathrooms  QUIET bathroom extractor fan

## davegol

just finished the reno, and the dope at bunnings recommended Heller fans for the bathrooms based on my request for the quietest fans available. Needless to say, it sounds like a 747 landing on my roof while I'm having a shower. Not pleasant. Should have known better than to go there..   
Anyway .. does anyone have suggestions for QUIET bathroom extractor fans?
- must fit existing holes (or be bigger) - 200mm circle in ensuite and 250mm circle in main bathroom
- must be quiet
- happy for it to have lower capacity (to keep noise down).. it doesn't need to remove 1000 gagillion litres of air per microsecond like the Hellers do. We have lo-flo showers that barely produce any water (don't get me started on that!) so there's barely enough steam to fog a mirror!
- must be quiet
- did I mention that it must be quiet? 
I have stayed in hotels with nearly silent bathroom fans (in fact they're often 'on' all the time). It shouldn't be too difficult to achieve?!

----------


## johnc

> just finished the reno, and the dope at bunnings recommended Heller fans for the bathrooms based on my request for the quietest fans available. Needless to say, it sounds like a 747 landing on my roof while I'm having a shower. Not pleasant. Should have known better than to go there..  
> Anyway .. does anyone have suggestions for QUIET bathroom extractor fans?
> - must fit existing holes (or be bigger) - 200mm circle in ensuite and 250mm circle in main bathroom
> - must be quiet
> - happy for it to have lower capacity (to keep noise down).. it doesn't need to remove 1000 gagillion litres of air per microsecond like the Hellers do. We have lo-flo showers that barely produce any water (don't get me started on that!) so there's barely enough steam to fog a mirror!
> - must be quiet
> - did I mention that it must be quiet? 
> I have stayed in hotels with nearly silent bathroom fans (in fact they're often 'on' all the time). It shouldn't be too difficult to achieve?!

  Ideally you are looking for a fan that has the vent only at the ceiling and the fan motor further into the ceiling space with a flexible tube inbetween, takiing whatever noise there is and leaving it in the roof space. There are a number out there, we have one as part of a solar tube, you can barely hear it, if the shower is running you can't hear it at all.

----------


## SilentButDeadly

Ask the mob at Universal Fans.  I've found them to be extremely helpful over the phone Exhaust Fans by Type | Universal Fans - Experts In Ceiling Fans, Exhaust Fans, Sub Floor Ventilation, Air Transfer, Domestic & Commercial Fans

----------


## METRIX

We have used these and they are very quiet, around 33dB, but they don't come big enough for your hole  Quatro 
I am suprised the Heller is so noisy, I have seen a few of the Square type that look like an Aircon vent installed and they were fairly quiet.

----------


## chalkyt

Similar to the above. I have used Manrose a lot and they are very quiet... but normally only 150mm though their web site shows a 250mm shuttered fan. I haven't seen/heard one but most electrical wholesalers such as TLE should carry them. In comparison, most other fans do sound like a 747 taking off!

----------


## Handyjack

Is it the fan that is noisy, or the installation amplifying any noise? Are all screws tight and the power lead away from the moving fan blade? Is it hard up against part of the roof frame and this is amplifying vibration. 
To test if the fans themselves are noisy you will need to take down and run them on a bench - warning keep away from moving fan blade.
If the fan is noisy then you may be able to take it back.

----------


## davegol

thanks for all the feedback. pretty sure its normal for these fans as all are installed in plaster away from framing and all sound the same. i'll probably end up replacing with some ducting and an inline unit in a year or so when the mortgage doesn't look so bad ;-)
I wonder if I can use a couple of 'y' connectors and get away with a single fan unit servicing all 3 bathrooms. hmmm..

----------


## Moondog55

Does the noise really bother you that much?
Why not do what we did and put a rheostat in line, turn it down or turn it up when you really need to clear the water vapour out and away.
A 747 taking off exceeds 135dB; landing is noisier; our fan at maximum is about 78dB *78dB isn't all that loud for the short period of time and I cannot hear the fan over the noise of the running water from the shower anyway

----------


## grantbudd

I know exactly what you are saying about the heller fan. I fit one as a replacement for the shower area and it was quiet not fitted but when in the cavity mine was more like an airbus a380!  
Im sure it's the roof cavity and vibration through the plaster. I like the idea of having the grate on display and then if you can run a length of ducting hose away from the grate and maybe suspend the fan from a roof truss with the correct fittings? This would take the fan off the ceiling, still give you enough volume of air movement and will disperse the noise through the roof and walls rather the ceiling?  
Legal? Don't know? Retro fit? Possible? Interested to know how you go because I have 2 bathrooms to do in he future. 
cheers 
grant

----------


## METRIX

In line fans are your best bet, look at Baluberg, they have a lot and are very quiet.

----------


## Moondog55

I'd say something wasn't done right. 
Was the fan boxed in with timber to make a section not much bigger than the fan? Did you use a tube the same diameter as the fan to enclose the blades??
 If you don't do that you are building a resonant chamber which will  sound much louder than the fan itself

----------


## davegol

nah - I don't think they were installed incorrectly - they're all mounted straight into plasterboard ceilings, away from beams, etc. All insulation material has been cleared from around the fans - all looks pretty nicely installed. They're just loud. I think it's subjective - I've asked a few visitors, and they don't think they're overly loud. Maybe my hearing is not as bad as I thought it was! 
I like your idea grantbudd but I don't think it will work - the grate clips on to the fan unit itself, so if I move that to the other end of some flexible ducting, then there will be nothing to hold the grate in place.  
I think the only solution is to buy a new grate (like the ones used for in-ceiling heating outlets - they're pretty cheap) and connect some flexible ducting to that, and then an inline fan unit at the other end. I was thinking I could service all three rooms (ENS, powderroom and bathroom) with one fan unit by putting in a few 'Y' connections. I guess the other bonus of this approach is that I can duct it all to the outside and then have just that little bit less water vapour in the roof cavity. 
Moondog: what sort of rheostat did you use? (link?) Have you got any more info on that?

----------


## Moondog55

I actually don't know what the rheostat was. I just asked my sparky if one could be fitted and he grabbed one out of his van. It cost about $30- on his itemised bill
Sorry I misunderstood the post I thought this exhaust was going out the wall but my comment stands. Best practice for noise abatement is to box them in, it stiffens the joint, in a 90mm ceiling joist I would use something  much taller; best practice for moisture control is to exhaust the damp air direct to the outside.
Plaster sheet is very flexible and even a small vibration of the fan mounting gets amplified, the whole ceiling joist can move, even a fraction of a millimeter can give an effect, just think of a double bass: the soundbox is only moving a tiny fraction of a millimeter ( ~0.005mm) in sympathy with the vibrating string and a double bass can be quite loud when you are only a meter or two away

----------

