[Zamboknee]

I installed a new bathroom exhaust fan last summer.
A ReVent 110 with LED light

Ever since I put it in it has NOT been very quiet at all. I reached out to the manufacturer and their response was:

• Please check to see if the outside vent has a flap and that flap might be heavy or blocked.
• Also check the vent pipe inside and see if there is any obstruction.
• You could also have 3 inch vent pipe and that would also make the fan operate at a higher noise due to the 3 inch restriction. In this case it is best to replace the 3 inch with 4 inch and you will be amazed at the noise reduction and the air flow increase.
• There is one more thing and that is the vent pipe length might be very long. It is recommended that a vent pipe is 4 inch pipe and less then 10 ft long.
• What we know is the ReVent models are all HVI lab tested to be the sone/sound level we have on the box.

I've crossed all of these off the list and it's still loud.
Wondering if anyone can take a look at these pics to see if there might be a culprit I'm missing.
Otherwise, I'm gonna push them on the fan being defective.
Thanks
pics from attic including hose size and the dB it puts out when measured from 12 inches...https://imgur.com/a/9E0PR3W

 

[Nealtw]

I didn't see anything that would cause a restriction that would cause more noise.


But you should install a proper roof vent for it away from the box vent.

 

[Oso954]

Did you disconnect the exhaust hose from the fan and run the fan without the hose ?

If it’s a lot quieter, the problem is the hose or the external vent/damper?

You said you crossed all the items Off the mfg list. What did you do about bullet 3, the 3 vs 4 inch hose ?

 

[Bud9051]

You say you crossed them off, but you did not give us the answers, we are still guessing.
Length of duct?
Flex duct vs rigid metal?
Straight run of lots of turns?
3" or 4" duct?

Share.

Bud

 

[Zamboknee]

Thought the pics would explain but it’s a 4 inch flex hose with built in insulation.
Yes, tried the fan before connecting to hose but didn’t think anything of it because it hadn’t been connected yet. Kind of like running a car engine with open headers.
Are the pics not visible?

 

[carpdad]

I don't know that brand. In past, broan/nutone, with low sone ratings were pretty good. But these things are made with sheetmetal that are pieced together and every joint, even the cover, can rattle and make noise.


If installed tightly against the joist with screws, if the body became twisted during the install, fitting parts became mis-shapen because of the twisting, cover spring not tight enough, etc. Did you check the noise with the cover off? Check the motor anchors, electric connect box cover, etc. Is the fan tight, is it spinning without a wobble?


The box itself can vibrate a lot. It is a thin sheet and the fan is anchored to it. I float the fan box instead of tight against the frame, and don't use the metal joist hanger that may be included. I drill new holes along the bottom edge and use 4" or longer screws into the frame and the box "floats" on the screws. I used rigid duct to vent and still very quiet. It was low sone nutone, fairly big box and thicker sheetmetal.


Caulking the box metal joints, stick on weather seal rubber strips on the electric box cover, these things may help. Some baths, I put in fairly loud exhaust anyway to use the noise to cover.

 

[Zamboknee]

Did you check the noise with the cover off? Check the motor anchors, electric connect box cover, etc. Is the fan tight, is it spinning without a wobble?

I will check these.
The fan (body/everything) mounts to the ceiling drywall. Not attached to any joists.

 

[carpdad]

Not sure how it is just sitting on the drywall. Drywall clips? Maybe that's the problem - the whole box is wobbling? Like a laundry washer that's thumping around? That could make the cover plate move more too, I think, against the drywall. I also recess the metal box (flush to the joist) and cut the drywall to the inside surface of the fan box. Any open gap can be fixed with canned foam. I don't want the cover plate touching the metal box.

 

[Zamboknee]

The sound and some pics. https://soundcloud.com/moosevoice/bathroom-fan-noise

 

[carpdad]

Does sound loud. Barrel type of fan can be either very quiet or very loud. Depends on the quality of engineering, I think. Also 110 cfm is not really a quiet fan. Also 1.3 sone. I was under the impression that very quiet fans were under 1.0. I searched for panasonic (THE quietest I know) and one of its model says 0.3 sone. 1.3, comparing, shouldn't be loud. Models, all called wisper something, ultra quiet something, are under or up to 1.0 sone. Maybe it's just marketing.

Maybe it's in a small bath and with the door closed? Lack of input air can up the noise. I'm out of ideas. I think you should look for lower sones and maybe brand names such as nutone. Also install the fan by floating it and don't restrict the body with lots of foam or such. You can actually buy nutone fan with larger box and low sone. Then carefully open it and compare the metal box thickness, construction and such. Maybe the brand you chose isn't that great. If feels about the same, return it.
This brand may be calling itself quiet but I doubt they'll refund you based on your own judgement since install also can have a large effect.

 

[Zamboknee]

Bathroom measures approximately 10’ x 5’

 

[Old Thomas]

I put a fan in the first floor bathroom of a house my son owns. It was terribly loud, especially upstairs. By the time we noticed the ceiling downstairs was finished and painted. The carpet upstairs was not done so I cut a hole in the floor and took that noisy fan out from above. I bought a different brand, installed it, patched the subfloor and it was quiet. Some fans are noisy.

 

[Zamboknee]

Some fans are noisy.

yeah, I'm kinda thinking this one/brand might be a bust.

Would like to take it out and try a different one (nutone/broan) but it gets pretty messy as I'm dealing with that cellulose insulation. ugh.

 

[House Designer]

Be careful what you wish for!
I have whisper quiet fans in my new house. I can only wish that my bathroom fans were loud, because a loud fan drowns out the explicit noises emanating out of a bathroom when someone is taking a dump.
My last house had two fans in the Master Bathroom: one noisy one over the toilet, and one quiet one over the shower, so you had a choice.

 

[Zamboknee]

From the manufacturer after sending them the pics I put up here...


Hello Andy, Hate to have you do more but these are very good suggestion to this problem. This is certainly not a normal situation but we think it is a simple problem that is just hard to find.

Make sure the ReVent damper opens freely , not blocked by connection to vent pipe. (this is very possible, please check this first)

The pipe used look like insulated flex pipe. Flex pipe is very restrictive even when it is a short length.

Should have a proper bathroom roof vent with damper. The install is partially blocking a vent that he does not have a damper. The pipe is cut back and screwed into the underside of the roof. During cold winters warm air may cause mold and mildew. Also could drip condensation onto the insulation and perhaps into the home.

TEST: Its is a great idea to test the fan by disconnecting the vent pipe at the fan. If the fan is now quite and air is flowing out of the fans damper then it is safe to say that the vent pipe is restricting the airflow. Suggestion is to but rigid, smooth pipe in place of the flew (if that is flex that is used)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[House Designer]

That is excellent advice from the mfgr.
Here is a good article that explains how to properly install a bath fan, and why rigid pipe is so important.
https://inspectapedia.com/ventilation/Bathroom_Ventilation.php
Flex pipe bath vent is the standard for cheap builder-grade construction used in many areas.
My builder was trying to install flex pipe in my bathroom vents, so this article helped me to explain to him why rigid pipe is so preferable.

 

[Old Thomas]

Be careful what you wish for!
I have whisper quiet fans in my new house. I can only wish that my bathroom fans were loud, because a loud fan drowns out the explicit noises emanating out of a bathroom when someone is taking a dump.
My last house had two fans in the Master Bathroom: one noisy one over the toilet, and one quiet one over the shower, so you had a choice.

I am proud of it; I don’t want a fan to cover it up.

 

[carpdad]

I like a good bm, but not old enough to advertise it.:smile::smile: