Two reasons to replace the bathroom fan -

1) Old and loud
2) New model has moisture sensor, no human input needed

Panasonic bathroom fans are a bit expensive unless you put a price on your time. Me personally, I've always been pretty crap at turning on bathroom fans and ceiling often becomes a sort of paisley mold pattern. Gotta try to avoid that in our new-to-us house.

BEHOLD THE PANASONIC WhisperSense® DC™ Fan/LED Light!

One of the quietest fans out there
User selectable CFM
Senses movement (we haven't enabled this)
Senses moisture
LED light
LED nightlight

Price - $250ish (makes you think before you pull out your wallet)

Install took longer than expected - but I expected that. Unfortunately I needed to connect it to a 3" duct while it prefers a 4" or 6". I spent some time attempting to run an additional power lead - if you're relying on the sensors then you don't really need a switch for it BUT you would want a switch for the light. You have three different bits you can power - the fan, the light, and the night light. Some people connect it to three switches but those people are obviously mad or switch hungry.

The fan is a little louder than I thought it would be but that might just be the 3" duct. I do really like the nightlight. Our bathroom is a bit outlet starved but that aside its nice to have an extremely gentle glow at night.

The moisture sensor seems to work as advertised. I turn on the shower, the fan turns on, I turn off the shower ... 10 min or so pass .... the fan turns off.

I'll probably grab another one for our guest bathroom.

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I think for WELL UNDER $100, you should be able to find a quiet "standard exhaust fan.

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testcase
I think for WELL UNDER $100, you should be able to find a quiet "standard exhaust fan.

but would you turn it on?

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mattkime
Install took longer than expected - but I expected that.

That reminds me of years ago at a startup, we interviewed a candidate and the founders were disappointed because "We expected him to exceed our expectations".

Bathroom fans are complicated. People think they want quiet, but if it's too quiet, you forget it's on and [duh] quiet fans don't mask noises. You don't want it to sound like a jet engine, but a nice humm has its advantages.

The moisture sensing is intriguing though. Especially if you forget to turn it on.

Quiet fan with a motion switch is what I have planned for my replacements.

That moisture sense is a nice feature.

Edit:
I replaced the garage light switch with a motion activated switch. It keeps anyone from leaving the lights on in the garage.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2019 11:07PM by Carm.

When I first started at the Board of Education in the 70's our offices were in a building that had been a hotel, so every room had a bathroom. Rooms that were large enough for meetings also had bathrooms. Exhaust fans were very quiet, so when someone left the meeting, it was pretty evident what that person was doing.

We brought all three controls to the switch near the door and have one of these:
[www.homedepot.com]

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Don C
When I first started at the Board of Education in the 70's our offices were in a building that had been a hotel, so every room had a bathroom. Rooms that were large enough for meetings also had bathrooms. Exhaust fans were very quiet, so when someone left the meeting, it was pretty evident what that person was doing.

What a great opportunity to make raucous fake fart noises!

We have a couple of Panasonic fans at work. They are too quiet sometimes.

I have a simpler Panasonic fan, ($90 I think), and I use a $30 Lutron Timer to turn it on when I start the shower and it shuts itself off around the time I arrive to work.

I can also turn it on after #2 and it shuts itself off. a moisture sensor would not do that.

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

Baffles me why the quieter the fan, the more expensive the price. I WANT a bathroom fan to make some noise, hopefully more than I will.

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Mike Sellers
Baffles me why the quieter the fan, the more expensive the price. I WANT a bathroom fan to make some noise, hopefully more than I will.

Lol. TMI, but I totally agree

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

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Mike Sellers
Baffles me why the quieter the fan, the more expensive the price. I WANT a bathroom fan to make some noise, hopefully more than I will.

clothespin and baseball card

Do they also come with stink sensors?

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

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davester
Do they also come with stink sensors?

Spouses. Usually you replace the fan but the sensor stays.

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davester
Do they also come with stink sensors?

Yes. A bathroom fan with an automatic moisture sensor is useless to me.

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Lew Zealand

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davester
Do they also come with stink sensors?

Yes. A bathroom fan with an automatic moisture sensor is useless to me.

Motion sensor!

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mattkime

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Lew Zealand

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davester
Do they also come with stink sensors?

Yes. A bathroom fan with an automatic moisture sensor is useless to me.

Motion sensor!

Erm, actually I'll need a movement sensor.



aaaaand I'll see myself out the door…

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Lew Zealand

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mattkime

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Lew Zealand

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davester
Do they also come with stink sensors?

Yes. A bathroom fan with an automatic moisture sensor is useless to me.

Motion sensor!

Erm, actually I'll need a movement sensor.



aaaaand I'll see myself out the door…

Actually, the higher end Toto bidet seats have a sensor that turns on a stink-removing toilet bowl extractor fan/carbon filter that activates whenever you sit down to have a movement. A combined movement/stink sensor.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

.....Sense........and Sensibility......

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_____________________________________

I reject your reality and substitute my own!

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space-time
I have a simpler Panasonic fan, ($90 I think), and I use a $30 Lutron Timer to turn it on when I start the shower and it shuts itself off around the time I arrive to work.

I can also turn it on after #2 and it shuts itself off. a moisture sensor would not do that.

The model above what mattkime bought comes with an odor sensor that does.

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macphanatic

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space-time
I have a simpler Panasonic fan, ($90 I think), and I use a $30 Lutron Timer to turn it on when I start the shower and it shuts itself off around the time I arrive to work.

I can also turn it on after #2 and it shuts itself off. a moisture sensor would not do that.

The model above what mattkime bought comes with an odor sensor that does.

Perhaps mattkime's @#$%& don't stink.

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan