My top two bathroom pet peeves: wasted energy and annoying fans. Our downstairs bathroom fan was so loud it would annoy the entire house, so solving that problem would surely lead to energy waste.
So in the spirit of working hard to be lazy, I wanted to separate the fan control from the light and get a much quieter fan. NOTE: Make sure whoever is installing is qualified!
Humidity sensing fan
I wanted a super quiet fan but they require a 6″ duct and I have 3″ duct. I thought that was the only way until I tried one with a humidity sensor. Nothing in the documentation clarified how one worked. I tried a Delta VFB25ADH from Home Depot with a 4″ to 3″ reducer to accomodate the existing duct. I expected simple on/off operation, but it runs at variable speed under humidity control. While the fan is rated for 1.0 Sone, it rarely is that loud. It runs at max speed (and noise) only when forced on by toggling the switch or under high humidity from a shower running. When humidity is moderate (most of the time), it is so quiet I have to strain to hear it!
Once the fan turned on automatically, it needed to be separate from the light. A double wide switch would be ideal, but didn’t have room. I installed a new one higher on the wall and it rarely needs to be touched.
Occupancy (motion detector) switch
Without fan noise to remind, it was clear I’d have lights on 24/7. The last step was to replace the normal switch with an occupancy sensor. The R02-IPS02-1LW from Home Depot met our need. Note that this model doesn’t have a timer override, so the light always turns off after 5 minutes to remind our teenagers that a 30 minute shower is not ok.
Now the kids aren’t soiling the wall turning on the light, don’t leave the light on and we aren’t studying mildew growth. Energy use is down and that pesky fan is finally quiet.
What have you found helpful to save energy or quiet your life at home?
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