Choosing a Panasonic fan/light combo

2 months ago

I am set on a Panasonic fan/light combo, but I am not sure about the sensor/timer features. I have read that the sensor doesn't work great in that it will make the fan go on and off during a shower, but that was an older discussion and idk if that is still an issue. One suggestion I read was to also use a timer, and set it so that any time the fan goes on, it stays on for a certain amount of time. I am interested in the sensor b/c one of my kids often forgets to turn the fan on when showering, so would a humidity sensor combined with a timer be the right choice? The ones I am looking at have variable airflow rates, so how would that work with a sensor?

Other options:

*motion sensor so that any time someone comes into the bathroom, the fan comes on

*wiring it so the fan comes on when the light comes on

*none of these features and just work with kid to remember to turn the fan on when showering

Our current setup has the fan and light on 2 different switches, no sensor, and no timer. This setup would be fine if my kid would use the fan.

Thoughts?

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Comments (2)

coastal_vibe
2 months ago
What state are you in? In California, a humidity sensor is required on the exhaust fan to meet code. The sensor can be wall-mounted or integral to the fan (either meets code, wall-mounted is more popular).

Also, in CA any light integrated into the exhaust fan must be LED and must be controlled independently from the fan. You need to able to turn the light off while allowing the fan to continue running. (I do not know the code for other states.)

Currently available humidity sensors have a built-in timer. Some are factory set to 20 minutes while others are adjustable, 1 to 60 minutes. The sensor continuously checks the humidity / dew point level in the room. When the level rises above the set level (e.g., 70% ), the fan is activated and continues running for another 20 minutes (or for the user-set duration) after the humidity falls 2% below the user-set level. (That is, it runs for at least 20 minutes.)

The fan may run continuously if the humidity level is set too low (e.g., 30%) or if the fan is installed in the ceiling directly above the shower.

Variable air flow rates are useful if you want the fan to run all the time -- at a low rate when no one is in the bathroom and boost to a higher rate when the shower is used. This makes sense in a public setting. For residential use, choose a single-speed fan that can be set to match the size of the room (e.g., 50/80/110 CFM).

If you have the space for it, a recessed ceiling light, separate from the fan, may be a better choice than integrating with the fan.

A motion sensor on the fan is a personal choice.

Here is the configuration I chose for my bathroom remodel (thanks to help from posters on Houzz):
- Panasonic WhisperFit single-speed 50/80/110 CFM FV-051VFC1 ventilation fan, which has a built-in humidistat
- Red signal wires from the fan connected to an on/off wall switch
The fan can be manually activated by pushing the wall switch to the “on” position. Moving the wall switch to the “off” position returns control to the humidity sensor.

I added the manual override to allow turning on the exhaust fan to "air out" the room even if the humidity level is low.
HU-552494205
2 months ago
I just got three new Panasonic fans. I got the LED, larger fan with a night light. I have a nice lutron style switch on the wall but I did not get humidity or motion...I like them a lot.
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