What do yall think about the Vortex S-Line fans?

I'm thinking about getting the 6" one but I'm not sure just how quiet they are. Does anybody have one on here or know how quiet they are by experience? Just don't feel like spending money on bs anymore

I can't comment on these specifically but I have now tried many different types of fans and what seems to be the recurring them is this:

Buy a fan that is rated for twice the CFM that you want and using a fan controller reduce it to 50%. It will be WAY quieter than any *quiet* fan running at it's designed speed. I spent mucho bux on specialty silent fans and it's just not worth it. That's my 2 cents.

I have one coupled to a 6x22 filter and it is very quiet. I like the built in ( removable ) backdraft damper, even though I don't need it for my space. I think they are a bit pricey, but they are quiet compared to the regular 4" fan I use for emergency exhaust.


Peace and Great Grows

Asmallvoice

I like your wood work and overall management of wires and fans, etc. You even mitered the casing for the AC!

Hot Diggity Sog said:

I like your wood work and overall management of wires and fans, etc. You even mitered the casing for the AC!

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I concur; that's some nice lookin' setup there.

Hot Diggity Sog said:

I can't comment on these specifically but I have now tried many different types of fans and what seems to be the recurring them is this:

Buy a fan that is rated for twice the CFM that you want and using a fan controller reduce it to 50%. It will be WAY quieter than any *quiet* fan running at it's designed speed. I spent mucho bux on specialty silent fans and it's just not worth it. That's my 2 cents.

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I hear this a lot but I've also heard a lot of nightmares about trying to control certain fans.. often the fan noise is replaced by an unsettling electrical hum that sounds like something's bearing a heavier load than normal.

Can someone tell me specifically which types of exhaust fans take to a controller well? and which kind of controller?

I would hope there would be no freaky hum and just a quieter fan. The one I have does not respond well to a controller at all. (S&P TD-Series, not the silent model, but the mix-vent model that preceded it... S&P had a reputation of being a lot quieter than most models, and it is, but when I realized I couldn't get any quieter with a controller I regretted it.)

Success stories welcome, whatever you set up is that lets you get real quiet, I'd love to hear about it, please post model info for both the fan and the controller.

My goal was to get near stealth levels with a low-heat setup (T5, then LED) in a bedroom environment... it took a lot of work to come even close without a fan controller even though I bought fans specifically designed to be quiet.

Edit: Not to thread high jack... sorry OP... just figure this is general info anyone interested in one of these quiet-line fans would soak up anyway.

This is what I am currently using and have noticed zero hum when running it less than 100%
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HS7X29O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hmmm... of course I still wonder if you're going down low enough to quiet it to a level I'd want and are still getting enough airflow, et cetera.. I guess there's no way to gauge that over the interwebs.

AltarNation said:

Hmmm... of course I still wonder if you're going down low enough to quiet it to a level I'd want and are still getting enough airflow, et cetera.. I guess there's no way to gauge that over the interwebs.

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Yeah, I hear ya. I'm still new to ventilation as well so I'm experimenting.

I started with a 6" Whisperline.. wasn't strong enough to bother controlling down at all... then I got a TD-200 8" because everyone said they were remarkably quiet... not to me though... it's all relative. It's plenty quiet enough for a basement or garage or something but even inside a closet venting into the room it is still pretty loud to me. I tried a handful of controllers even though everyone says you can't control a mix-vent effectively... playing the buy and return game. Never did try the big transformer controller knob dealy (can't remember what it's called) that might have worked. I decided to just find alternative approaches.

I resorted to a 1/2" plywood door I put on the closet, as well as wrapping the unit itself in some denim insulation i had. Then I also added a duct muffler. Between these three, it's reasonable. It's pretty hard to get to a level that feels truly "indoor environment stealthy" with serious ventilation.

The one change I would totally have made in hindsight is to buy insulated ducting. That's supposed to help significantly.

Its all good about the thread jacking lol I don't mind but I read some where that using a fan controller can make the fan motor run hot... but these inline fans are self cooling so idk what to think

The Vortex fans are compatible with speed controllers. I do not use one, because it is quiet enough from having the load of a filter on it. I found it to be even more quiet when I place a 3' section of flex duct on the exhaust, I took it back off, cause I don't really need it and it looked a bit funky to my eyes.

Some cheaper fans are not going to handle regulated voltage without heating up or humming. If the device is compatible with speed controllers, it will have internal fortification to withstand the heat generated and to cancel the "hum" associated with using speed controllers.

If it hums loudly, it more than likely is not made to be controlled and will more than likely fail before its time, which can lead to a fire hazard.

Peace and Stealthy Grows

Asmallvoice

I use a transformer with 6 secondary winds. In socket I have got 240v, from transformer 90,110,130,150,170,210v. I change voltage by multi pole rotary switch. Zero hum from motor. Big transformer with knob also works without hum.

a boxed fan imo is better than inline fans
more air movement for the small hole size
and its always quieter when in a box

I emailed sales at SunLight Supply as to which was more quiet, the low end 6" Vortex S or the low end HyperFan Stealth 6" a few weeks back but have received no response.

If you want to slow the fan speed down use a variac.

Vortex lists the sound level on their website for the fan.

- Jiji

jijiandfarmgang said:

If you want to slow the fan speed down use a variac.

Vortex lists the sound level on their website for the fan.

- Jiji

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Variac, that's the thing I was talking about that I never got around to trying. I do wonder if it works right with a mix-vent like the TD's.

So has anyone grabed these vortex s line fans that can comment on them?

thccbdhealth said:

So has anyone grabed these vortex s line fans that can comment on them?

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I knows its a few years behind. in your case months, but I have 2 of them. They are very quiet! Both of them running together are still quieter than any other inline fan I've had the pleasure of hearing! That's without ducting or a filter hooked up. they run at 50db each. My friend let me use his sound tester thing. with both fans running it read 70db from 24" away. Each fan is rated for 72 watts which I think is about 0.86 amps. they are made to be compatible with a fan speed controller. Even though it does not matter in my situation, they have a built in damper that can be removed, which I think is a cool feature. I hope that helps a bit. For anyone questioning buying them, I would definitely go for it! They seem heavier than 6 pounds but feel & look very well made! Each fan has a 10 year warranty as well!

Good luck!