A/C Infinity versus Panasonic Whisperquiet inline fans

Hotwired

Hotwired

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Just got the S8. Hooked it up to my 8 x 24 Phresh filter. Turned it down to 50%. Turned it down to 25%.

Put the fan back in the box and wrapped it up. Sent an email for an RMA.

Sorry guys but the fan does NOT run @ 39 db as advertised. At full speed the S8 was at least 80db. Damn thing sounded like a jet liner and was louder than my central A/C. At 50% is was probably around 60db. I'm not exactly sure because I don't have a meter but I compared it to my Panasonic 340 cfm @ 1.7 sones (around 35db) and when I put the S8 to 25% if finally equaled the sound of my Panasonic.

THIS is a true test guys..............and I'm kind of glad I did it. This is why you can't knock something until you try it. A side by side always works wonders and the truth comes out. So I lost a few $$ for shipping. At least I proved to myself that the Panasonic is a much quieter fan and carries more cfm at a lower sound level.

So when they advertised the sound level @ 39db they probably meant at lowest speed. IMO that's bad advertising and it bothers me a bit. So I send it back and get my Panasonic 440 cfm and will gladly pay extra money for a fan that lasts for 10 plus years and you can hardly hear it.

It's easy to say something is better than something else. It's harder to prove when you don't have a comparison to back it up. I knew those fans were funky when I first saw them. Same style and shape as the old S&P TD line. But I said fuck it and ordered one for the comparison.

I've already used all the "hydro shop" fans. They don't change. It's the fans you don't know about that might be what you need.

Fact - Panasonic more expensive but way quieter
Fact - Panasonic fans have lasted me 10 plus years going 24/7
Fact - Panasonic fans are bulky as shit and weigh a ton, but they fit right on top of a sturdy filter with no problems.

Fans are an integral part of what we do. I spent months and months purchasing all sorts of fans over a decade ago. I feel I have a lot of knowledge in this area. But when H.A.F. said he found a great fan I gave it a shot. It's always worth it to give something new a try and see for yourself. Especially when the retailer gives free return shipping :alien:
 
Hotwired

Hotwired

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How I compared the 2 fans:

I set up the Infinity on top of the new filter right next to the already working Panasonic. I turned on the Infinity at 100% speed. It was so loud it blotted out my central A/C on the other side of the house. I went and stood in front of my central A/C and I was able to hear the Infinity over the loudness of my central A/C fan. My A/C is a 3.5 ton and it's very loud.

So I went back to the Infinity and turned it down to 75%. Still loud as hell. Down to 50% and it was still twice as loud as my Panasonic with just about the same cfm. Turned the Infinity down to 25% and it was finally as quiet as my Panasonic.

I was disappointed but it was worth a shot. The site said 39 db and my jaw dropped. Too good to be true I guess.

If anyone thinks they have a quieter fan than the Panasonic let me know. I'm always down to give it a shot :alien:
 
Punisher84

Punisher84

Just some asshole
Interesting. I have no fans to compare to my 2 6” ac infinity fans. Both my tents the fan runs at the #3 setting out of 10. That moves plenty of air to cool it off. I don’t hear them run but I know they do.

Mine also have 10’ of duct attached as an outlet into the basement.

Id like to try the Panasonic ones.
 
Hotwired

Hotwired

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Punisher84 said:
Interesting. I have no fans to compare to my 2 6” ac infinity fans. Both my tents the fan runs at the #3 setting out of 10. That moves plenty of air to cool it off. I don’t hear them run but I know they do.

Mine also have 10’ of duct attached as an outlet into the basement.

Id like to try the Panasonic ones.
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The Infinity fans are made for long runs. Most hydro shop fans are. That's why they are so loud. The more length/bends you have in your run the more powerful fan you need.

I would not recommend the Panasonic to anyone with a long run. I will cut and paste the reason why from another post I made in Spyral's thread.
 
Hotwired

Hotwired

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Most fans like the Infinity are made to be very powerful. The more powerful they are the louder they are. Many of the hydro shop fans are built for power.

Power = the ability to run at a % of strength thru a length of duct or bends. This is why some manufacturers give you charts so you can see how the length or obstructions will affect cfm. Like the Wg or Sp charts.

The Panasonic was typically made for straight line runs. It is not as powerful as these other fans so it can be made to be more quiet. So a very short run from the reflector to the filter is really nothing in terms of Sp loss. The filter would be your biggest cfm loss but if you get a large enough filter you wont lose much cfm at all.

For example, many filters are rated @ 1 sp. A chart will show you how much cfm you will lose for that rating. Hydro shop fans aren't affected much by 1 full sp because they are made to be powerful and don't have a big drop off. But the Panasonic will be affected some because of it having less power. It's like comparing torque power in tools or engines. Hydro shop fans have the higher torque.

It's a trade off I'm willing to accept because of the sound level. It still does the job 24/7 and they never bother me at all :alien:
 
Punisher84

Punisher84

Just some asshole
The Panasonic fan uses a squirrel cage fan similar to your furnace would use. Actually it’s just like it.

AC infinity and other brands use a centrifugal fan.


Squirrel cage is more efficient at moving air with less resistance.
 
Punisher84

Punisher84

Just some asshole
Hotwired said:
Most fans like the Infinity are made to be very powerful. The more powerful they are the louder they are. Many of the hydro shop fans are built for power.

Power = the ability to run at a % of strength thru a length of duct or bends. This is why some manufacturers give you charts so you can see how the length or obstructions will affect cfm. Like the Wg or Sp charts.

The Panasonic was typically made for straight line runs. It is not as powerful as these other fans so it can be made to be more quiet. So a very short run from the reflector to the filter is really nothing in terms of Sp loss. The filter would be your biggest cfm loss but if you get a large enough filter you wont lose much cfm at all.

For example, many filters are rated @ 1 sp. A chart will show you how much cfm you will lose for that rating. Hydro shop fans aren't affected much by 1 full sp because they are made to be powerful and don't have a big drop off. But the Panasonic will be affected some because of it having less power. It's like comparing torque power in tools or engines. Hydro shop fans have the higher torque.

It's a trade off I'm willing to accept because of the sound level. It still does the job 24/7 and they never bother me at all :alien:
Click to expand...
Yep.

Squirrel cage fan isn’t as efficient at moving air in A high static pressure situation. Centrifugal fans work better and have more umph to push air against more resistance, carbon filter and bends ect.
 
badmofo529

badmofo529

Insanely Active Member
Good info on the larger sizes. My ac infinity is only a 4" so it's not a fair comparison, but I can't hear it running unless it's on 9 or 10 (with a filter, it's a bit louder without one). Even then you gotta be right up next to it. I would imagine the bigger ones make more noise though.

The big selling point for me was the controller though, Im not super concerned about the noise unless it sounds like a 747 taking off lmao.
 
Hotwired

Hotwired

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badmofo529 said:
Good info on the larger sizes. My ac infinity is only a 4" so it's not a fair comparison, but I can't hear it running unless it's on 9 or 10 (with a filter, it's a bit louder without one). Even then you gotta be right up next to it. I would imagine the bigger ones make more noise though.

The big selling point for me was the controller though, Im not super concerned about the noise unless it sounds like a 747 taking off lmao.
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I should have mentioned the controller. Thanks for reminding me mofo :alien:

The S8 comes with just the speed controller compared to the T8 which has an additional climate controller for $20 more. Very high tech looking and works very well. It has 8 different settings. You depress a button to get to the next setting instead of a dial. Each setting "lights" up as it is depressed. Pretty cool style IMO.

The fan is a damn good fan. It's built solid and has a decent warranty. It's a very powerful fan but it is definitely not as quiet as they say it is. If you want a nice high tech fan the T8 is probably awesome if noise is not an issue.

But what irked me here is that they have their selling point as a more "stealthy" option,and IMO..it is not. It's basically a S&P TD series updated with some tech.
 
gwheels

gwheels

Hobby Farmer
Disregard the previous question. That one is way fancier. I will dig it out of the box its in and take a picture of the plate on it. :) And post it on my journal

I just saw that fan and it triggered the memory...
 
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