Haha, aluminum tape really is a DIY hero—saved me more times than I'd like to admit. Speaking of gravity and flex ducts, did you find it tricky balancing airflow efficiency with noise reduction? I remember when we redid our bathroom venting, I was so focused on getting moisture out quickly that I didn't even think about how loud the fan would be. Now every time someone showers, it's like a mini jet engine taking off upstairs... not exactly the relaxing spa vibe we were aiming for. Curious if anyone else ran into that issue or found a good compromise between quiet operation and effective ventilation.
"Now every time someone showers, it's like a mini jet engine taking off upstairs..."
I ran into the exact same issue when I upgraded our bathroom fan last year. Initially, I went for maximum airflow (thinking more CFM = better), but quickly realized the noise was unbearable. Eventually, I swapped it out for a slightly lower CFM model with a DC motor—still moves plenty of air, but way quieter. Also found that using rigid ducting instead of flex duct helped reduce turbulence and noise significantly... something to consider if you're still tweaking your setup.
Totally agree about the rigid ducting—made a huge difference for us too. One other thing I noticed was that the fan housing itself can vibrate against the ceiling joists if it's not secured tightly. I ended up using some rubber washers between the mounting screws and the joists, and it cut down on vibration noise quite a bit. Might be worth checking yours to see if that's part of the issue... cheap fix and pretty easy to do.
Good tip about the rubber washers—I did something similar with silicone pads, and it definitely helped quiet things down. One thing I've been wondering though: has anyone here experimented with humidity-sensing switches for their bathroom fans? I've read they can reduce unnecessary energy usage, but I'm curious if they're actually reliable long-term or if they end up being more trouble than they're worth...
Installed one about a year ago—works pretty well overall. Occasionally kicks on randomly if it's super humid outside, but nothing major. Definitely saves energy, though I'm still curious how long it'll last before needing replacement...
