I posted on reddit but was recommended to post here by some people so here we are!
Hi sorry if this is a dumb question because I think I have the answer but I just want to confirm.
I am in a full house remodel and am putting Inovelli switches through the entire house. My electrician is aware of all the smart home things I am doing and told me he got a timer switch for the fan but had the feeling id want to integrate it with the rest of my things (he was right) so I said id get the Inovelli fan switch.
I knew the fan switch existed but didnt read about them yet and before I did my electrician told me the fan is a DC motor so it quieter. Then when I went to look at the fan switches I see the website that the fan switch is for AC motors only.
But looking at the wiring diagram the fan has 120 AC coming into it, and then there is a transformer to make it DC power. So this means that the Inovelli switch receiving AC and outputting AC to that transformerwhich then the transformer is making the DC conversion. So with this logic I would expect that this is fine to use the Inovelli fan switch. Here is the direct quote from the installtion document “These products use a sirocco fan driven by a DC motor powered by an integral transformer”
But I wanted to post here to double check because its not like anyone has DC running through their house realistically. So I would imagine they are putting that warning for if your setup was like this:
But then again I feel like they would explain that the switch should only be giving and receiving AC power rather than saying don’t use on DC motors cause more likely than not a DC motor will have the Transformer built into whatever it is… so maybe im wrong and you still cant use it in my use case but please let me know
I’m using the Panasonic WhisperChoice exhaust fan with my fan switch; no issues. Just configure it as exhaust fan mode (on/off) and should be good to go.
The WhisperGreen version does not like the fan switch. If you search the forums you’ll see a few people had issues with it.
Maybe someone here has that fan, but the problem is that Panasonic has over 30 different “Whisper” models. As @harjms pointed out, he has had success with the WhisperChoice in the on/off mode, but other have had issues with the WhisperGreen model.
I don’t think the WhisperCeiling has been discussed, but the fan issues have been discussed here:
I guess my concern is just is this dangerous. I dont mind risking the 60 dollars on the switch. If i install it and it works does that mean im fine. Or am i doing somthing with this switch that i shouldnt be doing (trying to not burn my house down)
Personally, I would use a relay switch instead. Those can safely turn on / off power to DC fans. You could use another manufacturer’s switch until Zigbee On/Off Switch | Project Vernacular comes out
Maybe I’m missing something, but my understanding is that the fan switch was only intended for use with an AC ceiling/vent fan when you want to use it for AC motor speed control?
An AC/DC exhaust fan where speed control is not needed should work fine with a normal (non-dimmer) switch, assuming that it is rated for the fan’s inductive or resistive load…
I don’t think you’re misunderstanding. What you’ve stated is correct. But the “normal (non-dimmer) switch” you are referring to is the true on/off that is under development. The blue/red 2-1, even in the on/off mode, is not a true relay-based on/off switch.
Yeah, the official stance is exactly what @Bry said – it’s just not rated for DC fans at this time and we can’t support it. Some will work, some will not, it’s kind of a crapshoot unfortunately.
The explanation from the engineer is as follows (I’m not an engineer, so it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me):
I do not have this Panasonic fan and do not know what happened to the controller of this DC fan to cause this phenomenon. However, I used a heat gun for testing. There is a small DC motor and controller inside the heat gun. fan switch can normally control the power supply of the heat gun in ON/OFF mode and can be turned on and off repeatedly.
I think the weak current leaked by the RC protection circuit at both ends of the thyristor inside the fan switch can make the speed regulation module of the Panasonic exhaust fan work and maintain the switching state, so the air-gap can be recovered normally. If so, it cannot be solved, can only say that this type of Panasonic exhaust fan is not compatible.
In other words, in some cases the switch will work (as he tested on the DC motor in his heat gun), but the weak current leaked by the circuits of the thyristor is interfering with this specific model, which is causing the exhaust fan to trip. In this case, the WhisperGreen model would turn on and off normally, but occasionally it would lock up (likely caused by the weak current he mentioned). However, when the air-gap on the fan switch was pulled and the switch was rebooted, the WhisperGreen starts to work again until it locks up due to the weak current.
