While on this job… I thought I’d take a few minutes and grab some of my savvy cell phone shots and explain a few things I kicked around with my customer vs. the final outcome of lighting etc… Sooooo I have always installed Panasonic whisper fans in bathrooms and that’s mainly because they are so quiet and don’t seem to rattle even after a few years in place like some of the other brands. FYI, I’m not knocking other brands, endorsed by Panasonic or married to them either but just haven’t had any major problems with them. Minor problems? … maybe.
When planning out this bathroom with my repeat customer… they mentioned that one of the lights went out in their late model Panasonic vent/light combo and were having a problem finding the replacement bulbs. I think it turned out that the Panasonic brand was crazy expensive but they did eventually find an aftermarket make/model that definitely works for like $6.00 per bulb. They didn’t want that problem on this go around (or at least wanted to make sure they knew what to get ahead of time – this time) What we found out is that Panasonic (and most other companies) are switching away from the standard type bulbs and moving to concealed LED units.
Sparking a bunch of interest I tried to get questions answered… like,,
- What happens when it burns out?
- How much is the replacement unit?
- How long is the warranty?
- Can we get a backup light unit when we order the fan so we have it ready to go?
It actually turned out to be an annoyance. Panasonic couldn’t produce great answers… even if I think I got the semi-right person on the phone. They have a part number for the concealed unit but could not produce a price for me??? (strange) I mean, this was through a duration of several phone calls that I couldn’t get an answer. Basically what is going on is the manufacturers have all this stuff in place to sell but not to service when it breaks (yet) Like I guess they know the bulbs will last several years so they don’t need to have the replacement light parts ready to sell yet…
I reverted back to the supplier rep that I deal with and he went through the same deal. After 3 or 4 days he got back to me and said the replacement light piece is $130.00……………… WHAT?!?! So we’re talking about a combo unit that costs $175.00 and a new light $130.00… Seems legit?
My customer didn’t like the sounds of that so I came up with a different solution. We still went with a Panasonic fan but it was a Fan Only! Then we ran our wires around and mounted two electrical boxes above the tub area and one above the toilet. Now we have dedicated boxes no matter if the lighting ever changes. I installed the Flush Mount LED lights. They’re pretty low profile and look like recessed lighting! They are concealed so can be used in a bathroom, above a shower area… and can be dimmed too which is what we did with the one above the toilet… Added a dimmer there for some mood lighting!
Anyway, the flush mount lights seem like a nice option and each light has a burn time of approx. 50,000 hours. Each light is right around $17.00 so it made decisions go a little easier for this specific bathroom and also helped spread the light around! Oh and I’ll have more photo’s of this project in another blog or two to follow! Don’t you just love that glass tile mosaic?! Thanks for stopping by!
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