For a great product to eventuate there must be a good concept; as was the case with the idea of a Solarfan 12v sub-floor ventilation system. We can compare the evolution of fan-forced sub-floor ventilation against the humble kitchen oven.
There was the convection oven, which sort of did the job. You were lucky if your cake was evenly cooked and you were subjected to a lengthy cooking time. Years later came the fan-forced oven with a rapid cooking time and an overall better result. Likewise, Solarfan introduced us to fan-forced sub-floor ventilation systems for the pest management industry. Initially there were passive vents which sort of did the job…
In the late 1970’s Solarfan fan-forced systems underwent research and development through Unisearch’s testing facility. When this process was completed, the knowledge of what Solarfan had to offer was starting to emerge as more than just an effective sub-floor ventilation system. The Solarfan patents were put in place at the time but it didn’t prevent competitors emerging with their own version of the product. They mistakenly thought it was simply a matter of putting a fan mechanism into a housing. They later ran into a number of issues including having the replica mechanism corrode in the damp sub-floor environment. Sadly, such poor quality replicas still exist to this day. Buyer beware. Not only do fan-forced systems make for a better sub-floor ventilation solution but also consider the history behind that product (‘EF’ being Envirofan).
In 2005 we conducted an ‘in-house’ test versus a German product, comparing it with the Envirofan’s own sub-floor ventilation mechanism that we continue to use today. Subjected to a constant damp/mouldy sub-floor environment, the German mechanism only lasted 18 months on a non-stop cycle. This shows that in a typical (corrosive) sub-floor environment, replica fans simply do not last when compared to the obvious quality of the Envirofan system.
Thanks to the precedent set by Solarfan, Envirofan’s quad-fan sub-floor ventilation system has evolved further to become the quietest system on the market at only 27 decibels @ 1m. Since 2001, the quad-fan system has also improved to extract more than twice the amount of damp air from a typical sub-floor area. Finally, the Envirofan mechanism celebrates its 37th birthday since it’s humble beginnings with Solarfan (and counting) – so you know, if it’s Envirofan, it’s good cake!