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List Price: $240.00
Sale Price: $142.03
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Air King has had a 20", model 9166 for quite awhile. I bought my original in 1998. It filled the important niche between an industrial strength attic fan and a smaller lightweight window fan. In 2004 the original plastic fan blade failed, but fortunately I was able to obtain a replacement. That model 9166 continued in service until last month when it screeched to a stop with a seized "lubricated for life" bearing and another cracked plastic blade.
The new model 9166D (under review) was purchased as a direct replacement. While the new 9166 now has an aluminum blade, unfortunately it has a weaker smaller motor, resulting in inferior performance. The old 9166 had a quiet low speed of 520 RPM that moved a respectable 4160 CFM. The new 9166's low speed is a noisy 1100 RPM, but at that speed it only moves 2510 CFM. So at that twice the speed it moves only a little more than half the air.
Air King's 9166D specifications tell the story of the weaker performance. The weaker motor consumes less power, but is noisier at all speeds.
HIGH MED LOW
OLD CFM 7005 6155 4160
NEW CFM 3560 3120 2510
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I'm Kelly Thomas, I own Installation was quick, easy and a big red sticker told me to reverse the side panels as well as the first line in the instruction manual. I'm also pleased to see the all metal construction, this fan is built to last. (plastic blades will flex and your cfm will drop.) Yea, it's noisy at full speed but I've got some light weather stripping that'll be perfect to significantly reduce the vibrations. We'll mostly run it at low speed anyway which still moves 2510 CFM. In contrast, we recently purchased TWO $8.00 twin plastic window fans from a local big box on closeout, [ regular price ~$20.00+, very much like, the Holmes HAWF2030 ] and those things are not worth spit!! The Air King will just about suck the cat through the door from across the room! I'm confident that my Air King was well worth the money.
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****** UPDATE 15 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE*******
This fan no longer works. Turned it on back in November and it was as dead as a door nail. I was busy and didn't have time to mess with it but just recently sent email to company to see if there might be a quick fix. Will let you know.
Received reply from Air & Water Inc. Here it is.
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Unfortunately the item is out of warranty and we are unable to exchange the product. We do not offer technical support for thee units, what I would recommend doing is contacting the manufacturer directly to see if they may be able to troubleshoot the product. To contact Air King directly please call 877-304-3785.
Thank you for choosing Air & Water, Inc.
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Well, the box works for Christmas light storage. It is sturdy and keeps the rats out.
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I have read a lot about this fan, both good and bad. With some of the bad reviews I had to ask myself, "How far has fan motor technology progressed in the last 20 years?" I have fans over 20 years old that still run and that made me wonder about the complaints of "motor burn out." Lets take a look at what might be happening with "FANS GONE WILD."
First of all this fan is like an engine, it needs air to run properly. That pedestal fan or ceiling fan in your home has and endless supply of air as it isn't removing or replacing air, it is only moving it around. But a window fan needs more an unobstructed source. Since it is moving air either in or out of a capsule (your home) it must be able to do so freely. I know, I know, I'm just like you. I love to turn a window fan on, crack another window open about 2 inches and feel that wind roaring through but that isn't what is best for the fan in the long term. You need to have at least 2 windows open = to the size of this fan to help it live a long and healthy life. This fan is already working hard moving a lot of air it shouldn't have to struggle for the air.
As well, get rid of the screen where you have the fan installed, that equates to about a 50% blockage. It impedes air movement in either direction. It blocks air being removed by the fan if you are exhausting air from the home or it blocks air trying to enter the fan if you are blowing air into the home get rid of it. As well, this is why you need 2 windows open to run an exhaust fan. Those 2 windows probably have screens that impede the air movement as well. You can leave those screens in place but open at least 2 windows.
The test: Open the intake windows you plan on using while running your fan. With the fan running now crack a door open to the outside of the home. Without closing the door or lodging it in place, gently push the door closed. If the fan is still trying to pull air in through that door, pushing it back open, you need more windows open. Air should be entering your home with the least amount of resistance possible.
My 19 year old son and I installed it he said it was the easiest thing we have ever put together and installed it was. It is a little noisy so you will need to place it away from a main living area. If you are like me however, that fan will put you to sleep in about 5 minutes in your bedroom. It looks good and the Storm Guard feature works easily and as advertised, allowing you to close the window when the fan is not in use.
Remember and trust that this fan is moving a lot of air as advertised, you don't need a small cracked intake window with a 30 knot breeze blowing through it to know that. 2 intake windows open to the size of the fan should do. All you are looking for from where the air is entering the home is the sensation of a vague feel of air movement not a 30 knot breeze. To restrict the air flow of a fan is like driving your car with the parking brake on your brakes will be gone before you know it.
That fan that sits on the counter or pedestal doesn't have to work for air, it is all contained within the capsule, your home, those fans merely moves air. An exhaust / intake fan is different, much different. Make it easy on your fan and make it easy on yourself.
Good fan I like it. If the motor craps out on me this decade I'll let you know and take back all of this.
I haven't disregarded the bad reports I have read, I shall keep the box for a while.
Always
Uncle Jim.
My name is Jim, I have a high school diploma and am a self proclaimed expert in Fanology. All of my fans still run.
Honest reviews on Air King 9166 20" Whole-House Window Fan
I recently purchased a home (stripped foreclosure; the expense of air conditioning was not an option) in Oakland, CA. Like where I used to live (San Francisco), Oakland has a very mild climate most of the time. However, over on this side of the Bay, it tends to get hotter during the day, which can lead to an uncomfortably warm, stuffy house after being closed up all day. Enter the Air King 9166 (psssssst! I bought it at the company website! It's $30 less and FREE overnight shipping!)
I could sit and argue with those who complain that it's not "all metal"; and it's not. However, the blades, motor, fan grill, primary housing and extensions are metal, which is all that matters to me. There is a decorative plastic cover, which I find perfectly acceptable as it doesn't affect the performance in any way.
And WOW does this fan perform! I came home shortly after dusk to a 77 degree house after a fairly warm day. Outside, the temperature was in the 60s. I like it cool; I switched the fan to "medium" exhaust, cracked open a couple of windows and my house temp was 70 degrees in less than 30 minutes.
I'm fortunate to live in an area where the temperature variance between night and day is fairly high if you do too, you'll love this fan. And at bucks, with little noticeable change in your electricity bill, you will too.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Air King 9166 20" Whole-House Window Fan
We have a steam and radiant-heated home, thus no vents for central A/C. Plus, here in Michigan we don't need it too often. My wife and I prefer fresh air in the home anyway and only use our bedroom A/C unit when absolutely necessary. Now we have this Air King fan which we bought from (great price and delivery). Installation was a breeze (yuk-yuk), but make sure you have a window large enough to accept it. The height specification (26 1/4") is ideal, but the fan needs about 24" of open space to be effective. The 27" minimum width is required, however. Follow the simple instructions, and you should have no problems. Just make sure the window has a screen on it. I installed the fan in my wife's study on the upper floor. Since hot air rises, I prefer this location to a main floor one. By adjusting which windows and doors are open, you can control the amount of air pulled thru the home. Actually the amount is constant for a given speed, but the effect can be enhanced by closing off windows or doors to create a greater venting effect throughout the home. Today, it hit a balmy 90 degrees, and we really felt how well this fan keeps the air 'fresh' and not stagnant. Noise is the biggest negative, however. At the highest speed, my wife can't stand being in the same room with the fan. The low setting is still powerful, but the noise is tolerable. By noise, I mean air 'white' noise and not motor noise. We usually keep the fan on most of the day at the low or mid setting. On hot days, the high setting is best for our 2200 sq ft home. The fan is well-made and I expect it to last for years. This is well worth the comparably high cost vs the cheap box fans.
