Flair Smart Vent Review... Are They The Best?

[@klamtree]

Thank you for making quality reviews for not so popular products!

[@archer102356]

Thanks for the review, Rick. Saw a bunch of negatives on Amazon but feel better about the purchase now. I've been waiting for the 4-10 "vents on backorder.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Ill have to go look to see what they didn't like about them. And I have 5% off code they gave me a after seeing my video its in the description, its for everyone to use. But it only works on the Flair site.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

I looked at the reviews on amazon. 1. The screws. I did say in the video be careful, thats something I knew right away while screwing them in. 2. The cord hanging down because the main puck needs power from the wall, the cord could go in the wall then come back out. 3. The IT guy lol, say it drops connection or its slow to respond something like that, I bet its his network "slow wifi or bad wifi" 4. support, well I did say it was email only I hope. And that's true but they are fast and fixed my one problem with one email. If I made this video a long time ago it might have helped them if they would have seen it. Looks like the video covered a lot of things people would have found out after buying the vents. Maybe this will help people so they know what to expect from the vents.

[@twistacatz]

Thanks for the detailed review. I just went ahead and placed an order for two vents and a puck with your code.

[@DiscretionwithReason]

Years later and we're still waiting for the system to integrate with Nest Thermostat sensors. I wish Google would just buy them out and integrate the system.

[@river2c]

Should you only need to set them once to account for imbalanced flow in the house’s ducting system? Personally I find my house is pretty consistent… the room that heats the fastest also cools the fastest due to room size and flow. Genuine question if it really needs to constantly modulate.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Buy the amount of vents you need for that one room and one puck and your set. The vents work great for rooms like that. It will even that one room out and make it more comfortable.

[@edwardinanaheim6732]

The only thing I don't like about the event is that it makes the exhaust opening smaller

[@richardhodges1194]

Great review on how to set up the vent but I'm curious on how well it worked?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

I still haven't had any problems with the vents and I've had them for 1 1/2 years so far. I made sure they worked before making the video :) I can save you 10% if you use this link flair.refr.cc/rickyh

[@birdseyeviewfamily]

Was interested in these vents and saw your review as a suggestion. You did a great job explaining everything, so, thank you for that. I also gotta say, whoever that bedding belongs to has excellent taste in music!!! ||-//

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Thank you Bird's Eye View. I subscribed to your channel. My Daughter has a big crush on Tyler lol

[@birdseyeviewfamily]

@@Ricks_Tech_Talk Haha that’s awesome. I hope she gets to see them in concert or at least enjoys all the content fans (aka the clique) will be posting! My husband and I have tickets to see them in ATL. Pretty excited!! Thanks for the sub. I’ll do the same! 👍

[@tanktexas]

Just wondering,is a vent closing bad for the HVAC system. I don't know just asking

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

That’s a great question. You can get by with closing a few vents in your house but I would not recommend closing too many. The Flair system will ask you how many vents you have in the house, it won’t matter if they are smart vents or not. It will then take that information and decide on how many vents can be closed at the same time to avoid damage to the furnace motor. For the vents that are not smart vents they will consider those as being open at all times

[@oef46]

and does it have something that can make it blow even if the system is off?

[@oef46]

do they have something inside of them that ca change the temp of the air? lets say i have the heat on, but the system is on AC. is there something that changes it from cold to hot air?

[@DW-ni4xb]

So those thermostat connect to your house thermostat? I have a wyze one

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Not sure if they will talk to a Wyze unit. You might want to check with flair

[@rowlandclarke9670]

I have a home where the upstairs bedroom is too hot in the summer. So to force cold air upstairs I need to close the vents downstairs in the room containing the honey well thermostat. Don’t the puck and Honeywell compete with each other? How does the puck know if we are cooling or heating. Can the flair be made to close 50%, so I don’t damage the furnace.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Here are 3 ways you can run the Flair system. The puck will read the room's temp and open or close the vent based on the set temp of the puck. Or you can put them into manual mode with no set temp and open and close the vents on your phone. That is the only way you can open them at 50%. Another way to run flair is to have the puck and honeywell talk to each other. Then they take the two temps and try to balance the rooms. In the summer, I disable the puck for my basement because I don't need the vents open. Come winter time, I turn the puck back on, so the vents only heat the basement when im home. Hope that helps a bit

[@danmartinez1389]

Hmm once I seal my duct in our attic, I want to invest in these for my 2nd floor. Looking forward to this investment.

[@cucabueno]

Been reading a lot of negative reviews about bad wireless connectivity requiring user to reset the vents often, build quality of screw threads, and lack of support with Nest even though it's advertised that the compatibility exists. Have you read these reviews? Have you suffered any of those issues? I was ready to pull the trigger on a couple of vests and pucks but those reviews have convinced me not to. Really was hoping for a solution like this to work.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

No I have not seen anything bad about them. I've had them running for 3 mo or so and not one problem. I have the Ecobee but I didn't want flair to make changes to the house thermostat so they are not linked. I can tell you one thing, don't buy the Keen vents. I did a review on them as well. On the Keen battery life is bad and the server always goes down and the vents close when it does. I would only do the rooms that you want to even the temp out in. GL, let me know what you end up doing. Also Flair gave me a code after seeing my review, its only 5% off but it helps..

[@cucabueno]

@@Ricks_Tech_Talk yeah 5% is still helpful! I'd love to use the link. We'll stay away from Keen. I haven't finished watching those videos yet. So you didn't link Flair to the thermostat. Does that mean all you use them for is to control when they open and close? And you just manually do it?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

So with the flair not linked to my thermostat the pucks in each run act as a thermostat for that room only. My daughters room gets real hot when the vent opens as it gets more air flow. But now I can use her puck to keep the room at 68 at night and 70 during the day.

[@miniaturemastiffs2103]

What’s the maximum vent you can install on one system

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Not sure if they have a limit. But the program only allow so many vents to be closed at the same time. I don't think they are needed for every room, only the rooms that have a big swing in temperature changes.

[@pault477]

Is Flair comparable with HomeKit or nest app?

[@zacharymaddox5880]

So is 2 pucks needed to run the 1st vent, or is the 1st plug just required to be wired to act as a hub? Additional rooms can be wireless and will link with the 1st wired puck?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

To make the pucks a hub they have to be plugged into power with the USB cord. Only one needs to be a hub, but if the others are far away them make them a hub as well to get better coverage.

[@mattnieves2228]

Do these work for vents on the wall ?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Yes, they would work. Thanks for the question

[@Youssiflagrosse]

Hi Rick, do the vents close and open 100% or do they vary in how much they are opened or closed based on what they need to do?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

If they are controlled by the program its 0% or 100% if you run the vents manually you can set them to open, closed or half way, but the programming will not touch them until they are set back to auto mode.

[@Youssiflagrosse]

@@Ricks_Tech_Talk Thank you Rick. I'm taking the plunge. I've ordered enough for my whole house.

[@jonathanrogers9961]

How are the vents doing at actually regulating the temperature in the rooms. Do you find any delays/lags, or hot/cold spots based on where the actually thermostat is?

[@prador3136]

Hello, I recently got a smart flair vent and puck but I don’t know if I’m using it right or it’s just not gonna work for my house. So what I noticed is that if I set my temp for my house at 78 degrees on cold days (for example) but the room needs more heat because it’s colder, that means my house has to run the heater to a higher degree to satisfy the cold room with the flair vent. Same in the summer. If I set it at 70, the rest of the house has to get at 70 to satisfy the room. I’m figuring out that it works only if the room with the flair vent needs less and not more… I feel like I’m doing something wrong though, can you please help!

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

So you got it right at the end. They would be used in the rooms that get more air flow to them. If the heat turns on, and you have one room that gets too hot, that's where the vent would go. If one room does not get enough heat, you can close other vents to push more heat to the room in need. But closing too many vents can be bad for the furnace. I would try closing vents halfway in rooms that get more air flow, that could help the room at the end of the line. Maybe get a heating and cooling guy out to see if your duct work is designed right in the house. But you are correct, the vents help with the rooms that heat and cooler faster than the others. Hope this helps

[@guruouroborosbukelenakamot8498]

I just want to control the air flow in just 1 room in the basement that is connected to my house main. I don't' want to mess around with phone access etc. Thoughts?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Once you have it set up and program a schedule, that's if you want a schedule your basically done with the phone part. After it's all set up, you can use the Puck to adjust the temperature in the room. This code can save you 10% if you decide to buy one flair.refr.cc/rickyh

[@charlesm.1638]

Will this help reduce my energy usage from my central A/C? For example, in unoccupied rooms I can close the vent so I do not have to cool those rooms down.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Thats why I got mine. The systems is so smart it will only allow you to close so many vents in the system to avoid damage to the furnace motor. But lets say 2 vents being closed out of 20 is not going to hurt the furnace. With that one room closed the air can be pushed to rooms that need it. That will heat or cool other rooms faster.

[@JoshCartman]

I actually just realized today that I hadn't followed up in awhile to see if you'd made a video on this. I feel like you did a more thorough review on the Keen Smart Vents than the Flair. Thanks for showing the vent install process. I'm actually in California so apparently I'm close to them. I still would like to know your thoughts on Keen vs Flair Smart Vents. From what I'm guessing, technical support is a no brainer (Flair wins), but I'm curious about the other aspects of the comparison. Also, can you provide a "ballpark figure" as to how much installing these vents has saved you on your electric bill? It'd be interesting to know that, particularly if all of your devices are powered by electricity.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Well that's a bummer. Any advice what I should have covered more of? Im thinking the app. But I would go with Flair for sure and here is why. Batteries last longer in Flair vents. No server problems so far with Flair. You can hardwire Flair (haven't tried that yet) Support goes to Flair. As for money saving im not sure what the vents save me but they do make the house more comfortable in rooms that had a hard time heating or cooling. I am saving over 100.00 on electric in the summer but its from the vents, upgraded ductwork and a bathroom vent fan upstairs thats runs during the day, that helps remove the hot air on the top level. Oh I also keep the door closed going to the lower level, so I dont let all the cool air fall to the lower part of the house. And I exhaust the hot air out with a nice bathroom fan.

[@abhishekshan]

Can I just use the vent without the puck to autoclose or open the vent on a schedule? I don't need temperature control. I just need a vent that can open or close completely or partially on a schedule.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

I will make sure but im 99% sure you need the puck. I hate to say it but the Keen vent might work good for you, but you still need a smart hub for the vent to talk back to. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHqsmWyGfZZlqZI This video shows how to make a Keen vent work with a smartthings hub. Then you could trigger the vent with a door sensor, motion, temp or just a schedule. I'll still check my answer about the puck, the Flair is a much better vent.

[@KRRoss16]

Haha the bloopers are funny. I think I missed how it works, does the vent open and close by itself? I was also thinking probs shouldn’t put by a TV for that added heat but I saw your puck was mounted next to the tv. Thoughts on that?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Yes the puck tells the vent when to open and close. As for the heat on the tv its very little, but it all comes from the top. I haven't had any problems with it so far :) thanks for watching

[@allenworley87]

Thank you for the review but my question is the way in understanding it is that each puck and vent control that room!? So I need a set, vent and puck, for each room?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Correct or if you have a ecobee room sensor they work as well. But if you use a ecobee sensor and not a puck then to adjust the temp in the room you need the app on your phone. I like the pucks because it's easy to adjust the temp for that room, I don't always have my cell with me. You will need one puck to get things up and running.

[@allenworley87]

@@Ricks_Tech_Talk okay thanks! We have nest thermostat now!

[@mikes5264]

Please help Rick's Tech Talk So if i am seeing this correctly. This devise does nothing more that open or close a vent cover ?? The actual video on there site would suggest it cools the room. After watching this video I must state my 2ND sentence to be true. This devise does NOT add to the air flow in a warm room with limited air flow

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

You got it. The vent opens and closes and that's it. In some homes, you might find one room gets more airflow coming out of the vent. That makes the room real hot or cold very fast and the others room takes longer to heat up or cool down. So the vent will close or up when needed to help keep a more comfortable temperature for that room.

[@MrRoryreeve]

rick, I'm having a contractor replaceable 18 year single unit 1 speed; 1 zone system with a new 4 ton Bryant evolution true variable speed 21 seer system and want to have ideally 4 zones. if I used flair, does that mean duct work would not be necessary bc each vent could ideally be a damper? zoning the house is a min $4

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

So if you install vents and a puck for each room then that room could be considered a zone. If you add up all the vents in every room you want to controll and times that by $100 and each room also needs a $120 puck the price will add up fast. Hope that helps

[@kavanagh100000]

When they’re in the off position do they make noise like the traditional vents that still sound like they’re letting a small amount of air through? Thanks.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Yes they sound the same and air still leaks by. Thanks for wathing the video :)

[@Empyrean3d]

@@Ricks_Tech_Talk We designed a Flair Trim kit that not only solves for the those that don't have matching Flair vents to their vent hole but our design also solves for the vent whistling

[@zronnie]

Is there any increase in air noise when the vents are closed?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

With my system some rooms are closer to the furnace so the vents are louder when closed. The vents at the end of the line are not noticeable. So I would say it all depends on how much air pressure is coming out of the vent.

[@MrEugeneleo]

Hi Rick this is very helpful, can keen run on AC like this?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

No the Keen are 4 AA batteries only. You could mod them using something like this www.amazon.com/Lenink-Battery-Eliminator-Supply-Replace/dp/B07ZGF6BMM/ref=asc_df_B07ZGF6BMM/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=385339510556&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7958748200612542280&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019476&hvtargid=pla-851494170400&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=81433420707&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=385339510556&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7958748200612542280&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019476&hvtargid=pla-851494170400

[@osiris031]

Can you comment on the noise of the vent as it opens/closes? I've read that it's annoyingly loud?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

I have one right above my bed and it wont wake me. Its slow speed makes a softer sound and I dont think its that loud at all. The other one is on the floor on the other side of the bed, I cant hear that one. Hope that helps. And I still love the vents and need more to replace my Keen vents

[@danwickramasinghe4744]

Great content !

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Thanks for watching

[@abeibrahim5846]

is there any reason they don't make a 12"x8" vent, it is what most older homes use. Also, do they have one that works with Nest?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

They might be making one down the road, I know they make a 12x6 now. As for the Nest thats I think Nest pulled the plug on Flair. Nest also pulled the plug on other smart home hubs like Xfinity Home. Not sure why Nest doing this. I'm glad that I went with Ecobee when I had a choice. But write to Flair and tell them you would like to see a 12x 8 vent. Hopefully they say they are working on it..

[@XxStonedImmaculatexX]

How long are the batteries good for? I know it depends on usage, but how long did yours last?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

I still have not replaced any of mine, and it's been about 2 years. I would say 1 year in the worst case. Thanks for watching.

[@DocRickJr]

I have the lates ecobee smart thermostats in my house and I'm trying to balance out the temperatures in the rooms. I have ecobee room sensors in these areas so I'm curious as to how exactly Flair integrates with the ecobee and the ecobee room sensors. Will the room sensors still be necessary? Do I assign an ecobee room sensor to the corresponding group of smart vents? Should I start by replacing the vents in the just the rooms that get too MUCH air flow? Thank you!

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

I have not used my ecobee with the flair system yet and I don't own any ecobee sensors. You will need one flair puck and vent for the 1st room. In the second room you can use the flair vent and ecobee sensor so you wont need to buy a 2nd puck. And yes I would start with one puck and vent or vents for one room and see if you like it. That first puck will be the main brain for flair. But the 2nd room will only need vents and a ecobee temp sensor. After having smart vents I could never take them out. Me me know how it goes

[@davidstevens1911]

Flair will use the Ecobee remote sensors to control the dampers. I find the Flair software to be very confusing and I am convinced that not all the features work. I have been able to set up schedules but have not been able to view them and will not change based on the times entered. The hints the app gives say the damper will open and close at one degree above or below setpoint but then gives a contradictory message saying the damper will remain closed until the temperature is 3 degrees below setpoint. This is when the temperature is at 6 degrees above setpoint. I am using the ecobee sensors to control the dampers but the heating and cooling is controlled by an unsupported thermostat. This is supposed to be OK because supposedly the flair system detects the heating or cooling mode based on the temperature of the duct air. I suggest you do a lot of research and get one single damper room working before investing a lot on these.

[@_Moto215]

Great review. Could use these just to schedule certain vents to open and close at certain times? Without the use of a thermostat or based on temperature?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

I think you should send them a email and ask about that. You could make a schedule to open and set them to be inactive at the other times. When they are inactive they would be closed. But they would know more about that. Great question

[@stevencarter4853]

I have the same question. Did you find an answer to this?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

I tried removing a puck (thermostat) from one room so that room only had a vent. And I saw no way to make a schedule based on just time and no temperature. But you can use the app to open and close the vent no matter the temp in the room. It would be the same as manually adjusting the vent by hand, but without getting up and touching it. Hope that helps

[@stevencarter4853]

@@Ricks_Tech_Talk So my use for smart vents would be-in the winter-to have them open during the day time for heat in the living area, then have them closed at night so all hot air is directed to the bedrooms-since no one is in the living area. Are you saying I CANNOT just make a schedule to have them open at 8am and close at 11pm?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

If you are thinking of just using the vents, then no. The vents talk to a puck and the puck connects to the Wi-Fi. So you need at least one puck in the house. But with the puck you could set it for 80 during the day and 40 at night. That would do what you want, for sure. Now the keen vents can work with a smart hub like Samsung smartthings but the keen vents wont last.

[@dylanscrogham]

Is there a way or command for alexa to override the temperature and close the vent when you want?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

I have not used it but they do work with Alexa, flair.co/pages/flair-and-amazon-echo-alexa

[@86bevans]

I am confused by how this works. If I have a room that is always hot in the summer and I use this and I set that room to 72 won't the AC run until that room gets to 72? Meaning the rest of the house will be freezing because the AC is running so much?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

If it's just room that cant get enough heat or AC then you would close the other vents. But if you close to many that would be bad for the furnace. In your case you might want to look into other solutions like another AC unit or larger ductwork. My sunroom is almost all windows and I have that problem. I cut 3" foam to go in the triangle windows at the peak and that helps alot. I also painted them white on the inside to make them look nicer.

[@drakkina]

@@Ricks_Tech_Talk install Smart Vents and Pucks in other rooms to close and redirect air to the room with low airflow. Install a Puck in a room with low airflow so Flair knows the temperature.

[@davidstevens1911]

Try this: AC Infinity AIRTAP T6, Quiet Register Booster Fan with Thermostat Control. Heating Cooling AC Vent. Fits 6” x 10” Register Holes. www.amazon.com/dp/B07TB1MGTQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_PGDT19RA8AGJ6Q0ERV8H It is a booster fan that will run when the duct is supplying cold air and turn off when it isn’t. It can do the reverse for heating if the is what you need or can do both. It can also be set to run continuously and had adjustable speeds. It requires about 1watt of power to run at half speed. The main drawbacks are that it needs to be plugged in and it can be noisy if you run it at higher speeds. Also as with any of these you are reducing your overall effective register size but at least with this one the fan makes up for it.

[@DANG3R0USS]

Super helpful!

[@mikeylocs3377]

Can this be mounted on a ceiling air duct?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Yes it can. As long as the air duct was installed correctly it will be two screws, one on each side.

[@stephengrinaker5085]

how long do battery's usually last?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

I think it been about a year for mine and I still have not replaced them

[@richardchavez7899]

Why don't you all have a fan on these systems?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

It's not my product, but a booster fan is used to add more air flow to the room. This vent is used to help maintain a set temperature in the room. I don't think anyone make a vent that does both.

[@yangyang2986]

Hi, do you have a new coupon code?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

This should work, its 10% off. Just click the link flair.refr.cc/rickyh

[@SolarAbyss]

Of course the code expires 4 days before I find this. Need these for my upstairs bedrooms

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

I was just going to update the video, the code is still good until Jun 1st 2021 :)

[@SolarAbyss]

@@Ricks_Tech_Talk awesome, thanks

[@eyeonart6865]

We are told never to close vents all the way. One is $80.00 way over priced and will eat up batteries.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Smart vents are just like zones but they are in each room. Newer home have zones and they close, so it's the same thing a smart vent does. As for the Batteries im going over 1 year with the Flair vents and they are doing great. Now the junky Keen vents would only last 5 mos. But in a way you are correct, you would never close all the vents in your home. If you did why would the furnace be running?

[@davidstevens1911]

Flair claims they will never close more than 30% of the vents at a time. Supposedly most systems will allow that without creating too much back pressure. There is a parameter that you use to tell it the total number of vents you have. This should be set to include all vents not just smart vents. Interestingly the software seems to be designed for a damper with a back pressure sensor but I don’t think the dampers have them.

[@alysafleisher]

@@davidstevens1911 no, the Flair can only utilize the information about Flair vents that are installed. it wouldn't make sense to muck with it and try to fake that there are more vents because the AI has no way to monitor or control them. The vents do measure the back pressure, they have to do this. There would be no way for the system to function w/o that.

[@nyb141]

Does Flair and Keen both require cloud communication or is there local control? For example, if internet goes out are you able to open or close the vent?

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

They both need internet but the Flair will open the vents if connection is lost. I would not use Keen unless you use them with smartthings and then you can make automations rules. In my other video the one room with Keen vents work well with a motion sensor and temp sensor. Flair vents do not have a way yet to work with motion sensors. But I do like the Flair better for the rooms I use every day. Keen works well if you want to heat or cool rooms based on rules with door or motion sensors. If you want to set the temp and forget about it but still be able to change the temp quickly I would get a Flair system and keep it separate from smartthings. Hope this helps. If you tell me what type of room it is and how much use it gets I could give you more info maybe. Thanks for watching the videos

[@drakkina]

@@Ricks_Tech_Talk Flair does work with ecobee and Honeywell motion sensors.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

Correct not the motions, but might be coming latter I hope because I do have one ecobee sensor.

[@drakkina]

​@@Ricks_Tech_Talk it works now. Flair can use the occupancy readings from ecobee and honeywell remote sensors to determine if you're home or away.

[@Ricks_Tech_Talk]

@@drakkina Thanks for letting me know. I just re-added my ecobee and I see the option for the senor. Now if the sensor could be used to set only one room to away when not in use that would be great..