Not a spring-loaded damper, but good if you don't need it
I called AirKing customer service and they confirmed that there is no spring in this vent. It seems well made with heavy gauge metal, but I could see a problem with wind making that noise like other reviewers mentioned. I guess you can put some foam weatherstripping or equivalent to stop the noise if you experience any. I also ordered the Broan-Nutone 641. I will edit this review once I get it to compare the two.
Maybe my rating is unfair because I don't think the description mentioned that it was spring loaded, and maybe the designers felt that the spring would be problematic over time. So if you only want a gravity damper, then you won't go wrong with this product.
EDIT 8/25/11: I just got the Broan 641 (for 6" round duct) wall cap. Now this is a thing of beauty. Full weatherstripping around entire damper for no noise and a gentle spring to keep damper closed. Might be a touch lighter guage metal than the Airking, but I'm going to go with the Broan...
Nice Wall Cap But Missing Parts Or Design Issue
I ordered this wall cap because it's hard to find 6" wall caps in the hardware stores. The first one I ordered was missing a spring or "spring wire" to help keep the damper closed. Most wall caps have a stiff wire that goes from the damper to the hood to act like a spring to keep the damper closed when not in use. Otherwise it will hang open letting bugs and critters in. These in particular stay slightly ajar due to their "hinging mechanism". Also whenever the wind blows it will just slap around make a noticeable sound since it's metal. The damper has a hole in the center which I assume was meant for the spring, unless it's a tooling hole. So I sent this one back and got another one, and sure enough the one I got was missing the spring as well. So I contacted Air King directly and talked to their parts department to make sure it was supposed to have something to keep the damper closed when not in use. They talked to their engineering department and according to them ALL wall...
Effective vent - minor rattle in high winds
The wall vent is easy to install and allows great air flow. It is connected to a new Samsung Microwave and provides much more airflow than a powerful hair dryer. It is hard to find these 6 inch vents now that home construction has slowed. None of the majors or local hardware stores carry this type anymore. The flap closes when the vent fan is off and keeps out flying insects.
One minor issue with this type of vent is a minor rattle when a strong wind blows the auto closing flap. A strong spring could prevent that rattle but would reduce air flow.
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