Panasonic Whisper bathroom fans

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If anyone is considering installing these in a home, I can strongly recommend it!

My house came with some builder grade Broan/NuTone units that sound just terrible when exhausting air. I can't understand how they build them so shoddily given how simple they are in function.

Anyway I installed a Panasonic WhisperFit unit in my guest bathroom and it runs beautifully with a literal whisper of noise. I actually intend to leave the fan running most of the time in the warmer months to provide fresh air circulation into the home.
 
I know a HVAC guy and that’s the brand he recommends to customers and he installed them in his own house as well. Top quality and super quiet.
 
I installed one in our house last fall. Very quiet and moves alot of air. Will soon replace the other bath one also.
 
I need to educate myself on this topic as one of the bathroom fans in our ski condo stopped working and I decided to replace it while I was fixing a bunch of other stuff up there when I had a couple weeks between jobs two falls ago (it was my choice to change positions!).
I didn't really read up on the task as I figured it would be pretty obvious what to do when I took the lens off and started unscrewing things...I didn't see any sign of how the old unit would come out and decided to concentrate on some plumbing work instead. The building went up in the early '70s and I'm pretty sure this was an original fan, believe it was a NuTone. The fan is in the guest bathroom and I kinda forgot about it until my daughter brought a friend up to ski this past season and he really stunk the joint up.
I know I could pay the building manager to put a new fan in, but he's always plenty busy fixing water damage and stuff like that and I'd rather do this myself since I feel like I should be able to handle the job.

Once I figure out what I'm doing, I will keep an eye out for a Panasonic Whisperfit based upon the favorable mentions here!
 
I cleaned the hairspray and grime out of my existing fans... they quieted right down!

Mine also runs on a motion sensor so the wife & kids can't pump all the heat out of my house.
laugh.gif
 
I cannot think of a single negative about it. I would not consider another brand.

Don’t waste your money on Lowe’s or Home Depot on contractor grade junk.
 
Were you able to install it from below, or did you have to work from above? What size ducting (3" or 4") did you have? Did you install the 80 CFM or the 110 CFM unit?

Ideal for me would be a unit I could replace from below. And as I have an older house (built in '88) I suspect it will have 3" ducting.
 
Originally Posted By: ecotourist
Were you able to install it from below, or did you have to work from above? What size ducting (3" or 4") did you have? Did you install the 80 CFM or the 110 CFM unit?

Ideal for me would be a unit I could replace from below. And as I have an older house (built in '88) I suspect it will have 3" ducting.


I have a big attic space so I installed from above. Simple swap out with the old fan, but I had to cut the drywall opening in the ceiling.

The fan has a switch for 80 or 110, so I kept it on 80 for low noise. Duct was 4".
 
Originally Posted By: GSCJR
I prefer the noise provided by the fan than the guest.
wink.gif



+1. I prefer a louder fan (but not rattling). They help mask bathroom type noises.
 
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You replaced an $8 builder basic fan with an $80 fan. Of course it will be better!
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Originally Posted By: ecotourist
Were you able to install it from below, or did you have to work from above? What size ducting (3" or 4") did you have? Did you install the 80 CFM or the 110 CFM unit?
Ideal for me would be a unit I could replace from below. And as I have an older house (built in '88) I suspect it will have 3" ducting.

I have a big attic space so I installed from above. Simple swap out with the old fan, but I had to cut the drywall opening in the ceiling.
The fan has a switch for 80 or 110, so I kept it on 80 for low noise. Duct was 4".

Wow, I'm starting to wonder now if I will have to cut a hole in the ceiling to get the broken fan out in my condo...no attic there, just some neighbors upstairs we don't care for. As I mentioned before, I saw no signs that there was going to be any easy way to remove the old unit from below...but, I am also pretty ignorant about a lot of home repair stuff.
 
Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Originally Posted By: ecotourist
Were you able to install it from below, or did you have to work from above? What size ducting (3" or 4") did you have? Did you install the 80 CFM or the 110 CFM unit?
Ideal for me would be a unit I could replace from below. And as I have an older house (built in '88) I suspect it will have 3" ducting.

I have a big attic space so I installed from above. Simple swap out with the old fan, but I had to cut the drywall opening in the ceiling.
The fan has a switch for 80 or 110, so I kept it on 80 for low noise. Duct was 4".

Wow, I'm starting to wonder now if I will have to cut a hole in the ceiling to get the broken fan out in my condo...no attic there, just some neighbors upstairs we don't care for. As I mentioned before, I saw no signs that there was going to be any easy way to remove the old unit from below...but, I am also pretty ignorant about a lot of home repair stuff.


Have a good work/headlight.
That old fan may be nailed to the joists...
Make sure you disconnect any power, power connections.
Then start taking out screws. and peel layers.

Or you may get a surprise like me and find out the fan was never exhausting any air out....Pipe disconnected.

For sure your electrical connections, will not end in the same place.
Do not let electrical wires "open" in the ceiling. Use the metal flexible pipe.
 
Originally Posted By: GSCJR
I prefer the noise provided by the fan than the guest.
wink.gif



Me too. I've never understood the desire for a super quiet bathroom fan. If I wanted people to hear the misery going on in my bathroom I'd just leave the door open. If I could rip a GE90 turbofan off a 777 and properly duct it up to the roof vent, I'd do it. It still wouldnt be loud enough for my comfort.

I'm using the $24 consumer grade 70 CFM Menards specials. At 6 sones, they're noisy little beasts, thats for sure, but they clear the pollution and shower mist out of the bathroom in short order.
 
Originally Posted By: quint
Originally Posted By: GSCJR
I prefer the noise provided by the fan than the guest.
wink.gif



Me too. I've never understood the desire for a super quiet bathroom fan. If I wanted people to hear the misery going on in my bathroom I'd just leave the door open. If I could rip a GE90 turbofan off a 777 and properly duct it up to the roof vent, I'd do it. It still wouldnt be loud enough for my comfort.

I'm using the $24 consumer grade 70 CFM Menards specials. At 6 sones, they're noisy little beasts, thats for sure, but they clear the pollution and shower mist out of the bathroom in short order.

The Toto Japan-made toilets, had a music option just for that....
 
Same recommendation here Reddy45.

In my last home I installed a Panasonic bath exhaust fan that was an exhaust fan, heater, light and night light combo. Best bath fan I ever had. It had a lower wattage for the heater so you could run it on a 15A circuit, but a 20A was preferred. Super smooth, quiet and wow did it heat or evacuate the room. I liked it so much I bought one of their standard exhaust fans for another bathroom that I never got around to using. Still in the box.
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
I have a big attic space so I installed from above. Simple swap out with the old fan, but I had to cut the drywall opening in the ceiling.

The fan has a switch for 80 or 110, so I kept it on 80 for low noise. Duct was 4".

Thanks Reddy 45. I may be able to get at the top side too.

One of my bathroom fans was rattling pretty good so I cleaned the fan and oiled the bearings. And that was a year ago, so I may get away with it. Or not.
 
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