Panasonic Bath Exhaust Fan

[RML]

Any opinions on Panasonic bath fans?

[RBM]

Very nice and quiet. Also look into Broan "ultra silent" series. A lot of these fans are going to 6" ducts to make them quiet, so be aware of this, if your planning to connect to an existing 4" duct

[David Nebenzahl]

On 11/11/2009 11:29 AM RBM spake thus:

I've looked into both Panasonic and Broan. Everyone tells me that Broans are all crap. The Panasonics look and sound very nice, though they're more expen$ive.

It's too bad, since Broan makes at least one really nice-looking unit, an old-fashioned glass dome with a brass plate underneath with radial vents, perfect for old houses. I just don't trust the Broan fans.

[RBM]

Having installed many of both fans, I'm partial to the Broan. The ultra silent QTXE models are, imo excellent, and very quiet, they do however cost more than a comparable Panasonic model.

[Art Todesco]

I have 2 Broan QTXEs and they very poorly designed. The anti-backdraft damper is a joke. When fully closed, I could put 4 fingers through the hole at the bottom. There was a gale coming into the bathroom and we have very low winds in this area. I emailed Broan and they gave me a non answer and said that I should have an "external" damper in addition to the one built in. The exhaust fan is very quiet. Mine has a heater .... it is not too quiet but very hot.

[RBM]

I'm not happy with any of the fancy models either. I like the QTXE150 straight fan, 6" duct, really quiet. The Panasonics are very good as well

[Bob F]

Both of mine are very quiet.

[John Grabowski]

*That is what I exclusively install for my customers because they are the best in design for replacing an existing fan. In many cases I do not need to tear up the ceiling in a downstairs bathroom just to install a better exhaust fan. Most people like the quietness compared to the original builder's installed model however every once in a while I get someone who wants a noisy fan to hide bathroom sounds.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 11/11/2009 12:23 PM RBM spake thus:

So since you have experience with at least some Broan fans, how do you think the better ones compare to Panasonic? Do you think they'll last very long? Any links to products on the web?

I've never seen any of the "high-end" (if that's what they are) Broans, only the junk sold by Home Despot and the like. Never knew there were any that were actually *more* expensive than Panasonic.

[John Grabowski]

*The cheap Broan and Nutone bath fans that the builders install tend to last longer if they are well maintained. Usually the calls that I get for fans that are dead are caked with dust, pet hair and the devil knows what. Some homeowners will actually take the time and effort to remove the grill and clean out the housing as best as they can.

Both Broan and Nutone which are basically the same company, have web sites with their products as well as replacement parts. The real test to see which lasts the longest is to come back in 20 years and see how each fan is performing. Everything looks good when new.

[RBM]

Broan and Nutone, which are the same company now, have something like 400 models of fans and combination units. They're not all currently available, it's just that they're constantly changing. They are also trying to make fans for every market. At this moment in time, they have a nice 150 cfm unit , model QTXE150 . It happens to be the only decent fan they currently make, imo, but it really is smooth and quiet. It costs about $160, and a comparable Panasonic 150 cfm unit is about $125. Both Panasonic and Broan-Nutone, have been increasing the duct size of their fans to 6" to make them quieter. I haven't yet installed any of the Panasonics with the bigger ducts, but I'm about to do a bathroom project where I'm going to use a Panasonic 290 cfm fan. It's rated at 2.0 sones, which is loud, so I'm interested to see how it works

[John Grabowski]

*Roy I installed one of those 290 CFM models about a year ago that the customer supplied. I think it had a 5" duct opening. I seem to recall that the mounting brackets that were furnished were different than the smaller Panasonic models. I remember joking to the wife that their ears were going to pop because it was being used in a small bathroom. I don't recall thinking that the 2 sone noise was a problem, but I normally hear the 6 sone builder's special.

[RBM]

The one I'm using, FV-30VQ3, has a 6" duct, possibly the same model had a 5" a year ago. They suddenly seem to be changing many of the 4" to 6" to lessen the noise. This one's going in a bathroom with a hot tub, so I'm not particularly concerned about noise. Also, the noise from a Panasonic fan isn't the same kind of noise as some pos builders special rattletrap

[Stormin Mormon]

Great bass, lousy treble, and only gets one station.

[DerbyDad03]

re: "Usually the calls that I get for fans that are dead are caked with dust, pet hair and the devil knows what."

The exhuast fan in my basement bathroom was getting so loud that you had to turn the TV up in the room above when the fan was running. The heater, on the other hand was extremely quiet.

I eventually took it to the work bench and tried all sorts of shims and washers around the squirrel cage to quiet it down, but nothing helped.

Resolved to having to buy a new one, I decided to clean up the old one before I put it back in the housing for no real reason other than it was dusty and dirty.

Imagine my surprise when the fan was just about dead silent when I turned it on! All the dust and crap was making the squirrel cage so unbalanced that it sounded like a lawnmower.

[Phisherman]

Very good. I have an inline Panasonic bathroom fan. Somewhat expensive, but it does the job well. Hard to find Panasonic in the big box stores though, but you can order online.

[David Nebenzahl]

On 11/12/2009 3:10 PM Phisherman spake thus:

All of the "real" lumberyards around here (San Francisco East Bay area) sell Panasonic, and don't sell Broan/Nutone.