Panasonic FV-15VQ5 WhisperCeiling 150 CFM Ceiling Mounted Fan, White

This is a very nice fan. I installed it from below (no attic access) to replace a smaller fan. This fan is so quiet it is hard to believe that it is even doing anything but it is. The installation is not difficult but there are several steps. Removing the old fan will most likely require you to use pliers, hammer or small pry bar to get it out because it was installed before the drywall and you wont be able to get to the mounting screws. After I removed the old fan I was able to see where the ceiling joists were and enlarged the hole to 10.5″ x 10.5″. Make sure you poke your head into the hole before you decide where to make the cuts to make sure aren’t going to end up too close to a pipe or other framing in the space. My joists were about 13″ apart so I cut a piece of wood and screwed it to the side of one of the joists so it was even with the side of new hole – this left a solid mount on both sides of the hole for the mounting screws. The actual rotating part of this fan is held into the frame with 3 screws which I removed to make it as light as possible while I was doing the installation. The most ingenious part of this fan is that there is a panel on the frame that has the connection for the flexible duct and the wiring – this panel lifts off after removing the screw that says something like “keep this screw in for grounding purposes.” The instructions don’t say anything about this which is incredible because this panel is the whole reason that you can install it from below. My suggestion is that you take this panel on and off a few times until you understand exactly how it works because when you do it for real on the ladder you want to know exactly how it works. After I connected the wiring and duct, (here comes the tricky part) I was able to hold that panel in place in the hole with one hand and then take the frame for the fan in the other hand and push it straight up into the hole. When you push the frame up it will connect with the panel that has the electrical and duct connections. You can then put the screw back in that keeps it locked. Then drive screws through the flange on the frame, through the drywall and into the joists. I used 2 screws on either side of the fan and it was more than solid. Then replace the rotating part with the 3 screws and install the white cover which will cover the flange on the frame.

Very nice product. Very quiet. The sone rating will give you and idea of how quiet a unit will be. Purchase a 0.5 or less if you want a quiet unit. if you want to block out bathroom sounds get a higher sone rating. CFM rating is how much air it will pull for the size of the bathroom. my bathroom is length 7 ft. width 5 ft. height 8 ft. This unit is more than enough for this size bathroom. I purchased the double switch(ASIN: B019PW14YE). I purchased the install thur Amazon. It was $ 259.59 for a 1st time install plus the unit & switch. Another contractor quoted me $800 even if I purchased the unit from Amazon. The install took 5 hours. it was alot of work in the attic. Amazon does not allow a hole to be cut in the roof,which was a relief. they route the vent tube to the closest vent in the attic. Very convenient that Amazon has installation available for these type of items. The smaller switch does take alittle getting use to. Very satisfied with this purchase.

These are as quiet and as strong-venting as promised.

We had three of these fans installed by a contractor. The team working our project reported the units went in easily from above the room, but likely would be difficult to installed from within the room due to the 6-inch ducting called for on the 150-CFM model. In most homes, 3-inch or 4-inch ducting is found. As a personal observation, the smaller ducting likely is why other Panasonic units that share common parts are louder – the fans are working against more resistance and therefore move less air with slightly more noise.

As another reviewer noted – there is a significant difference in quality and performance between these units and the “best” available at the various big-box stores. The noise factor is more significant than I thought it would be, these units run at 0.3 sones versus 1.0 sones for the big-box “best” units. Additionally, the Panasonic units have no stamped parts with flanges to bend, and, no cheap fans with rotor play and broad clearances – all indicating sloppy design and construction. Even the packaging is superior, and in my opinion that says a lot about the manufacturing.

The units are so quiet we have accidentally left them running overnight. Some of those count-down timer switches may be my next purchase.

I am confident in recommending these high-capacity, very low-noise fans for new construction and major remodels where ceilings are open from below or attic space is open for work from above. I am less confident for homeowners doing like-for-like replacement due to the duct-size issue with the 150-CFM model I noted above. For that application and would recommend looking at the 110-CFM or 80-CFM models that use the more common duct sizes.

The price differential between these units on Amazon.com and the “best” units at the big-box stores is only about $30 apiece. The quality and workmanship on these units greatly exceeds those “best” ones.