Air King BFQ80 High Performance Series Bath Fan, White

I only needed the fan motor so it was an exact replacement for my old one.

I replaced the fan in the first floor bathroom that was originally installed over 20 years ago by the contractor. This was always a noisy fan that moved almost no air. I took a chance on getting this Air King fan sight unseen since I was pretty sure almost anything would be better than the fan I already had.I had to enlarge the existing hole by about an inch on two sides to accommodate the fan housing. I nailed the bracket to the joist using a small sledge. I was cramped for room since my fan sits in the corner of the bathroom and I was not able to get much "muscle" into my hammer blows with a light hammer. I positioned the fan up into the hole and pushed it to one side so I could attach the duct. Then I pushed it over to the other side to give me room to push the wiring into the housing.I snapped the fan in place and was disappointed that the fan drooped about an inch below the ceiling on the side away from the bracket. I had to move the fan housing aside and bend the bracket downward so that when I snapped the fan in it would be held tighter. That was an annoyance but it seems to be holding OK. The fan still droops a bit but it is not noticeable at all once the grille is snapped into place. The grille hugs the ceiling closely on all sides, so it looks just fine.During the installation I was very wary because at least one reviewer was adamant that one could not install this fan without getting above it in the attic or making the hole extra large. I found no need for that at all. As long as you have sufficient room to move the fan housing to one side or the other inside the opening you can make power and duct connections through the hole in the ceiling. Then you have to work the fan into position so it can drop through the hole a bit while you catch it on the bracket lip and then push it up to snap it in place. If my duct had been rigid I could see where there might be a complication, but I used metal flexible duct. Even so, I'm not sure that rigid duct would have been that hard to work with on installing the fan, so I am unclear why some have had a problem with this.The fan works like a charm. I was hoping it would be a little quieter (actually I was hoping for near silence) but it is much quieter than the fan I replaced. I think some of the noise is just the sound of the air moving. I could not resist seeing if a paper towel would be held up tightly by the air pressure and it was. I think if I actually had 4-inch ducting all along the path it would be quieter. I believe the transition from 4-inch to 3-inch creates some back pressure. Anyway, the noise is not obnoxious it is just that you will know the fan is on that's for sure.I believe if you want a super quiet fan you are just going to have to pay the bucks for it. I did lustily eye those Panasonics, but they were just too much for me to bear cost-wise. Also, it looked like they would be a major pain to install if you could not get to the fan from above.I am happy with this fan. I think the motor alone is worth the price of the fan. It certainly looks like a quality item. So even though I am complaining that it not as quiet as I'd like, for the price I have no complaint at all. I am giving this fan 5 stars because it is more than one would expect for the price and it is very well made.(I also installed the similar Air King 140cfm model in a larger bathroom. That fan is rated at 4 Sones and is pretty loud. That fan is connected to a 4-inch duct without reducers so the noise is all within the fan and not my duct. It moves a lot of air and it is still quieter than the original cheap fan ever was while moving perhaps 4 times as much air (my guess).)

Facil

Great quality. Powerful air flow.

Overall satisfied with this fan. I replaced an old unit that gave out. Installation was much more difficult than expected. For new construction, where ceiling drywall is not installed yet, this fan would be perfect. Super simple and quick install if you have unlimited room to maneuver it into position and connect the duct & electrical. But the snap-in bracket design, as ingenious as it is, makes it almost impossible to wedge up into a drywall cutout. After removing the old fan and enlarging the cutout a bit to fit this bigger one, it was easy to mount the steel bracket. But after attaching the duct and electrical then it becomes extremely difficult to maneuver the unit back up into the hole. The mounting bracket blocks much of the opening, and there isn't enough room to tilt the unit into the snap bracket normally from underneath. I could only see 2 possible solutions: 1) Cut an over-sized opening and then patch the drywall up later to match the fan box outline. Mud, sand, and repaint the repair. Plus do all the cleanup. 2) Bend the upper bracket part up and out of the way enough to just barely squeeze, twist, and curse the fan box up into the ceiling. Push it off to the side out of the way and bend the bracket back down into proper position. Use some pliers to flatten out the curled lip on the bottom of the bracket so the fan box can be horizontally slid into position, wedging under the bracket and snapping into it, and at the same time popping down into the cutout opening from above. Then re-curl the bracket lip back up over the fan box bottom edge. Either method is extremely inconvenient and time consuming. I chose #2, and it worked out ok in the end, but turned a simple 15 minute task into a grueling 3 hour job. Looking back, #1 might have been easier, maybe... But once installed I have been very happy with it. Moves plenty of air without much noise. However, I doubt the 0.5 sone sound rating. I have a Nu-Tone 1.0 sone fan in another bathroom that is noticeably quieter than this one. Not complaining too much because it's still WAY less noise than the old 4.0 sone fan it replaced. I did have to use an adapter to reduce the 4" air outlet to my existing 3" duct, which may have increased the noise a bit. It's not silent, but not obnoxious either. I would have given 4 stars with an easier installation.

The product itself is great! Very quite and moves a decent amount of air. I was however sent what looked to be a return. I was worried something would be missing or not working correctly but I did have all the parts I needed to install it and so far it is working great! The install was a little different than any exhaust fan I've installed in the past. I had to shim the top of the bracket to make it sit more flush with the ceiling.

The media could not be loaded.  Beyond expectations. Simple installation replacement. For me it was an Air King replacement for a 15 year old plus 120 CFM model 140 that just died. It worked well...but was incredibly, and unnecessarily noisy at the upstairs bedroom level. Serious overkill. Should have gotten this similar model level instead back then. Regrets 🫤. My bathroom is approximately 45 square feet. No fogging up of mirrors with this fan even after my three ladies of the house have back to back showers. I was pleasantly surprised. Ample draw in air flow. Extremely quiet and efficient. At 22 and 1/2 watts of running power usage and 2.0 sones... to get these results is a no-brainer purchase. Was somewhat hesitant before about the purchase based on my original fan CFM air exhaust level.. but so glad I did my research and bought this. Highly recommended.👍

The media could not be loaded.  I've installed more fans than I can count over a long time in renovation contracting. Usually, I use much quieter and higher-volume fans than this model; however, they also cost three to five times as much.I put this unit in a lower-end project, and it works well enough to keep a 50 sq. ft. bathroom fog free during a shower. Barely. It’s not quiet but it's not unbearably loud, either.The metal snap-in bracket transfers vibration to the wooden framing member, so it's a good idea to add a layer of foam, cardboard or other dampening material between the bracket and framing during installation.This installation was in a bathroom with no pre-existing fan so it also required ducting in the attic and an exterior roof jack to connect the ducting to, so between labour and materials, the cost of the fan was minor relative to the total cost.The next time I face a similar situation I'll pay a little more and end up with a whisper quiet, vibration free fan that performs far better.If all I need to do is replace an existing fan and the budget is tight I would use this one again if it equalled or exceeded the performance specs of what I was replacing. Odds are, if the fan is decades old or the original build was entry-level or low-end builder spec, this one will be a noticeable improvement.For new construction pre-drywall, this one would take about a minute or two to install from below.For retrofitting into an insulated space, you're likely going to be up in the attic.For retrofitting into an uninsulated cavity, it can be done, but there are better options available, IMO.

Great item for a tight space. Works and looks as advertised (noise level is very moderate and seems within advertised sones). I had it installed in my laundry room as I had very limited ceiling space and could not afford light and fan separately, so this piece fits perfectly and does double duty. The only wish is the brighter light bulb, but I didn't take away any stars for that. I just went to the store and bought a brighter one.

Perfect.

Easy to install,.and is quiet and runs great. Great value..whish they could have included a 4" to 3" adapter for this unit. I needed to purchase this to attach a 3" hose. Still quiet and extremely happy that I took the chance on this item vs., purchasing from HD.