Panasonic FV-08WQ1 WhisperWall Bathroom Fan - Thru-the-Wall Ventilation Fan - 70 CFM

My first review is for the unit I purchased 12 YEARS AGO. I hard wired to the ceiling light switch so that the fan comes on EVERY time you use the bathroom. I didn't want anyone taking a shower without the fan, EVER. So this fan has had a lot of use. Effective, quiet, and nice looking. My shower/tub has tile up to about 6 feet high then plaster above. I installed it above the tile where it is still hidden by the shower curtain so you don't see it until you're in the shower. the unit held up great - the white enclosure is still pristine, no rust or corrosion on the inner metal parts. easy to unplug and take the fan unit out to stick your arm through the hole to clean out the short duct and flapper.Recently I tore down some plaster-and-lath walls and I think this may have caused the fan to fail. I tried to clean it out but it was sluggish and never ran quietly again. I should have unplugged the unit and taken it out of the wall to protect it from plaster grit.I ordered the same model number, hoping I can just swap out the innards and it will fit without having to re-do the duct or flapper etc. I will update my review after the new one is installed.Update:So the Amazon delivery driver called me FROM MY HOUSE because he was hesitant to leave a big box on my porch. he walked around to the side entrance and carried it up steep stairs to the back deck. So that was amazing customer service. The manufacturer's box was inside of a larger Amazon box with packing materials. Not a single mark on anything.I took the cover and the inner motorized fan unit out of my old duct and plugged the new ones right in. flipped the switch and it was like brand new. I'll save the other parts incase something needs to be replaced. If I could give 10 STARS I would.

All,After reading the reviews I decided to purchase this fan for an upstairs bedroom with a vaulted ceiling. As you can imagine, it can get pretty hot up there and with little or no cross ventilation, I wanted an fan just to push out the trapped heated air the collects in that room.Pros: Installs easy, Quiet enough (you can hear it if you listen for it, but it is quiet enough not to have it bother you unless you are hyper sensitive). That said, the fan is MUCH MUCH more quiter then your average bathroom fan. Since I have just installed it before the heat of the summer, I will defer it's performance for a more detailed review at a later time.However, just using it in a short amount of time (1 hr) we did notice a difference as that particular room was as cool as the other rooms that were upstairs - which has never been the case! So it seems to work well. I paired it up with a switch that has a timer function, so it should be good to go for the summer.Cons: As other reviews have indicated, there are compliance stickers on the bottom of the grill. That said, it doesn't bother me however, I will "flip" the grill upsidedown so that they are not seen. The unit protrudes from the wall more than I would like, but I'm being a bit picky here. It's a bit pricey for sure, but as stated before, it's pretty quiet. So, other than cost, there really are no cons for the product itself.I will update this review as we get a little deeper into the summer, but so far so good.

This is a very well engineered product. I wanted to understand more about the install when reading reviews so thought I would write a few things. The box includes the fan and two install kits and an extension to allow for deeper walls. One kit is for new installs and it wants that to be mount next to a stud and attached at the top and bottom. The other kit is for retrofit. You take off the mounting flange and put the other type on depending on which install. The flanges slide inside another piece that has the electrical and screws that let you slide them in and out accordion like. The that assembly slides inside the hood throat. It went into my standard deep wall perfectly. I had T-111 Siding outside and Sheetrock inside with standard 2 x4 construction. It fit perfectly after sliding it together. Very well designed. The metal extension is hard sheet metal and I think that would be hard to cut. I didn't need that piece or the new construction flange so didn't try that. I expect that it is designed to slide in and out without cutting it if its consistent with the thought that went into this. Very good - The hole is the hard part for sure.Its kind of off white and i wish it would have been White. Maybe I got the wrong color if they had an option but didn't see that.

I bought this based on previous reviews and I was not disappointed. Installation did not work well at all as our 1909 farm house had walls that somehow went in between "thick" and "thin" and the included duct didn't work. I had to make my own duct out of aluminum sheet to connect between outlet housing and fan housing. I couldn't cut down the included duct since that is pretty thick metal. It was a little tricky to get things to align up, but in the end, it did. This unit is dead solid quiet. It didn't fit totally flush against the inside wall: not sure if that was due to my wall issue, my installation or simply not designed to snug down against the drywall surface. I just caulked around it to take up the gap (perhaps 1/16"---not much). Still, when all is said and done, I think it rates all 5 stars.

This is a nice looking fan. Quiet! The Spring closure on the outside flap is very weak! We just had the fan installed in a revamped bathroom. We live in Michigan. The outside flap opens wide with a bit of wind and the heat of the house. Sucked the heat right out of the house and it was NOT turned on! We will have to block the fan off and not use it during the winter/cold months.