Air KingENERGY STAR Certified 50 CFM Snap-In Exhaust Fan with LED Light, BFQL50

This is a newer version of the older BFQF70 fan. The only difference is that this fan comes with a 6 watt 4000K LED bulb instead of a 23 watt 2700K CFL. The bulb socket is the only bad thing with this fan is as it requires a GU24 base bulb, but, there are ways around that. Also, the fact that it has the GU24 bulb socket is the reason that I'm only giving it 4 stars.The plastic housing is one of the things that makes this fan quieter since sound doesn't resonate through plastic like it will with a metal housing. The bulb that it comes with is a 6W GU24 bulb. If you don't like being forced to use a GU24 base light bulb and would like to use a standard medium base screw-in bulb, then do a search on Amazon for the "JACKYLED GU24 to E26 E27" adapter and kiss that GU24 base light bulb goodbye. I prefer the daylight bulbs in a bathroom, so I purchased a pack of LEDERA A19 LED Bulb Dimmable, E26 Base Light Bulb 13W (100W Equivalent), 1200 Lumens to replace the bulb that comes with it using the GU24 adapter. These bulbs have an extra long 50,000 hour life and can be used any where you can use a medium base bulb.I've installed at least 10 of these fans, mostly the older BFQF70 model, and there are a couple of tricks that can be used to ease the installation. These tricks assume that you are replacing a fan and the wiring is already in place. My favorite way to remove the old fan is to use a reciprocating saw to cut the nails that are holding the old fan in place. Drive a screwdriver up between the joist and fan housing to give the blade just a little bit of room. Then, just stick the blade up and cut the nails. Rotate the fan and drop it down, remove the wire from the housing.1) The preferred method is easy enough, but it can still be a little hard to get the fan snapped in once it is in place. First, the hole needs to be cut 8-1/2" wide along the joist and 9-3/8" away from the joist so that it can be tilted up and into place. Mount the bracket centered in the hole, and wire the fan before attempting to push the fan up and into place. Because of the discharge, it cannot be pushed straight up, but must be tilted to get it up into the hole, straightened in the hole, then pushed upward and snapped into place. If it won't go, cuss it. If it still won't go, get a bigger hammer. Or, you can use a putty knife to push the housing up and back so that it will snap into the bracket. The fan is actually designed for new construction where there is no drywall yet, and this method can be a little challenging to get the fan snapped into place. If this isn't working for you, go to the 2nd method.2) If the first method did not work for you, then try this little gem. Make "keyholes" in the bracket. There are 4 holes in the top of the backside of the bracket. If you drill out the bottom hole with a 3/8" bit, you can then use a Dremel to cut a keyhole slot up to the top holes. This will allow you to screw the bracket to the joist but leave the screws just loose enough that you can slide the bracket up and off of the screws. Make sure you have the bracket perfectly centered. Clip the bracket on to the fan and make sure it is centered. Next, drill the 2 bottom holes in the bracket through the fan housing. Wire the fan and then slide the fan up through the hole, maneuvering the screws into the keyholes, and slide the fan down into place. Next, you need to secure the fan so that it will not slide up. Put two screws through the bottom holes that you drilled through the housing into the joist. This will keep the fan from moving upward off of the screws in the keyholes once the lower screws are placed through the housing and bracket into the joist.If your installation has 2x4's as your joists, then drill 4 new 3/16" holes in the bracket so that the upper holes will be 3/8" to 1/2" below the top of your joist (3-1/2" to 3-5/8" from bottom of bracket). Redrill the lower holes out to 3/8" and cut a slot between the upper and lower hole on each side of the bracket to make your keyholes using a Dremel.I hope these tips will be helpful to the DIYers. Please mark this review as helpful to keep it toward the top so that others can see it more easily.

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).)

I originally looked for a more powerful fan but decided to go with this one based on price and positive reviews, and since this was a replacement fan, I wanted it to fit the opening (for an easier swap).My bathroom is quite large (10'x20') and I thought I would need a more powerful fan, but was pleasantly surprised. The sound level is fair but that was not something I was concerned with. Some of my family take long, very hot showers and left the bathroom dripping wet. It was like a sauna after the old fan died. This Air King has done an amazing job keeping the bathroom dry and fresh.I would definitely recommend this unit.

This fan created some interesting problems for me.I had to cut away a large portion of my ceiling in order to mount the fan, because the vent on my previous fan was on the opposite side. Not a big deal, and doesn't affect the quality of this product. The installation was straightforward, although it would be helpful if the mounting screw holes were angle set, as whoever has to replace this fan in the future will have to remove parts of the ceiling to get at the screws because they are installed straight (angling them would allow much easier screwdriver/gun access.The bracket installation was straightforward and simplified the process. I like that there were 3 notches available for the wires - if there was only one and it was the one on the opposite side, my wires would not have reached, so this was helpful.I found the cap to be pretty cheap. It is very light plastic, and I get it that it should be light since it's being held up by flex pins, but it would actually have been better if it were a little heavier, since it sometimes will bounce against the ceiling.The unit is louder than I thought, and makes a similar sound to the air conditioning sound you hear when you are boarding an aircraft (that higher pitched wheezing sound).As far as venting goes, it definitely vents better than the 80 CFM fan that was replaced, so from that perspective, mission accomplished.If I replace a fan in any of our other bathrooms, I will definitely consider this fan again.

The mounting hardware « easy mounting plate » is far from perfect. The problem is that you have to install the bracket first then slide the fan box in it. The problem is that the Height of the fan is too high so it hit the roof before going in the bracket. Had to bent the bracket to make it fit. I will probably have to destroy the fan if I ever have to service it.My old one, metal box that you simply slide in then screw to the wood wall was so much more easy to service/remove/install.Two positive are the price, it is cheap and the cfm, it draw a lot of air. Still the fan has a small vibration, I will kept it until it broke then I will switch to another brand.

The previous unit stopped working after 10 years. Compared prices between buying an entire unit vs motor/fan only. Complete assembly is cheaper. Air King changed the design of the bracket which holds the motor/blower.In the old design, you slide the bracket into the body screw. This is much easier to put the motor in place. I moved the old bracket to the new motor/blower.The new design, you position the bracket then screw it in to the body. One hand holds the motor and bracket. The other hand holds the screw driver with the screw on the tip. Then screw it in. Hope the screw does not fall off before it gets to the body. There are 2 screws.

I found myself making Tim the Toolman sounds after installing this thing. It really wooshes the air quickly. Probably way more horsepower than I needed for my little basement bathroom, but that's okay. The old one, I'd leave on almost 24/7 just to circulate some air, and I didn't mind the white noise at night. This new one needs to be turned off or else it's a distraction.Overall, I'd say that's a good trade off. I'll save energy by only using it when needed, and have plenty of airflow as well. I just took a hot shower, and there was zero steam by the time I turned the water off.Another thing, this model would have fit directly into the existing wiring/venting without ripping out the old one. Unfortunately for me, I had already torn out the old unit completely, and needed to reconnect the venting/wiring. It's worth doing that extra research to see if you can just swap the motor/fan unit instead of the entire thing.