Broan-NuTone 512M Through-the-Wall Ventilation Fan White Cover, 6-Inch 70 CFM 6.0 Sones

I did a lot of research before purchasing a fan for our small bathroom. The one we had didn't work very well, was loud as a jet turbine, and took forever to dissipate steam. I looked at all sizes, price ranges, sone levels but decided on this one based on reviews. It was relatively inexpensive and simple--the fan, a flexible round metal duct, and the outside flap/grill. At first my father (who was helping with the install) thought it wouldn't fit the stud wall space, but after cutting the metal duct considerably and taking into account the thickness of the siding, it fit just fine. All we have to do is caulk around the flap/grill outside. For us, installation was easy since we are ripping our bathroom down to the studs, so cutting the opening to be a little larger (as our old fan ducting was smaller) was really not a problem. However if we had tile on the wall already and we wanted the fan to vent the same way through the wall, it would've been a nightmare....if that were the case we may have decided to vent through the ceiling. But since the slope of our roof is so severe, we would've needed a different kind of flap for the outside. See the pics for reference (disregard the brown streak on the flaps outside-- we had a torrential downpour and our gutters overflowed.. that will wipe right off). All in all, this was a great buy. We have used it many times now and NO steam stays in the bathroom during a shower at all! Very happy!! We paid full price for this item and would highly recommend to others.

Kinda loud but we also didn't have any type of exhaust fan in our bathroom before...we were just using a dehumidifier. This fan works so well though! It has reduced the humidity so much that I've noticed my sinuses getting dried out. lol it will clear out steam from the bathroom in just seconds. Took my husband maybe 30 minutes to install, but we also had to run electrical to the spot on the wall.

Sure this fan is a little loud, but it's not much louder than the cheap fans from Home Depot. It was an easy install and fits into a 2x4 exterior wall. Like some said, the damper is cheap but they sell metal hooded ones that will fit on the exterior. Definitely easier to install in a wall than a ceiling fan with a 90.

It is a pretty basic fan. Perfect for a small bathroom or other area that needs ventilation. It installed easily. It requires a good size hole in the side of the house, but it wasn't that big of a deal to do. Wiring was easy. It's easier to install and wire if you basically dis-assemble the whole thing (3 screws), put the empty tube in the wall and connect it to the vent pipe to the outside. push it into place, pull the wire through the space where the electrical box in the side of the fan used to be, do your wiring, and then put it all back together with the tube in the wall. It's only 3 screws and they are easy to access. No big deal. Based on the reviews here I thought it would sound like a tornado or something. It doesn't. It's a very reasonable volume. I can easily have a conversation while standing right next to it. My wife says it's perfect for a hallway bathroom where people might appreciate a little masking noise. The airflow seems fine. Not spectacular, but it seems appropriate for the room size they recommend.

I've got a lot of server equipment in a small media closet, and it was getting pretty hot in there during the summer months. This fan was easy to install through my drywall with a few small cuts with a handheld drywall saw. I was fortunate that my install location was close to a wall receptacle, so I was able to splice off of that. To provide some basic temperature control, I paired this with the BN-LINK Thermostat Controller which lets me set a threshold temp of 75F, so the fan comes on only as needed to keep things at that temperature or less. It's quiet enough though not silent. It moves more than enough air to keep a small room ventilated. My only wish is that it was reversible, it would be great to change directions depending on season. The outlet side is kind of a generic cheap white plastic grill...they could have done a better job with that. The intake side is still plastic but much nicer and more finished looking. I didn't use the bendy metal ductwork as I was just doing a straight pass-through which didn't require it, so if you're just doing a through and through, you may not need it depending on how thick your walls are.

There doesn’t seem to be many choices for through the wall 6 inch fans. As a replacement, this one worked out fine. It’s not even that loud. Seems quiet compared to the one it replaced.

I just finished installing this unit in a networking closet that gets really hot and I am relatively satisfied. There were a few quality issues: 1) the unit arrived with one of the ends of the flexible duct bent, like it was just squashed in during packing but I didn't actually need it so I didn't care. 2) the black metal housing that holds the motor was also bent, so it was oval rather than circular. However, the metal is really thin and malleable so I bent it back into shape. 3) the lip around the metal housing used to screw the housing into the drywall was also bent (it was wavy). 4) This same lip does not provide enough space from the ventilator hole on the drywall so I had to drive the drywall screws at an angle away from the unit in order to secure it. 5) The motor actually comes with a plug and the electrical box has a cheap two prong connector to plug into, which I thought was a weird design. But the issue was that the connector cables inside the electrical box were pre-stripped but frayed -quite sloppy. 6) The inside plastic grill screws into the motor housing by turning the whole grill clockwise. It felt really forced and I worried about it stripping. 7) The outside louver plate is really, REALLY cheap! It didn't feel like it coupled correctly to the housing on the outside end and for the life of me I couldn't get it to sit snugly. I attribute this to the housing being bent out of shape. As it turns out, when I started the unit the fan was stuck so I had to bend things back into shape while on the wall. That wasn't fun. I should have ignored the instructions and cut a bigger hole on the outside so as to have some play to compensate for these issues. I got the unit up and running with a Lux thermostat and everything is working. Time will tell whether it actually helps lower the temperature enough. I cannot measure the actual airflow but I did measure the noise level. I expected it to be quieter but I measured 44dBSPL which is about 3-3.5 sones as advertised. Despite the issues, I think I would recommend given the price. Let's see how long it operates.

Metal housing is razor sharp - gloves and sleeves recommended during installation. Electrical connections are tricky in the housing design, prepare to spend some time struggling.

Installed in downstairs bathroom and the fan works very well. It pushes a lot of air and takes the humidity out very quickly. Easy to install w/o needing to be up against a stud.

Some of the design is kinda annoying when you're installing it and you'll shake your head wondering why didn't they make this a little differently, but it's still not that bad to put in properly. Also haven't seen any comparable sizes fans that seemed any better. Used it occasionally at light duty over several months and no issues so far. Biggest potential complaint would be that flaps on the outside don't close firmly or tightly enough and you'll bleed warm out if you're using this in a heated garage, but even in that case it's a tradeoff and you're at least getting some fresh dry air naturally leaking in. Too expensive for what you get but I also couldn't find anything better that met my needs for any cheaper.

Works perfect!! Delivery was fast, as wall fans are hard to find, most are ceiling. This one’s perfect!!

Pros: - The design and construction is easy to understand in terms of installation and operation. - making an opening of the right size on the wall and inserting in the fan housing was easy. Con: - the fan noise is quite noticeable which can be an issue with neighbors and people in the house. - the provided aluminum flex duct is so easy to split apart that you better get ready with some 6" ducting and forget about the flex duct. It will save your time. - no screws were included for the outside cover. Ideally 4 outdoor screws should be provided.

As described, fairly easy to install, works great! Has more 'Pull' than a ceiling vent, and a much better price than anywhere else.