Delta Electronics SLM70 Bath Fan, 70 CFM, Off White

Was replacing a fifty year old fan in the guest bath just off the main living area because it was sooooo noisy. This is much, much quieter, though there is a bit of a harmonic but I think that's from the fifty year old rigid ducting. Big improvement. Note that it has a tiny LED that let's you know when it is running.As far as installation, any retrofit/replacement is a bit > > > of a problem, but that's not the fan's fault.

Bought the same fan that died, took out the guts and replaced into already installed frame.Works great!

Installation instructions are brief, vague, not assisted by the TINY illustrations, just plain terrible. More text on warnings and legalese than on "how to make this work." You'll have to go to YouTube to get installation correct. Does not include a strain relief for the wiring. That aside, it's a well-built product, quiet and does what it' suppposed to. Once you figure out the instructions....or just go to YouTube.

I replaced all three of the far-too-often-used junk Broan 688/689 fans in my house with one SLM70 and two SLM50s.Actually, I purchased a super quiet (and fairly expensive) 80cfm Panasonic fan at first, but then realized there's no room for it in the attic due to the proximity to other structures, including the furnace.Delta SLM-series are exact same size as Broan 688/689 fans, uses the same 3" pipe, and even the vent is located at the same location as the Broan fans. I imagine it was intentionally designed that way.Some reviewers wrote that the job can be done from under the ceiling. If you're installing a new fan, or if the existing fan is not screwed into the joist from the side panels (two wings in the enclosure), then it's probably possible. But if the two wings are screwed into the joist, I don't see how you can unscrew them from under the attic without enlarging the hole on at least one side. One side may be reachable through the vent hole after you temporarily remove the fan module from the enclosure. I planned to replace all three fans at the same time, so I went all out and did it from the attic. I even caulked the corners to make it as air tight as possible.Tip: Remove the fan module before installation, and then reinstall it after the enclosure and wiring are in place. It's much easier to work with the light-weight enclosure, and you also avoid damaging the fan module. It also allows you to screw the enclosure to a joist from under the ceiling.I was shocked to read Broan's own spec sheet stating that their 50cfm model consumes 108 watts!!! Their 60cfm model? 180 watts! I assume those are measured with the fan in open air environment, but still, those are some shocking numbers! No wonder they're so noisy. The motors on the Delta fans are marked 16 watts (SLM70) and 8 watts (SLM50). Actual power consumption is lower under non-zero static pressure environment. Delta spec states 13.1 and 11.5 watts for SLM70 with 0.1 and 0.25 static pressure, moving 70cfm and 54cfm respectively.I used SLM50s in a small toilet-only room and in a small laundry room. Plenty good enough for those uses. The SLM70 was installed into a small bathroom with a tub+shower. Due to the convoluted path the vent pipe takes, it's not able to move anywhere close to 70cfm, but it is barely enough to keep up with a hot shower. Note I live in a desert climate (dry all year long). I imagine it won't be enough in a humid climate. Remember, the vent pipe design is almost as important, if not more important, than the fan's cfm rating. Regardless, it is no worse than the Broan 688/689 for sure, so keep that in mind.Finally, quietness is somewhat subjective because noise level numbers don't say anything about the quality of the noise.These slim Delta fans aren't the quietest fans in the world, but I believe they are the quietest given their small profile size. And quiet they are! I do not hear the fan at all while I'm taking a shower. And the noise they make is mostly just smooth fan noises, instead of the irritating rattly rumble of the Broan fans. Basically, I'm loving these. Sure if I could, I'd love to have the <0.3 sones rated fan, but given the space constraint, I have no complaints at all with these fans.

Update 11/17: The downstairs fan is still going strong since I installed it. I recently had another fan die in our master bathroom (a builder grade Braun), and I put another one of these in. THAT install was NOT as easy as the first one. Took me almost 2 hours to get the damn thing in the hole and installed. This one was complicated by the fact that the wall was a much narrower, and probably more standard, steel 2x4. It's a tight fit depth wise for these in that size cavity, and the tabs on the side for new installation before drywall (which must be bent here) won't go in the hole with a narrow depth. My bathroom downstairs has a double depth cavity, so the fan could go in and come back to the hole without any bending, etc. So your mileage for installation may vary greatly by the access you have to the back of the fan and the depth of your wall cavity. I'm not looking forward to doing another one...Original review:My downstairs bath is under the stairs and right next to the main living area, so the old fan was just too much. It's also in the wall shared with the kitchen, so when it was running it messed with the TV and you could hear it throughout the kitchen.This fan went in just like the old one came out. I didn't have to do anything to the wall, the box was the same size. If installed in the wall, the exhaust is on the upper left, the mount would be to the right, and the electrical connection is on the lower left. The exhaust is a 3" plastic fitting that comes off of the box and can be installed in advance of the box. The electrical area is a little tight for 3 wires plus wire nuts, but a little finagling will get it closed. The box also does not come with a wire grommet, so if a piece of romex just going in the whole in the back bothers you, make sure you get a clamp in advance.The fan, as noted elsewhere, is not 100% silent. I know it's still running, though with the door closed it is pretty hard to hear too, which is good. :)I installed it with a Lutron Maestro MA-T51MN-WH timer, which also seems to work well with this fan.

It's quiet and it works. Not sure what else you need out of a bathroom fan. Install was a little tricky, but mostly because of how the previous fan was installed.