Panasonic FV-11VQ5 WhisperCeiling 110 CFM Ceiling Mounted Fan

by Panasonic

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

For nearly 50 years, Panasonic has delighted American consumers with innovations for the home and business. Panasonic's consumer electronics and technology has a wide range of award-winning products. Panasonic FV-11VQ5 WhisperCeiling 110 CFM Ceiling Mounted Fan is a ventilating fan that shall be Low Noise mount type rated for continuous run. The fan is energy star rated and certified by the Home Ventilation Institute (HVI). Evaluated by Underwriters laboratories and conform to both UL and cUL safety standards. The motor/blower on this fan has four-poles totally enclosed condenser motor rated for continuous run. The motor is equipped with thermal-cutoff fuses and has removable with permanently lubricated plug-in motor. The housing for this ventilation fan has rust proof paint, and a galvanized steel body, with expandable extension brackets up to 24 inches. This ventilating fan can be ran with no less then 110 CFM and no more than 0.3 sone as certified by the HVI at 0.1 static pressure in inches water gauge. This Panasonic ventilating fan has a user-friendly installation and is quiet enough you may not even know it is on. This fan is designed to give you continuous, trouble-free operation for many years thanks in part to its high-quality components and permanently lubricated motors which wear at a slower pace. It also has a lower operating temperature to improve the life of the motor and bearings. This Panasonic fan has a built-in damper to prevent backdraft, which helps to prevent outside air from coming through the fan.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 12.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B003TJAGO4
• Item model number: FV-11VQ5
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #1 in Home Improvement > Hardware > Bathroom Hardware > Bathroom Fans
  • #1 in Home Improvement > Lamps & Light Fixtures > Ceiling Fans & Accessories > Accessories

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Panasonic Produces Another Quality Ventilation Fan, October 4, 2010

By 

Paul S. Remington (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic FV-11VQ5 WhisperCeiling 110 CFM Ceiling Mounted Fan (Tools & Home Improvement)

The Panasonic FV-11VQ5 is the newest release from Panasonic in the WhisperCeiling series of ventilation fans. Panasonic discontinued the .8 Sone, 110 CFM, FV-11VQ3 for this next-generation, enhanced version. It is essentially the same model with some minor variations, the most noticeable being a reduction in operational sound level from .8 Sone to .3 Sone. The power consumption between the two units has also been reduced from 30.7W to 21.1W (at .1 static pressure), which drops the Amperage from .26 to .18, making this unit more efficient.

The FV-11VQ5 is relatively large, but a fantastic performer for the money. The rough-in cut required to mount the unit is 10-1/2" x 10-1/2". The outside grill is 13" x 13". A cardboard template is supplied to assist in drawing the physical layout of the rough-in cut on the ceiling. This greatly enhanced the ease of installation. Opening the unit, there's little that needs to be done other than remove the tape from the internal assembly. The mounting rails and screws are included.

Aside from sizing and attaching the ventilation ductwork, all that's required is to mount the unit and wire it up. Wiring is as simple as attaching a white, black, and green wire to an existing AC line and ground source.

My wife and I installed this unit together in the attic within an hour. We had complications with the ductwork that vents out the roof not lining up, which required some custom cuts to complete a final mounting. This took about 30 minutes, but aside from this, it is a very simple ventilation fan to install.

Following the installation, I turned the breaker back on and had my wife do the honors with the wall switch. She pushed it and after a second looked at me with that look that says, "Uh oh... Something's wrong!" After a few seconds we heard the sound of air rushing, but no motor! Our old fan was a 4.5 Sone unit, which is very loud! This unit almost sounds like it's not even running. It's so quiet, what you hear most is air rushing through the vets.

To check that things were venting well, I took half a dozen match sticks and lit them about four feet below the unit and waited for the flame to work down the wood, then blew them out. Smoke spindled its way up and out of the vents. Next, I took a lighter and lit it just below the vent and moved it around the grill. I could see the flame being pulled in the direction of the vent opening. It indeed was working quite well.

Overall, we're very happy with this unit and would recommend it to anyone installing it in a residential home or small area. Those interested should realize this is a very quiet unit. Some people like a fan to block sounds that emanate from the bathroom so others can't hear any quiet noises. For those who would like this from a ventilation fan, this is not the fan for you. I'd suggest looking for a fan with a rating of approximately 2 Sones. Anything less than 1 Sone is really very quiet.

Panasonic makes very good quality fans with many offerings in their "Whisper" ventilation line. The FV-11VQ5 is a quality unit within the WhisperCeiling series. Prospective consumers should also consider Panasonic's WhisperFit, WhisperGreen, WhisperLite, WhisperValue, and WhisperWarm line of ventilation fans before making a final determination which is right for you.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Quality, November 13, 2010

By 

Cris - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic FV-11VQ5 WhisperCeiling 110 CFM Ceiling Mounted Fan (Tools & Home Improvement)

Once I opened the box, the superior quality of this vent over what I was used to from Broan/NuTone was readily apparent. The squirrel-cage fan is much more robust and has a much more solid feel when you spin it by hand. The smoothness of the motor is nothing like that of a Broan/NuTone vent.

In 11 years that we have lived in our current house, I have replaced the NuTone vent in out master bath twice. I expect this Panasonic unit to last 20 years.

I have been amazed at how the level of quality in Broan/NuTone units has dropped. My parents have two Broan ceiling mount fan forced heaters in their bathrooms. They were installed when the house was built 50 years ago. They still work perfectly and quietly. The new products from Broan/NuTone simply do not last.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Its big and quiet., April 20, 2011

By 

To be or Not To Be (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic FV-11VQ5 WhisperCeiling 110 CFM Ceiling Mounted Fan (Tools & Home Improvement)

I bought this for $119.99 to replace my old bathroom fan that wasn't working. I am a novice on installing something like this or doing any construction work. I don't know how its possible for anyone to install this fan from below. I have an attic and I installed the fan from there. It was not easy for me to install it. First, I had to make a hole bigger. Being an amateur at cutting hole, I made the hole a little bit too big. The instructions show 3 ways you can install the fan. I choose the first way where you use the support bracket and install 2 screws from the bottom. The second way uses 1 and 1/2 support bracket, meaning there's a long piece in the back and half a piece in the front (where the exhaust and power box is located). It seems impossible to install using the second installation instruction unless you have a big space between the joist. The third way is for small space between the joist and you are able to screw the fan from the bottom on both sides of the fan.

So I had to screw the support bracket onto the wood, which was really hard. I recommend drilling a small hole in the wood first before screwing the screw into the wood. It made it easier to screw it in. Then I had to screw it from the bottom, which was messy since I had to drill through the sheet rock ceiling.

As for noise, its fairly quiet. You can still hear it, unless you have hearing problems. Its sounds similar to turning on a regular portable fan at a low setting. The fan is not a typical fan with blades on it. It some sort of turbine fan. Its a long cylinder that spins.

There's a limited warranty on the product. Its says there is a 3 year warranty from date of purchase on ALL PARTS. Then it also says 6 year warranty on DC MOTOR from date of purchase. I guess the DC Motor is the fan?

Items you will need to install this fan: Power drill and phillip screw driver, jigsaw or reciprocating saw (unless you want to cut the hole manually), 3 plastic wire connectors, goggles, a mask (or something to cover your nose and mouth).