Broan-NuTone 505 Exhaust Fan, White Vertical Discharge Ceiling Ventilation Fan, 8.5 Sones, 200 CFM, 8"

Solid Ventilation Upgrade for Rental Bathrooms I installed the Broan-NuTone 505 exhaust fan in a couple of rental property bathrooms, and it’s been a reliable upgrade. The 200 CFM power really moves air quickly, which helps keep moisture down and prevents that lingering humidity that can lead to mildew. For older homes or rentals where tenants may not always run the fan long enough, this kind of airflow is a big plus. It is on the louder side at 8.5 sones, but in a rental setting that’s not necessarily a bad thing—tenants know it’s on, and the noise discourages leaving it running all day. The vertical discharge setup made it a straightforward replacement in an existing vented setup, though it might take some extra planning if you’re switching from a horizontal vent fan. The build feels sturdy, and the white grille has a clean, simple look that blends in with most bathrooms. One thing to keep in mind: this is a workhorse fan, not a whisper-quiet luxury option. If you’re outfitting a master bath in a high-end home, the noise could be a drawback. But for rental properties where function and durability matter more, it’s an excellent choice. Bottom line: A powerful, durable bathroom exhaust fan that’s perfect for rental properties—less about quiet comfort, more about reliable moisture control.

I bought this Broan Model 505 8-Inch Vertical Discharge Utility Fan to replace an old and missing one on the ceiling of the kitchen. This old unit which brand name is apparently "Victor Climax", was not even present and looking all over the internet I couldn't find any exact replacement available. So doing numbers I decided to use the same round duct of the old one and try to replace it with a new one and by looking over the internet finally, on Amazon, I found this unit that was the only one that fitted more or less on that round duct and was affordable enough to give it a try without compromissing the finances... At the end I just got attached the motor to the old housing by using the same old bracket of the old unit. The motor works perfectly, makes some noise but its nothing really annoying, extracts the fumes and everybody is really happy everytime there's some smoke coming from delicious food being cooked... Definitely, a good product for the buck to buy!

I bought this fan because I needed a fan that was fairly noisy because my wife likes some background noise and often left our previous bathroom fan on. Little did I know what I was getting into. The following is all true. It started with the inaugural starting of the fan. Wow, it was fairly loud. Definitely what the package said, I guess I just didn't know what 6.5 Sones sounds like. Imagine vacuum cleaner like noise. Oh well, it at least seemed to be working really well, you could really feel airflow in the bathroom, it was like air was being sucked out of the heating vent. It actually created a kind of pleasant breeze. After being in the attic for an hour on a hot day it was pretty wonderful. Then I went to take a shower. I instantly knew something was wrong, the door wouldn't close. Something must be stuck in it, I checked everywhere but nope. Then it dawned on me, the fan was drawing so much air that the door was having trouble closing against the wall of air the fan was sucking into the room. "Small price to pay for a good fan" I naïvely thought as I switched off the fan and closed the bathroom door. I turned on the fan once more and started getting ready for my shower when I heard a loud bang. I glanced at the fan, no everything was good with it. Then I saw it, my heavy metal heater vent had been the only way for air to come in and the fan had heartlessly ripped it out of the wall so it could consume more valuable air. After a few screws were put in place I finally took my shower. The cold currents of air swirling around me kept me from ever being warm. The constant noise above my head kept me ever vigilant. I sometimes stare at it still, wondering what piece of my life it will try to destroy next. I want it gone, but at the same time I worry that it won't let me remove it. Anyway, this fan is a definite buy as long as you're ok with it being completely overpowered. I never have issues with steamed up mirrors and if I ever need to build an airplane I'm halfway there.

Had this fan model working in our cat's restroom when the motor locked up after frequent running for many years. Instead of trying to match the motor/fan unit with a replacement one, the price on this entire unit was so reasonable that it made sense just to buy a new unit. Got it in one day and it was very simple to just unplug the old motor and loosen two screws. Once the old motor was removed it was quick work to install the new one without having to get in the attic. The new motor sees to have more "suck" and it seems to be maybe a tiny bit louder, but is still quiet. Highly recommend Broan products, they seem to last a long time and are engineered to easily be maintained. Now, the cats have a odorless restroom again.

I needed something more powerful than the normal 70-100 CFM bath units for an interior bath, and was not concerned about noise, so opted for this one. Install was not that easy for my application. My old unit was flush against a truss so the install arms supplied would not reach over to the next truss 24" away. This means I had to go cut three 2 x 4 pieces and build a box between the two trusses. Not terribly difficult in some attics, but where my fan is located is not easy to get to but is what it is. I followed instructions, taking motor and fan out, but could see there was no way to mount the thing from bath so be prepared to go into attic. I went up, removed old unit, built box, centered the fan and screwed in the four arms to 2 x 4's. I then wired it up per instructions, and then found you CANNOT reattach the electrical junction box to the fan housing with it mounted. So, do yourself a solid and wire the thing, attach the junction box and THEN mount the thing in the hole. After that it is simple to reinstall fan and motor and attach vent cover. The bottom of fan MUST be flush with the sheetrock ceiling in the bathroom if you want to use the all-thread bolt supplied to attach plastic vent cover. I had a square 8" x 8" hole for old fan, and I just set this fan on top of sheetrock in attic and mounted, since it would not fit down into hole and I didn't feel like trimming at that point. So, after I attached duct to top of fan and was done in attic, I found that, with the fan sitting up on top of sheetrock, the all-thread bolt that screws up into middle of fan was not long enough to reach to the vent cover centerpiece that it screws into. Instead of going back in attic and lowering fan, I found an all-thread bolt in my shop and cut it to length needed. Despite the extra trouble mounting, I am very happy with the fan's performance and while it is louder than normal fans, the wife and remaining daughter have no complaints about it. Personally, I like a powerful, noisy fan in a bathroom!

Just installed this exhaust fan which replaced one exactly like it. The previous one lasted almost 20 yrs so would highly recommend it!! And my old one was working just fine until I decided to remove it to clean it!! 🙄😂 After I cleaned the old one & reinstalled it, it worked fine but several days later it would sometimes stop and the motor would hum like it was hung up. So I probably inadvertently messed it up or it was just a coincidence that it was ready to go. I’m thinking it was something I did! Lol. So no big deal, bought a new one which should out live me! Very easy to install too!!

Fit as described and works perfectly fine

The Fit & Functionality are good. The Broan-NuTone 505 Exhaust Fan vertical flap doesn't return correctly it flips to one side only I have tried several things to correct it. It is easy to install. I bought for Broan-NuTone Quality, but the flapper is an issue.

Works great Perfect for older houses and just need an updated unit

Solid, well made fan. Easy to install in Mobile Homes. Could use neoprene pads on baffles as they rattle a little on windy days but no big deal here. Tested in 8x10 baths and works well. Easy to Install (for a Contractor). Approved Contractor Grade A

I had to return this for a refund as the internal height of this unit was just too large to fit in my bathroom ceiling without performing extensive modification to the existing space. Too bad too, because it looks and feels like a pretty decent fan.

Love the fan. It was the only 8" vertical discharge fan I could find. It's a little noisy, but the perfect cover up for the bathroom sounds while you or someone else is in there. Great suction, it actually lifted the toilet from the floor! (Just kidding) works great. Definitely recommend it to anyone that has an older mobile home!

Arrived when expected. It was not stocked at any nearby stores, shopping on Amazon seems to always have what I'm looking for.