Broan 690 60 CFM Bathroom Fan Upgrade Kit

I replaced 4 of my bathroom fans with this upgrade. Let's talk about the noise reduction. Yes it is true. I measured the sound level of the fan before and after using a Radio Shack sound meter. The sound was reduced by 3 decibels. Those of you who understand sound and electronics... that is equivalent to 50% noise reduction as they advertised. I could not validate the 20% increased in air flow but I trust their claim. However, I doubt it makes a lot of difference moving from 50 to 60 CFM. In the end, I did it for the sound reduction. I wanted a better fan for my 10 year old house but I did not want to rip the ceiling out. This is a good compromise. Note: check your vents to the outside both in the fan box and the outside. If they are partially blocked (e.g. painted over), it could create more noise as someone noticed. That's because more air is being forced through a partially blocked opening.

Looks like an economical solution to rebuilding an existing fan of the proper type, however CHECK CAREFULLY! that it is the proper replacement. My N671 is the larger 8"x8-1/4", this is for the smaller 7-1/2"x 7-1/4".
If you have an older style fan it probably does move more air with less noise, if yours is newer it probably has little advantage there.
The price is certainly right, it is cheaper than a special ordered replacement motor for my fan. Just wish they had made one of the adapters to fit in my housing. I think I will make my own adapter since I bought the darn thing ( don't try this at home, kids - metal shop project ).

Bathroom fans are recessed and installed BEFORE the ceiling is enclosed. So getting a dead one out and new one in can be a bit problematic, with the normal case being a lot of new drywall and repainting the ceiling.

This kit allows you to keep the old box recessed in the ceiling and just replace the working internals with new, higher quality/performance parts.

It really is a 10 minute job, including reading the instructions and finding a screwdriver, the only tool you will need if you have a Nutone fan, or no tools at all for a BROAN.

After the job is done:
1. Not magically quiet - seems as loud as the old Nutone 696 it replaced (when the old one worked).
2. Seems to move a bit more air than the old fan judging by the "feel" of the moving air at the grille.
3. The quality of the new parts seems higher overall than my original Nutone 696.
4. Well worth the money, incredibly easier than installing a new fan.

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