Broan 100HL Bathroom Fan, 100 CFM for 4" Ducts w/100W Max Incandescent Light (Not Included) & Heater - White

I shopped the big-box store for a bathroom fan and was pleased to see a sign "We will beat any price!" when I entered. I brought the 100HL to the counter but was told they can beat any price "Except Amazon". For a $50 savings I opted to wait 3 days for Amazon to ship.I wanted an energy-efficient light (like the 100HFL) but after reading the review by D. Abernethy about removing the bracket that prevents installing a compact fluorescent I figured I'd save $25, order the 100HL and remove the bracket also. Turns out I only needed to easily bend the bracket slightly to allow a CF bulb to fit. For fun I called customer service and asked if there was a reason they didn't want CF bulbs to be used. They told me it was only because it was not tested that way in the lab when it was UL certified and in the future they will only have one model that takes incandescent or CF bulbs.On to the review;The fan arrived in 3 days after I placed my order and is very well made. Installation was a snap thanks to another reviewer's note (MLG) about removing the fan motors from the "can". Both the heater and the fan motors can easily be removed with 2 screws each, making it much easier to measure, position, and install overhead. Wiring was clearly marked, the instructions were clear, fit and finish are excellent.My bathroom is about 100 square feet and the heater does a good job boosting the temp in just a couple minutes. I thought the fan would pull a little more air though as there's still a little steam on the mirrors after a shower. Nothing major though (and definitely better than showering with the door open and fully fogged mirrors like before). Both the bathroom fan and the heater fan are very quiet; about as loud as the sink water running.Great fan/heater/light combo for the price. If there was a night-light version I would have bought it but I can live with a 13W compact fluorescent burning for a couple hours at night. And for my one customer service call about the bulbs, it was answered by a quickly by a friendly, helpful, American-sounding gentlemen.***Update***7 years later of daily use in the only bathroom in my house of 2 adults and 2 kids and this turned out to be one of the best things I've ever bought on Amazon and probably the most trouble free. I clean the dust from the louvers one or twice a year but nothing more. If it even does break I'll replace with the exact same thing. The 13W compact fluorescent I stuck in it has caused zero issues.

Edit: after over 3 years with this configuration, no issues at all. Great unit!After reading quite a few questions and reviews here, I still wanted this unit, but I was concerned about 2 things: switch configuration and not burning out the heater, which appears to have issues when run for long periods of time, but I only plan to use it when showing. I also wanted to be able to use the fan in the summer, but really only want the heater in the winter.So, even though I did not like the idea of 3 switches, that is how I decided to go.For the heater, it is important to go with one that can handle the heater's high power draw: I chose the "Leviton LTB15-1LZ Decora 1800W 20A 2-5-10-15 Minute Countdown Timer Switch." It can handle the power and, with a max setting 15 minutes it can run the heater long enough for a shower and hopefully the heater will last for years. For the fan I used "Leviton LTT60-1LW Decora 600W 10-20-30-60" though a 30 minute max should be enough. I still am not thrilled with the aesthetics of 3 switches, but if it is a choice between aesthetics and functionality, I will usually go with the later.BTW: if you chose to wire the heater and fan on a single timer, you still need one capable of handling the heater's heater's 1500W and 20A load, many timer switches are not designed for that

First, I bought my fan through the Amazon used program. It was advertised as damage to the box only. When it arrived, the box appeared no worse than that which you would see at a big box retailer. The fan appeared to never have been removed from the box and certainly never was installed. So far, so good--discounted price and no apparent damage. But, when I made a test hook up on my unit, the heater function was not working right out of the box. A continuity test confirmed that the culprit was in the heater element assembly. Again, I don't see that this fan had ever been out of the box, so this is not a knock against the Amazon used program.The actual heater element is very simple. In a manner very similar to most hand-held hair blow dryers, heat is produced by inducing current through a series of small wires. The heat is distributed by a squirrel cage style blower similar to the blower used in the fan to exhaust humid air from the bathroom. The weak link in the heater element is its overheat protection device--a thermal fuse, which basically is a one use fuse with a particular heat rating. If its heat rating is exceeded, the fuse "blows" and a repair must be affected in order to continue using the heater. You can search the internet and you will see that this product is not the only one where the thermal fuse craps out--it just happens that 2 of 3 functions will continue on this fan, as the fuse only protects the heating element (even the heater's squirrel cage fan will continue to operate with the fuse blown--you just get no heat). Many blame these fuse failures on "made in China" syndrome. Can't comment on that (other than many thermal fuses are made there), but I can say this 50 cent part either is not very durable or quality control at production is poor, or both, and whether any given fuse will survive to its rated capacity (particularly over time) appears questionable.My experience with Broan customer service was similar to what other have noted here. I spoke with a rep who appeared to be located in the US and who was able to speak English without problem--a major customer service hurdle cleared. I explained my problem and the rep didn't even ask for a serial number or date of purchase. He told me he was putting a new heater element in the mail to me, and I had it in about 3 days. So, great customer service, Broan! Poor service would have made this a very bad experience and most definitely would have resulted in a one star rating.The heater element is easy to remove from its squirrel cage blower. And, this can be done even with the unit installed in the ceiling (in other words, you don't need to remove the entire unit from the ceiling to make this repair). Because I had test wired my unit with a humidity switch to the exhaust fan and a two way switch to the light and heater, the issue with the heater was revealed prior to install and my repair was super easy. The only complication post-install would have been the need for a stepladder to access the heater.An issue here though is that, if you are out of warranty or, for some reason, Broan simply won't send you a new heater assembly, the cost for the assembly online is almost $40.00. It is ridiculously overpriced given its construction and the overall price of the complete unit, but sadly that is the norm with repair parts these days. I even saw a post from a couple online who had bought one and were trying to locate an electrician to install it. They probably would have paid more than the price for the original fan unit if they ended up going that route. You don't need to be particularly proficient to replace the heater assembly, so give it a try unless you know you can not do it.The alternative to a new part is to lay in a stock of thermal fuses and repair the element when it blows (and it seems pretty likely it is a when, not if, situation). Really all you need is a small pair of dykes and a small pair of offset pliers. For 50 cents and a bit of time you'll be back in business. Since I now have a second complete heating element, I can swap out the elements in less than 10 minutes.The factory fuse is a Microtemp G4AOO 110C (the 110 C is the cutoff rating in Celsius). They are available, off and on, on Amazon. They also can be found on other internet site. The brand is not particularly relevant, but the thermal cutoff rating is. While they come in various capacities, DO NOT exceed the 110C rating, as you are asking for trouble by doing that.I suspect all brands of fans which have heat operate on the same basic principle, so I doubt switching brands will help (unless they are using a "better" grade thermal fuse--good luck with that). Since my bath has no HVAC duct, I need the heater element. Yes, I wish it was more durable, but it works and I know how to fix it cheaply when it breaks--now you do too. Can't expect much more than that these days I suppose.The humidity venting function is superb ... until you put the factory plastic backdraft damper in. Then, it is good, but not as good. The factory damper is a cheap, heavy plastic swing gate, and the fan has a bit of trouble lifting it well. Further, when the fan is off, it still allows a lot of hot attic air to come back in. So, really not much of a backdraft damper. Pretty much all fans in this price range do that, though, and the 50+ year old bath fan this unit replaced did the same thing. Unfortunately, when you cut a hole into the attic and any route is left open for superheated or supercooled air from the attic to get in the house, it will. I am currently in the process of working out a better backdraft solution and will update this when I am satisfied with my efforts.UPDATEI got a Fantech RSK 4 Backdraft Damper 4" Duct to replace original damper and it works great. It almost fits the factory damper housing too. To fit it, hold the damper with its factory crimp at 6 o'clock and take a pair of tin snips and make cuts about 1/8 inch deep at 3 and 9 o'clock on the damper's fit ring. Then take a pair of pliers and gently bend the ring sectors you just created outward until you get a good press fit on the factory damper housing. It should stay on with no problem. My fan had no issue lifting the damper gates and they close securely when the fan goes off. So I get better exhaust of humid air and more effective prevention of attic air intrusion.