My parents lived in Nevada for several years. My parents and all of their friends' homes I visited, there was always a small (42" or smaller) ceiling fan in at least one of the home's bathrooms. As Mqmoi said in the above post "a great alternative--they use much less energy than AC units" This was the reason for all the bathroom fans in the Nevada area where my parents lived. It moved the air in the hot, stuffy, humid bathroom without using all the a/c energy/cost required to do the same thing. I am thinking about putting one in our bathroom remodel----I don't find it odd at all. According to the site linked below, for a bathroom one needs a fan with a UL listed with a "damp" rating as opposed to the UL listed "Wet" rating for outside. I didn't realize there was a difference. Here is a link that might be useful: Gov / Energy Star Fan Ratings and Sizes

As for fan-lights in the shower, it seems ineffective to try to remove water vapor laden air from the shower since most of it will condense on the walls before that can happen anyway. My goal is to remove humid air from the vanity area and allow fresh air drawn from the door undercut to reduce fogging of the mirror and window glass. The entire bathroom will eventually dry out if you use a fan with a built in timer and/or constant low speed feature like Panosonic's WhisperGreen series. I have yet to find a fan-light combination that performs as well as separate units. Here are my criteria: no CFL or LED lamps (LED inappropriate in a bathroom; CFL inappropriate in a house) Max sound rating .8 sone max grille size 13x13 flush with ceiling variable speed fan with timer Panasonic makes a recessed spotlight-fan combination (FV08VRL1) but it uses a CFL. I suppose a halogen PAR lamp could be substituted because the CFL is probably only needed to get an EnergyStar rating but I am not comfortable recommending it. To reduce fan noise it is important to reduce back-pressure by using larger metal ducts.

I have the fantech fan in my attic and 2 ducts run to it from my bathroom ceiling. Room is 8x10 and is our "big bathroom". I have lighted vents with 50watt halogen bulbs in them. One vent at the toilet area and the other in the shower. I called fantech for specs and assistance in ordering the correct combination. They were very helpful. They have a helpful website iirc. It's been 3 years and still going strong. I requested my brother put ridged ducts in mine and my DS insulated them against our cold winters. No issue. I have it hooked up to a controller on the wall that is manual. I don't forget to turn it on for showering. Nothing gets steamy :) The light switch is on a dimmer. I never use the dimmer. I have 2 doors into the room so a light switch at each. There is about 3/4" gap at the floor at each door to allow make up air to enter, when fan is on.

Thank you both. You were both right! There are no prongs on the sides and I think the grille should have been attached by a bolt, but whoever put it up glued it to the ceiling. With the help of a screwdriver we were able to get it off. Slight damage to the ceiling , but not much. We cleaned the motor and surrounding areas. It all seems to work now--just missing a new grille which I can order. So why am I thinking maybe I should replace the whole thing? A newer model might be quieter, but plenty of people in the reviews complain about the noise. Newer models also allow a brighter LED bulb which would be nice. I definitely have to have a new grille/lens--but if I want a new reflector/bulb socket, the price jumps to $43. A whole new unit with fan is $84. The current fan is AT LEAST 25-years old. Any idea how long they last?