Attic fans. Does this work?

[rnln]

Thanks Jeff,
My A/C has been on all the time during the day. It's only off a while at late night. There was a day the pump flood. I was searching for pump at homedepot and also thinking about the attic fans. I thought I only need to mount it with several screws and through the little solar panel out there... I'm also thinking about a small A/C unit in case, window or split unit.
Nothing is easy to do it right.

[look 171]

Sorry. Gable vent. It fits in between 16oc studs. They have some that comes with a spring operated vent covers so its stays shut unless the fan comes on. I install a couple of those at my parent's home. They live in an old Spanish home built in the late 20s. There's a whole house fan, with two gable fans that's on thermoswitch. It runs automatically. when they remember, they switch on the whole house fan. I put in a ton of insulation up in the attic. With their tall ceilings, over 10', the house stays cool throughout the year. They run their AC for only about 2 months out of the year. Its stays pretty cool. Their ACs on for the past few days.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by rnln

Thanks Jeff,
My A/C has been on all the time during the day. It's only off a while, lose to midnight. There was a day the pump flood. I was searching for pump at homedepot and also thinking about the attic fans... Im also thinking about a small A/C unit in case, window or split unit.
Nothing is easy to do it right.

For a few more bucks a mini split system is the way to go. I am adding on a mini split system for an old client of mine right now due to their AC being a little under size Dumb asses who installed it when the house was built (5 year old house). He's an old guy, retired, and hangs out in the large family room with lots of windows all day.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by rnln

Thanks Jeff,
My A/C has been on all the time during the day. It's only off a while at late night. There was a day the pump flood. I was searching for pump at homedepot and also thinking about the attic fans. I thought I only need to mount it with several screws and through the little solar panel out there... I'm also thinking about a small A/C unit in case, window or split unit.
Nothing is easy to do it right.

Doing it right isn't all that hard. Its just people wouldn't tell ya how or want to do that. Everyone bids low so they get the job. Then they cut corners and perform sihtty work. Those attic fans are not hard to install.

[Miguel Antonett]

Attic fans really work... the more air they move the better they are.

[rnln]

Thanks Jeff, thanks guys. I'll think about the "real attic fans", since it involved with electrical wires. I was thinking of the solar so i don't have to spend time on the wiring.
Thanks again.

look 171,
the advantage of split A/C is that I can run the little copper pipe anywhere I want, while the window unit needs the right place. Anything else beside that?

[john70t]

Originally Posted by look 171

Ventamatic Whole House Fan — 30in., 7,800 CFM, Belt-Drive, Model# CX30BD2SPD | Whole House Fans| Northern Tool + Equipment

For those of us up-north-in-the-freezing-cold, that thing would require placement in a pit which can capped/insulated from above.

Still there would be condensation issues where the warm/humid meets the cold/dry.
Leakage happens = Icicles.

I wouldn't trust those louvers one bit to provide an air-tight insulated seal.

[McLovin]

Yeah. Others have described it above. The whole house fan is a fairly big fan (mine must be close to 4 feet across), mount it on the ceiling. It pulls a ton of air into the attic and blows it out of the roof vents.

As someone said above, it works in areas that are hot in the day but cool down when the sun goes down. Basically what it does is equalizes the temp inside the house to what is outside.

You open up the windows in the house and turn the fan on. It pulls a tremendous amount of outside air in (you can see the window screens sucking in!) and blows it through and out the attic.

It makes a big difference. A house traps a lot of hot air in during the day. The fan blows it out very quickly.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

My last two houses had whole house fans and they were great.
My current house does not, but I don't miss it too much, but I'd still like to have one if I could (I haven't been inspired enough to install one yet).
Like others have said, the whole house fan works well when it is cool at night and warm during the day. In spring and fall here in Virginia it's great.

House fans are also great for evacuating all the smoke from the kitchen if something gets burnt. They are also great if you leave the house for periods of time and want to freshen it up quick!

Where it's not so great is during the summer where temps are high and humidity is through the roof. I was just sitting here in the comfort of the ice cold AC thinking my wife (and I) would kill me if I turned on a house fan. All the cool low humidity air would get sucked right out.

What my house would benefit the most from right now (with the AC on) would be a gable vent fan of some sort, just to move hot attic air out faster.

The final thing is humidity, included is a pic of a mountaintop house nearby that I looked at some time ago. It has no central air, but several house fans. The only problem is that pulling in all the moist air (humid, or damp mountain air) reeked havoc on the interior, especially drywall. Cool house though!

[Crowbob]

Yes. Humidity is a problem not resolved by the movement of air.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by john70t

For those of us up-north-in-the-freezing-cold, that thing would require placement in a pit which can capped/insulated from above.

Still there would be condensation issues where the warm/humid meets the cold/dry.
Leakage happens = Icicles.

I wouldn't trust those louvers one bit to provide an air-tight insulated seal.

That's a great point. The fans are usually mounted somewhere near the middle of the house, away from the exterior vents. On the other hand though, does it get really that hot up north?

[john70t]

Originally Posted by rusnak

does it get really that hot up north?

That's a relative question I'd surmise.
Been in the muggy 90's most of this summer.

But for a month between the freezer and frying pan, I live in the best place on earth.

[Hugh R]

If you put in a whole house fan, make sure windows are open first, otherwise all the ash from the fireplace ends up on the Living room floor.

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

If you put in a whole house fan, make sure windows are open first, otherwise all the ash from the fireplace ends up on the Living room floor.

+1 Once summer breaks here in SoCal I'm installing a whole house fan (belt drive). We really miss the one I installed in our previous home.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by rnln

Do you this thing would work? Thanks.
Active Ventilation 365 CFM White Powder Coated 5 Watt Solar Powered Roof Mounted Exhaust Attic Fan-RBSF-8-WT - The Home Depot

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/135630-eram-electric-supecharger-dyno-test-day-invitation-next-week.html

[A930Rocket]

I used to install whole house fans in my homes, but with allergies, it wasn't working in the fall and spring when I wanted t use it. Then when summer comes, it's too hot and humid.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by john70t

For those of us up-north-in-the-freezing-cold, that thing would require placement in a pit which can capped/insulated from above.

Still there would be condensation issues where the warm/humid meets the cold/dry.
Leakage happens = Icicles.

I wouldn't trust those louvers one bit to provide an air-tight insulated seal.

Sorry, the extend of my construction experience is only in paradise. If its wet, hot, humid, snow, temp below 45 or above 99, aint for this weak pussy.