Best Way to Use a Whole House Fan

Whole House Fan: A to Z Guide to Cooling Your Air

When information technology comes to abode comfort, ac is essential. By air workout, we mean to condition the air then information technology is a comfortable temperature, humidity level and air quality.

While we about commonly think virtually an air conditioner every bit providing much needed relief in the summer, there is another way to cool your home.

Nosotros're talking nearly a whole house fan.

To get-go, we'll explain what a whole business firm fan is and how it compares to an air conditioner in your home.

So, we will become into helping you lot to choose the right size of whole-house fan and how to install the arrangement.

And so, let's brainstorm.

What is a whole house fan used for?

In simplest terms, it is a type of air conditioning.

A whole house fan is a large fan in the attic of a domicile. It pulls the hot air in your firm into the attic. From at that place, a pressure is created in the attic and the hottest air in your attic is then pushed out through attic vents in the roof. It also serves as a whole firm ventilation system.

The system is installed in the attic and is connected to the ceiling of the highest floor.

How does a whole firm fan work?

It works from the principle that hot air rises. With the pull of the fan, this natural process is enhanced to where cooler air is fatigued in from outside.

So, with windows open in your business firm information technology tin speedily cool downwards. It also provides good ventilation and can improve the air quality in circulating out stale, polluted air.

There are a couple things to keep in mind.

One, this works all-time in areas where the outside air cools down in the evening and has lower humidity levels. It's not a practiced solution in Florida in the summer where it tends to be hot and boiling but can piece of work well in nearly other areas.

2, y'all demand to have an cranium to store the whole house arrangement as well as to be able to open up windows so the cooler air can exist drawn in.

Air Conditioner vs Whole House Fan

While an air conditioner and whole firm fan both serve to absurd your dwelling, they work in very different ways.

An air conditioner can exist a window unit, portable ac or a ducted ac system (or HVAC). All air conditioners use a chemic similar Freon that changes between a gas and a liquid to transfer heat from the inside air to exterior.

While a window AC pulls in air from the outside, a ducted air conditioning system circulates the air within a dwelling house. So, a central air conditioner will cool down the air and reduce humidity levels nonetheless it volition not pull in fresh air from the outside.

A whole-house fan does non have Freon, a compressor or condenser like an AC. It's but moving air.

Whole house fans are often used to supplement an air conditioner. That is, when the atmospheric condition are right it offers a better way to become cooling.

Reward of Whole House Fans

These systems are becoming more than pop because they tin use xc% or less energy than an air conditioner. They are significantly more energy efficient.

An air conditioning system in the dwelling house makes up about 50% of a monthly energy beak. Then, it doesn't take long for the fan to pay for itself.

Because of this some states have begun to issue rebates to homeowners to encourage the apply of the fans.

Another advantage is the improved ventilation. Indoor air tin exist many times more than polluted than outdoor air. So, by pushing out the poor indoor air with cleaner outdoor air can be a big improvement to your indoor air quality.

Information technology provides much better cooling than a ceiling fan. Ceiling fans move air inside a room however they do not pull in cooler air from outside nor do they assist with ventilation.

How well do attic fans work?

Another name for whole house fans is an attic fan. They work very well provided they are used in the right climate, sized properly and correctly installed.

First, equally mentioned earlier, the air outside needs to cool downwards since yous will be pulling in the libation air from the outside. If it is hot and pasty exterior, this is what you will be bringing into your business firm.

Second, the attic fan must be sized right to be able to move enough air for the size of your habitation. We will go into more detail about this below.

Third, while DIY'ers can install an attic fan organization, some people cull to accept a professional install. We give an overview for this below. Information technology'southward likewise important to note that by pulling air into the attic, you will want to have proper cranium ventilation through the roof. This will allow the hot air in the cranium space to naturally rise and vent outside.

Finally, for description some people refer to the vents on the roof as an attic fan if it has a fan motor. This attic ventilator is different than a whole firm fan since information technology only pulls out the hot attic air and not the air inside the home. For most homes the roof vents use a gable vent which is the name for the metallic piece that y'all can run across.

How large of a whole house fan do I demand?

It's relatively piece of cake to summate how big of a system you will need. Follow the simple 3 steps below.

The first step is to know the air volume in your home.

one. Determine the foursquare footage in your home. Do not include the basement area. If y'all have high ceilings increase the square footage number to account for this. We base the calculations on a standard eight' ceiling height. If y'all accept 10 ft ceilings and so increment your square footage number by 25%.

two. Multiply the square footage by ii. This represents the CFM of the fan that is needed to cool your space and what is chosen by most people.

For example, if your home is 2,000 sq ft then you will desire a 4,000 CFM fan.

If you are looking for greater air flow you lot tin can use a college CFM arrangement. In this case, multiply the square footage past 2.5 – 3.0. However, be sure to see stride 3 to make sure y'all have sufficient roof ventilation.

3. Bank check the area of the vents in your attic. There should exist at least 1 foursquare foot of vent area for every 750 CFM of the fan. In short, make certain the attic air can properly vent for the amount of air that will be pushed into the attic. If the total vent expanse is too small you (or your professional person) should increase the vent expanse through the roof.

Going back to our case, if the fan moves four,000 CFM then you volition desire 5.iii square feet of vent area (4,000/750).

In shopping for a whole house fan, yous should look for a system that can achieve the needed CFM'southward. If your habitation is big this may mean you go with two systems to get to the require air menstruum.

We also recommend y'all consider the noise level. While you will want to motion a good corporeality of air, no 1 wants a current of air turbine in their ceiling. These systems tin can exist quiet, just don't forget to check on the noise level.

What is a CFM in a fan?

CFM stands for cubic anxiety per minute. Information technology represents the maximum amount of air flow of the fan. As described above, the CFM that you should look for is related to the size of your dwelling house.

Some systems have multiple fan speeds. This gives you flexibility in dialing down the air flow to achieve a level that is ideal for your environment. A lower fan speed likewise means it is even quieter.

Whole House Fan Installation

If you are a DIY person, yous should be able to install the system past yourself. It should have a couple to a few hours. If you are not confident in your abilities then go with a professional.

Here is a video that shows how a whole business firm fan system is typically installed.

Be sure to follow these condom instructions for attic fans:

1. Cut the ability at the circuit billow or main fuse box. Exam the wires to ensure there is no current.

2. Adhere to all local codes. If in doubt about annihilation contact a qualified electrician.

3. Follow the manufacturer's installation instructions. Install in the proper location and ensure there is sufficient support for the fan and no obstructions.

How much does it cost to install a whole house ventilation fan?

In general, expect to pay anywhere from $150 to $500 for an installation. If you are buying from Amazon they offer installation as an addition to the purchase of some systems.

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Source: https://oransi.com/blogs/blog/whole-house-fan

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