Whole house attic fan.

[wolf]

Any suggestions on a good quality whole house attic fan. Home Depot and
Lowe's only had a couple on display, and the boxes were damaged and re-boxed. (ie. returns). Appeared to be dissatisfied customers returns!

Amazon, had more selections, but would rather buy local, so I can see actual
unit.

I guess this is old technology, and not much, if any demand now days.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Bamaman]

Any full line building supply business should be able to supply you with a whole house fan and the louvers that mount on the ceiling below the fan.

The best ones will be belt driven and have two speeds.

Only drawback is if someone is very allergenic to pollen, etc. They can save on HVAC operating costs in transitional seasons.

 

[travelover]

For years I used two $20 box fans in a downstairs window and opened a couple of upstairs windows at night. Worked great as long as I shut the windows before the outside temperature rose. A ceiling mount would be more convenient, though.

 

[97guns]

I live in a microclimate zone, north of SF and we get some hot days but it always cools at night with the cool air coming off the Bay so I installed an attic fan. I bought the cheapest from Home Depot online and shipped free, I think it was less than $200 and another $150 if I recall to install it. It is not belt driven, gear driven right off the motor. I turn it on in the evening and in about 15-20 minutes it will suck all the hot air out of the house and pull in the fresh air. I have an AC unit as well but only use it if it gets in the mid 90's, my insulation is really good and the house will stay very comfortable if I close up the windows before the heat of the day, one of the best investments I've made for the house, we use it often in the summer.

 

[capjak]

Years ago I researched replacing an attic fan and people were mixed on rather it was worth the investment, some stated that better off without one than with one.....can not remember why....

 

[RunningBum]

I loved having an attic fan in a previous house in NC. It could cool a house down like nothing else. I still kind of regret getting talked out of it in my current custom built house. I suppose I could still put one in. It doesn't get as hot here and we normally get enough of a breeze to cool things down but there are some evenings where it would be nice, especially if I've been away and needed to keep windows shut.


I have no input on brand of fan, sorry. I don't know what to say about those damaged boxes, but it seems hard to believe that many people install them, and then change their minds and have to patch the gap in their ceilings. And if the fans didn't work right they would be returned by the store, not restocked. Maybe they are just packaged poorly and are prone to damage because they are bulky and light.