Question: How To Use A Whole House Fan

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How To Use Your Whole House Fan 1 Open a few windows 4-6 inches. 2 Turn on your whole house fan using the switch or portable remote and timer. 3 Feel the nice, cool breeze as air passes through to the attic and fresh air replaces stale, trapped air. 4 Experience complete indoor air exchanges in your home every 3-4 minutes.

How often should a whole house fan run?

Only use your fan when the outdoor air is cooler than your indoor air. Make sure your A/C is off when you run the fan to avoid wasting energy. We recommend running the whole house fan all night. The goal is to cool your entire house down, not just the air.

What is the point of a whole house fan?

The whole house fan pulls air in from open windows and exhausts it through the attic and roof. It provides good attic ventilation in addition to whole house cooling.

How many windows should be open with a whole house fan?

A: Opening two or more windows half way or more is recommended. Basically you should make it easy for the home ventilation system to pull in air. As for which windows to open, for general cooling you want to open windows far away from the fan to provide airflow to the whole house.

What happens if you run a whole house fan with the windows closed?

As a result, polluted air could be entering your home. Since the windows need to be open to properly and safely use this appliance, and windows need to be closed to effectively run an air conditioner, the two appliances should not be used simultaneously. Cover and seal your whole house fan when the weather turns cold.

Can you run a whole house fan with the AC on?

Essentially, you can use your AC unit and your whole house fan together. However, if the air outdoors is cooler than the air indoors, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to turn your air conditioning system on. Using a whole house fan reduces the need for air conditioning.

Do whole-house fans bring in dust?

Some types of whole-house fans bring air from the outside and at the same time push air out of your house. In these cases, it makes sense to have a filter, as the outdoor air could contain contaminants, especially dust or, if you live in a metropolitan area, exhaust fumes.

Can you use a whole house fan in the winter?

Using a whole house fan during the winter can actually prove to be largely effective in a myriad of ways. Running your whole house fan also gives you superior circulation of air. During the winter, most homes become stale as people do not open their windows to let new and fresh air in.

How do I know if my whole house fan is working?

Your Whole House Fan Is Nearing 10-15 Years Old The most obvious sign your fan is getting old is usually noise. If the motor is still working, the weaker fan blades go first, often knocking around as they turn.

Is a whole house fan the same as an attic fan?

Attic fans are quite different. They’re installed up on a roof or through an exterior wall up in an attic. Whole-house fans need windows and doors open and attic fans need lots of soffit vents to suck cooler outdoor air up into the hot attic. Without this open space, the fans will not move much air.

Do whole house fans need to be cleaned?

Since whole house fans move a lot of air, they should be cleaned regularly. Whenever you are attempting to clean a whole house fan, safety is key. Before you begin cleaning it make sure you turn the power supply off.

Can a whole house fan cause mold?

A properly set up whole house fan can cool an entire home in about an hour. It pulls air through any cracks and crevices that it can and can even pull up damp air from crawl spaces under your home up through living spaces and cause mold problems.

Do whole house fans use a lot of electricity?

A whole house fan will draw 200 to 700 watts, about 10 percent of a central unit, which will draw 2,000 to 5,000 watts. This means running the whole house fan will cost approximately 90 percent less than running a central air conditioning unit for the same amount of time.

How do I maximize my whole house fan?

How do you cool down a hot attic?

Install electric ventilators and attic fans, which remove hot air from an attic. They have thermostats that turn the fan on at a recommended preset temperature of 100-110 degrees. Alternatively, install passive vents such as gable, soffit and ridge vents, which are openings in the roof that allow hot air to escape.

Do attic fans help with AC?

When they work the way they’re supposed to, attic fans improve your air conditioner’s performance by removing hot air from your attic. Attic fans aid this process by creating negative pressure and encouraging airflow through the attic. This brings in fresh air from outside and expels hot air out from the attic space.