whole house fan

Bubbas Boys · #1 10/09/13, 07:07 AM

We are looking into putting in a whole house fan. Never really understood the point until I started reading up. We live in central Illinois, do you think it would be enough air to not have A/C for awhile or never? I know how they operate now so just wondering if anyone has one and how they work. We get nice breezes on our prop and it usually cools some here in the evenings in Illinois. Thanks

Dixie Bee Acres · #2 10/09/13, 07:12 AM

They can be quite comfortable. Use on in conjunction with some window awnings for shade, and some well placed trees and plants, and you might be able to forget all about air conditioning

unregistered41671 · #3 10/09/13, 07:20 AM

We use ours when the humidity is low and the evenings are cool. Just open the windows and turn it on. Get ready for a good breeze. Installed our about 5 yrs ago and love it. We like AC too.

Irish Pixie · #4 10/09/13, 09:07 AM

I'd never not have a whole house fan. When the days are warm, I run it all night and close the windows first thing in the morning, it keeps the house cool most of the day. On very hot and humid days, I close all the windows and open the cellar door to pull up cool air.

doingitmyself · #5 10/09/13, 09:16 AM

You just have to be sure you have adequate venting in the attic for proper function. Usually at least 4-8 square feet of vented area depending on your particular unit. (that's a lot) Also a way to weather proof it well and not lose your heat to the attic if your in Illinois for the winters.

I love mine, its like a strong breeze in every room with a window no matter which direction the wind is blowing from!

jwal10 · #6 10/09/13, 10:41 AM

I live here in the Pacific NW so it cools off at night. I use ceiling fans, 1 in the main living and 1 in the bedroom. If hot, they push the warm air out the windows. When cold weather they mix (stir) the warm air at the ceiling. I always put in continuous ridge vent on the roof, this keeps the attic cooler in hot weather and is free, no fan to run. We close everything up in the morning to keep cool air in, when it warms up we open the windows on the N and E sides of the house and turn on the ceiling fan (s). Even in 100 heat it is not bad at all....James

Conhntr · #7 10/09/13, 10:48 AM

Ive been wondering about these. I have a ranch and am not comfortable leaving the windows open when im gone (dogs out and bears in!) but if i could get one of these and just crack a couple windows might be the ticket!

TenBusyBees · #8 10/09/13, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irish Pixie

I'd never not have a whole house fan. When the days are warm, I run it all night and close the windows first thing in the morning, it keeps the house cool most of the day.

This is how it was growing up for me...in Texas. My mom would only run the a/c in the late afternoon. Even during the 1980 heatwave and I don't remember it being unbearable at all. I would think further north the fan would work very well for you.

#9 10/09/13, 11:43 AM

I've had whole house fans & if it cools down in the evenings & at night where you live they are great . They blow all the hot air out of your attic & cool your house down to outside temperature pretty quick . You do need adequate attic ventilation to exhaust all the air they move .
During the heat of the day they would suck hot air in & in my experience I didn't find that to be beneficial . Cooling the house down at night helps keep it cooler longer the next day so it does help but may not eliminate the need for some air conditioning .

Danaus29 · #10 10/09/13, 11:44 AM

We've got a whole house fan and run the ac only when it doesn't cool off at night for days on end. If we had windows in the east side of the house we might not need the ac at all.

As for leaving the windows open a crack in bear country, if they can pop windshields out of cars they probably could slide a window open. I know dogs that can open windows that are open just a crack.

For our whole house fan, dh built a frame around it and cut a couple pieces of foam insulation to fit in the frame. When the weather cools he puts the foam back into the frame. On an episode of This Old House they had a really nice insulator, wood box with a couple layers of foam on all sides.

Molly Mckee · #11 10/09/13, 01:11 PM

We put one in when we lived in the Houston area and it helped a lot. I would think that in a more moderate climate it would be really effective.

littlebitfarm · #12 10/09/13, 03:01 PM

Depends on how much heat you can deal with. In the spring and fall it is great. You can suck in the cool (or the heat) and then shut the house up until the outside temperature is one that you want in the house.

In the dead of summer, I wouldn't want to have just the fan. The house would be full of humid air, no matter when you run the fan. There are those summer nights when it doesn't get below 75 (or 80). That makes for tough sleeping conditions IMHO. Even if you close the house up before the day starts heating up, it is already full of warm humid air and will continue to heat up during the day. It doesn't really start cooling off until the sun goes down, that could be almost 9 PM. makes for a long hot day and really warm night.

That said, give me a window AC for my bedroom and I could probably deal with the rest of the day. But I'll keep my central air!

ceresone · #13 10/10/13, 07:10 AM

The reason I quit using mine was that it pulled tiny biting bugs right thru the screens

Fire-Man · #14 10/10/13, 08:20 AM

My home that was built in 1973 was built to accept a 4ft attic fan in the 3ft hall way between all the bedrooms. Thats All the AC that was in it. (Years Later I added central heat/air.) It was hooked to a in-line cooling thermostat that turned it on/off. Those of you that have one now---this thermostat helps alot late at night when it cools off.

ErinP · #15 10/10/13, 09:50 AM

Question:

I want to put in a whole-house fan, also. But we have cathedral ceilings throughout... I could box it in to the (exposed) collar ties, but how could I vent it??

Irish Pixie · #16 10/10/13, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErinP

Question:

I want to put in a whole-house fan, also. But we have cathedral ceilings throughout... I could box it in to the (exposed) collar ties, but how could I vent it??

Half of our log cabin is cathedral ceiling and the other is open loft over the bedrooms and bathroom, the fan is in the peak of the house, I just open the windows (or the cellar door) to vent.

I_don't_know · #17 10/10/13, 03:18 PM

We are still stranded in S FL, but we do not use the AC. I took a box fan and put it in the door way to the attic way. It sucks the air in through the house windows and keeps the attic cool. Just open a window a little crack and you have a cool attic and a cool house.

joebill · #18 10/10/13, 04:29 PM

I always have to chuckle at the concept, because my Dad "built" one back in the early 50's when WE lived in central Il.

He did it with industrial parts he had scrounged and the thing was enourmos! Built a rat-wire and plywood cage around it and put it in a big window in the dining room. Maiden voyage sceduled for Sunday dinner.

Plugged that sucker in and watched it un-set the table, with all the cloth napkins and place mats plastered to the rat wire cage in the inside and the fan screaming like the world was coming apart at the hinges. Plywood served as a sounding board for the contraption, and it screamed so loud you couldn't even hear MOM screaming over it.

End of experiment. Anything that could scream louder than my Mom was not welcome in her house. Fond memories, but use care in choosing your size of fan. if it chages the air in the house every 5 seconds, it just might be too much........

.....Joe

Marcia in MT · #19 10/10/13, 05:51 PM

I grew up in northern IL in a house that had a whole-house fan -- it worked great. I would definitely second the poster who said you have to have enough vent space from the attic to the outside.

TnAndy · #20 10/11/13, 01:00 PM

We've had one in for 25 years. Works great. Installed it in an upstairs back closet wall that vents into the attic space ( story and a half style house ). Closet doors are louvered, so the air moves easily thru them. Like Danaus 29, I cut a sheet of 1" foam bd in half that I sandwich in the boxed opening inside in the winter to keep cold attic air out.

Couple suggestions if you go this route:

1. Do NOT get a direct drive that typically installs in the hall ceiling. They sound like a 747 taking off in the hallway. They have to run WAY too fast to move much air.

2. DO get a belt drive, and with a 2 speed motor. The larger, the better, of course....ours is a 4' model. On low, you can barely even hear it run.

3. As WV says, make sure you have adequate ( or MORE I'd say ) attic ventilation to let the air OUT, since the fan won't draw anymore than it can easily exhaust. I have vented soffit, but added a 2'x3' vent on a gable end of the attic to give more vent space.

You might have to get creative as to where to put one and vent it, but if you can work it in, it's sure a good way to cool the house at night in the right climates. We use ours until early summer, and then again in the fall.....whenever night temps fall into the 60's.