How To Properly Use Attic Exhaust Fan

Proper soffit and or gable ventilation is needed to prevent pressure differences from building up in the attic when using solar attic fans.

How to properly use attic exhaust fan.

Attic fan ventilation attic fans are intended to cool hot attics by drawing in cooler outside air from attic vents soffit and gable and pushing hot air to the outside. Blades spin within the unit to expel air from the attic until the right temperature or moisture level is reached at which point it will automatically shut off. Don t include the fan s mounting bracket in the circle you draw. During the day any cooler air brought in by the fan will be heated up immediately by the surrounding structure.

Check the box your attic fan came in to see if the manufacturer included a pre cut circle that s the same size as the fan s b. However if your attic has blocked soffit vents and is not well sealed from the rest of the house attic fans will suck cool conditioned air up out of the house and into the attic. It can be controlled by a thermostat or moisture monitor. It helps to cool your home temperatures and the attic by approximately 30 degrees.

These fans may be controlled by a switch or a thermostat which detects heat build up in the attic space and automatically exhausts the attic space. Make sure the circle isn t bigger than the actual fan or the fan won t mount properly in the plywood. How to use maintain an attic fan. Most fans cannot keep up.

Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool. Whole house fans powered attic fans. Fans and vents may be installed on the roof system that will draw the air out of the attic space and exhaust it to the exterior.

A powered exhaust vent is much like a roof mounted exhaust fan. Even though an attic exhaust fan can incrementally lower the temperature of a very hot attic using a fan does not stop the source radiant heat. In the summer hot air is pushed out of gable vents or roof vents by the fans and relatively cooler air from the outside is in turn drawn into the attic through the soffit or gable vents. When venting a bathroom exhaust fan make sure to vent the air to the outside rather than into your attic where it can cause mold and mildew to form.

Whole house fans work on the principle of removing the hot and humid air out of the house. Trace the circular body of your attic fan onto the center of the plywood. An electric attic fan or whole house fan is a valuable alternative to air conditioning if you don t want the expense of running your air conditioning unit all.