Attic Fan Installation

ZeroLot

ZeroLot

New member
I've been hearing great things about people installing an attic fan to cool off the attic in the summer.

I heard it's pretty cheap to buy but I haven't got any luck in the installation.

Any one knows how the install works and any recommendations of who I can call?  I know a hole needs to be punched in the roof so this sounds risky to DIY.

Many thanks for any tips or suggestions.
 
Seriously .... NO ONE IS GOING TO REPLY TO THIS? 

Not one man on this forum has info on an attic fan?
 
ZeroLot said:
Seriously .... NO ONE IS GOING TO REPLY TO THIS? 

Not one man on this forum has info on an attic fan?
Click to expand...

We just want to wait for your vetting report. :)
 
They are best investments for cooling down the house during the summer but I believe the HOA or the architecture committee does not approve such installation including the solar attic fan.
 
lnc said:
ZeroLot said:
Seriously .... NO ONE IS GOING TO REPLY TO THIS? 

Not one man on this forum has info on an attic fan?
Click to expand...

We just want to wait for your vetting report. :)
Click to expand...
Yeah... we were waiting for you to do the research.

But you have to tell us what type of attic fan you are talking about:

Attic Fan or Whole House Fan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attic_fan
atticfans1.gif

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole-house_fan
vs-whf.png


The Attic Fan does require a hole/vent punched in the roof as it pulls hot air out of the attic.

The Whole House Fan just needs a hole/vent punched into the ceiling between the attic because that draws the air out of the house and forces it into the attic which vents normally through the existing attic vents.

The Whole House Fan I've seen (in an Irvine home) is fairly noisy (and a bit ugly) and there is debate on how effective it is because people tend to use it along with their AC and so you sometimes end up trying to cool both your living space and your attic. There is also fear of increased mobility of flames in case of a house fire (probably a more common fear is your upstairs can smell like shrimp paste from the kitchen).
 
My old place had this in the attic attached to the gable vent:
http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Attic-CX1500-Power-Ventilator/dp/B000LNII4Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405096979&sr=8-1&keywords=attic+fan 

About $50 material cost for cable and switch attached to the light fixture in the attic. 

If you decide to hire an electrician, probably will cost $150 to $200.
 
lnc said:
ZeroLot said:
Seriously .... NO ONE IS GOING TO REPLY TO THIS? 

Not one man on this forum has info on an attic fan?
Click to expand...

We just want to wait for your vetting report. :)
Click to expand...

I was afraid you were goona say that. 

Limbay said:
They are best investments for cooling down the house during the summer but I believe the HOA or the architecture committee does not approve such installation including the solar attic fan.
Click to expand...

Nooooooo!  I can't just punch a hole in my roof??  :'(

irvinehomeowner said:
lnc said:
ZeroLot said:
Seriously .... NO ONE IS GOING TO REPLY TO THIS? 

Not one man on this forum has info on an attic fan?
Click to expand...

We just want to wait for your vetting report. :)
Click to expand...
Yeah... we were waiting for you to do the research.

But you have to tell us what type of attic fan you are talking about:

Attic Fan or Whole House Fan
Click to expand...

Oh I already did the research on that.  I'm aiming for an Attic Fan only.  I found several vendors in the OC area willing to do the Whole House Fan.  One I really liked said he refers out the Attic Fan part to a roofer.

I already have a fan that uses the central air ducks that ventilates the whole house on a regular basis through the builder.  I don't think that's the same as a "Whole House Fan", but it's close enough for me.  I just need something that pushes all that hot air in my large attic out.

But if it'll require HOA I'm SOL. 
 
ZeroLot said:
But if it'll require HOA I'm SOL. 
Click to expand...

Normally i charge $300/hour to take care of HOA matters, but for you ill do it for free. Just let me know when your next HOA board meeting is. Ill make sure they allow attic fans after that meeting. the best part is you wont even have to submit architectural plans, ill get those waived as well :)
 
qwerty said:
ZeroLot said:
But if it'll require HOA I'm SOL. 
Click to expand...

Normally i charge $300/hour to take care of HOA matters, but for you ill do it for free. Just let me know when your next HOA board meeting is. Ill make sure they allow attic fans after that meeting. the best part is you wont even have to submit architectural plans, ill get those waived as well :)
Click to expand...

Wow!  Thanks QWERTY!  Did anyone ever tell you that you're a miracle worker??
 
This is one of those things that I think you can sneak past the HOA.

Like Park posted, you could find attic fans that you can attach to existing attic vents and for that I doubt you would need an HOA approval.
 
I talked to IP and they said I can install an attic fan in my roof!  YAY!  Just I need a roofer to put it in for me but my roof is already ready to have one installed.

I was referred to Home Depot and I saw a few electrical attic fans and a few solar powered ones.  A guy at IP recommended the solar one but I heard the solar one stops working after sunset ... which doesn't help me in my case.

So I'm looking into a roofer to come install in my house some time this month.  Love Angie's List.

If anyone wants to join Angie's List with me, you get $15 to start and I get a $25 referral fee.  PM me for the referral link.  Thank you!
 
ZeroLot said:
I talked to IP and they said I can install an attic fan in my roof!  YAY!  Just I need a roofer to put it in for me but my roof is already ready to have one installed.

I was referred to Home Depot and I saw a few electrical attic fans and a few solar powered ones.  A guy at IP recommended the solar one but I heard the solar one stops working after sunset ... which doesn't help me in my case.

So I'm looking into a roofer to come install in my house some time this month.  Love Angie's List.

If anyone wants to join Angie's List with me, you get $15 to start and I get a $25 referral fee.  PM me for the referral link.  Thank you!
Click to expand...

ZL!

I am intrigued by the attic fan. Would like to do it too if it turns out to be effective in cooling the house and is relatively affordable. Can't wait to hear your results. Thanks!

P.S. I just bought this ceiling fan. Can't wait to install and test it out.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-...-Silver-3-Blade-Ceiling-Fan-E503-SL/203838999
 
Chairman said:
ZL!

I am intrigued by the attic fan. Would like to do it too if it turns out to be effective in cooling the house and is relatively affordable. Can't wait to hear your results. Thanks!

P.S. I just bought this ceiling fan. Can't wait to install and test it out.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-...-Silver-3-Blade-Ceiling-Fan-E503-SL/203838999
Click to expand...

Wow Chairman that fan is very cool looking.  Very new age.  We stayed with the traditional Hamilton ones from Lowe's.  We have a fan in each bedroom.  It really cools down the room and it's silent too.

I'll keep you posted.  But every roofing company I contacted doesn't want to do the attic fan install.  They say it's not their expertise.  I'm going to wait for the IP rep to get back to me to see which roofer they are hiring for the Marigold extension and get them to install my solar powered attic fan for me.

But I did decide on the solar powered one but I don't know which solar powered fan I should buy for a flat tile roof.  Supposedly S tile roof would be a different shape of fan.  So many to choose from.  I think I'll just buy one from a local home improvement store so I can return it easily in case it doesn't work out.

 
All, wanted to reply to this thread - I had an HVAC guy (Connected Heating & Air) come out to the house yesterday to take care of a clogged primary condensate line and to perform some maintenance on our A/C (the A/C unit is about 17 years old and, according to the HVAC guy, it looks like the previous owner has never once done any maintenance on the unit).

While he was doing his thing, we started talking about whole house fans, as well as attic fans. First of all, it was his opinion that whole house fans were not worth it, but that he recommended attic fans, specifically, solar attic fans. He also indicated that they will install the attic fans for $150 per fan, but this assumes that (1) you purchase the unit itself and (2) you don't have to cut any holes in your roof. Specifically, he recommended the Green Machine solar attic vents from Home Depot ($221.00). From what I understand, these units fit over your gable vents; thus, you don't need a roofer and you do not need to cut any holes in your roof.

For the whole house fan, it was his opinion that these were not worth it, as all it did was pull hot air into the attic without venting it out, whereas the attic fans actually actively pull hot air out of the attic space, where all of the heat builds up.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
Attic fan that is SOLAR powered? Sounds like a dream product for ZeroLot. :)
Click to expand...

It is.  I just need to find a roofer willing to install on my flat tile roof.  Any recommendations?
 
So which one is more preferred for Irvine homeowners? The WHF (Whole House Fan) or the AF (Attic Fan)? I need some homes and trees around me to block some of this brutal sun.

Leaving windows open just lets in more hot air. Keeping windows closed and you still bake. :(
 
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