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patb.
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August 17, 2012 at 12:45 PM #20066August 17, 2012 at 12:53 PM #750455
bearishgurl
ParticipantI have one and don’t use it due to the it being too loud to sleep. It was installed almost 20 yrs ago, though. Maybe they’re quieter now.
August 17, 2012 at 1:56 PM #750458ocrenter
Participant[quote=bearishgurl]I have one and don’t use it due to the it being too loud to sleep. It was installed almost 20 yrs ago, though. Maybe they’re quieter now.[/quote]
when you do use it, does it actually work? and by how much?
August 17, 2012 at 2:00 PM #750460profhoff
ParticipantThey aren’t quieter now. We installed one and had it removed. They are really loud IMO. Kind of like a constantly annoyingly vibrating motor or engine that never turns into white noise you can ignore. We couldn’t sleep and the frequency of the hum was too annoying to tolerate even during the day.
August 17, 2012 at 2:34 PM #750463an
ParticipantI installed one. It has a temp gauge and only turn on when it reach a certain temp and turn it off when it gets cool enough. It sits above my kid’s bedroom. You can’t hear it from any other room, but in his room, you’ll hear a hum. It’s not that bad, IMHO. But maybe I’m just more tolerant of noise. It’s only very noticeable in the middle of the night but most of the days, it turns off a couple of hours after the sun goes down, since it’ll be cool enough. Except for the last few weeks when it’s hot all the time. You can install it above a room that are least used if you can. I bought mine at Home Depot. Installation was super easy.
WRT whether it works or not, I think it lower the temp in our up stairs by a at least a few degrees. It used to be very hot during the summer up stairs, but now, it’s just hot.
August 17, 2012 at 2:41 PM #750464sdduuuude
ParticipantI used a more subtle whole-house fan. Works slowly but well. Requires a hole in the ceiling but the gates seal the hole when the fan is not in use.
More expensive than the big old whole-house fans but not as loud.
http://www.tamtech.com/store/hv1600-whole-house-fan-r38-insulated,Product.asp
Whole-house fans should not be used at night. THey should be used in the evening to cool the house off, then shut down.
If your house is well-sealed from the attic, this will clear the attic as well. Pulls air in from the windows, up through the fan, into the attic, and out the attic vents.
If your attic is not well sealed, though, it can end up blowing attic air back into the house.
August 17, 2012 at 6:39 PM #750470EconProf
ParticipantWe put in a whole house fan a few months ago and it is the smartest thing I ever did. The reason is physics: San Diego is blessed on most hot days with a late-afternoon/early evening offshore breeze. Yet your house heats up from radiant heat and by about 6:00 is actually warmer than the newly cool outside. Solution, open the windows and let that cooler air whoosh through your house and exit into the attic and then out of the attic through standard attic vents. Your house and attic will both be cooler.
This works on all but the hottest of San Diego days. We haven’t had the AC on all summer until a couple of days ago. If this is a normal summer then we expect to use AC only 10 – 15 days, and get by with the whole house fan the rest of the days.
The fan costs $200 – $300 and can be installed by a competent carpenter. Ours is acceptably quiet, but check the reviews first, as some are indeed noisy. A 24″ one is plenty adequate…perhaps the noisy ones cited above were the 30″ fans.August 17, 2012 at 8:40 PM #750474Participant[quote=EconProf]We put in a whole house fan a few months ago and it is the smartest thing I ever did. The reason is physics: San Diego is blessed on most hot days with a late-afternoon/early evening offshore breeze. Yet your house heats up from radiant heat and by about 6:00 is actually warmer than the newly cool outside. Solution, open the windows and let that cooler air whoosh through your house and exit into the attic and then out of the attic through standard attic vents. Your house and attic will both be cooler.
This works on all but the hottest of San Diego days. We haven’t had the AC on all summer until a couple of days ago. If this is a normal summer then we expect to use AC only 10 – 15 days, and get by with the whole house fan the rest of the days.
The fan costs $200 – $300 and can be installed by a competent carpenter. Ours is acceptably quiet, but check the reviews first, as some are indeed noisy. A 24″ one is plenty adequate…perhaps the noisy ones cited above were the 30″ fans.[/quote]So how much cooler are we looking at? For example, during this heat wave, our upstairs has been between 83-85, does the attic fan bring it down to 79-80?
As for if this is typical, not sure. This is the hottest its been in the last 6 years we’re in SD, last couple of years we prob had the AC on max of 10 times per year. This year we’ve about double that already.
August 17, 2012 at 9:04 PM #750475mike92104
ParticipantI was lucky that a 20″ box fan fits perfectly into the attic access on my house. I plugged it into one of these in the nearby hall light::
and I have a cheap whole house fan. I’m sure it’s not as good as the real thing, but it sure does help get the house cooled down in the evening.
August 17, 2012 at 9:24 PM #750477Participant[quote=ocrenter][quote=bearishgurl]I have one and don’t use it due to the it being too loud to sleep. It was installed almost 20 yrs ago, though. Maybe they’re quieter now.[/quote]
when you do use it, does it actually work? and by how much?[/quote]
Yes, it works, but it takes at least an hour. I think it lowers the temp by about 8-10 degrees. I’m more comfortable with stand fans when sleeping. I don’t have air-conditioning but am properly “plumbed” for it. I have never bothered to buy one. I am located just over one mile from the bayfront.
August 17, 2012 at 9:28 PM #750479Participant[quote=ocrenter] . . . As for if this is typical, not sure. This is the hottest its been in the last 6 years we’re in SD, last couple of years we prob had the AC on max of 10 times per year. This year we’ve about double that already.[/quote]
In my memory, I can think of other summers in SD that were very hot in August thru October, and this list may not be all-inclusive and is from my memory of what I was doing at the time:
1981
1987
2002I’ve never lived more than 5 miles from the bayfront.
August 17, 2012 at 9:33 PM #750480ParticipantMy study has been a “comedy of errors” of late. Busy with an Opp paper and trial prep, I had books weighing down stacks of papers while my stand fan is on high speed with the windows open while I sweat with a stapler in hand. Exhibits flew all over the room … then came a swarm of termites.
I was just tent fumigated 22 months ago. Of course, I’m under contract so they will be called Monday morning :={
August 17, 2012 at 9:34 PM #750481newcomer
ParticipantBought one from HomeDepot after saw this review:
” I went up in the attic when it was about 80 deg outside to survey the situation and put a wireless Thermometer up there. It was anywhere from 100-110 deg when testing. Gathered readings from the attic for about a week , there was not a day where the attic temp was not at least 20 deg or more than the outside temp. From inside the attic I could see there were 3 of those non powered low profile roof vents. After looking at reviews and reading on the net I decided to install the attic fans. Installing the fans as others have mentioned is moderate for the DIY. I actually watched some YouTube videos of some pros and non pros to help me out before I started. I will just say the sawzall is your friend. I noticed when taking off the low profile roof vents , they were full of dirt and dust. Once the fans were installed the temp in the attic is @ or below the outside temp !! What this has done to the inside temp is nothing short of amazing. It was 80+deg outside and the temp on the inside at it’s peak was 74 deg.. with no AC that day or the day before. I’ve never had a temp that low in the house..without running the AC or unless it was less than that temp outside. Wish I would have installed this 6 years ago….it would have saved me money on summer electric bills..”
Did not pay much attention to “shingle-match”, need to return it as it’d not fit my tile roofing, silly me:(
August 18, 2012 at 1:06 AM #750484Jazzman
ParticipantThere are manufacturers who make quieter fans now, but they still recommend installing in halls outside bedrooms, presumably due to noise. They are obviously only effective if outside temps drop significantly in the evening.
There are problems with excess dust and other matter being drawn into the house.
If your loft is well insulated, it won’t be the cause of all the heat build up in your home. Overhangs, well positioned trees, awnings, window glass treatment can all help. Simple house fans circulate air and offer cost effective relief.
August 18, 2012 at 9:19 AM #750496
svelteParticipantWe put in an attic fan a couple of years ago. Sits above guest room which is the only place you can hear it – a faint hum if you are perfectly still and listen. We are 10 miles from the coast and on the hottest days it runs from about noon to 8 pm. It is set to come on when the attic reaches 100 degrees. I swear the a/c comes on less often now in the house.
Great investment, glad we bought it. I have heard they may only last 5 to 10 years, so I actually bought a spare…that way I can bolt it right in with no alterations when the first one goes.
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