Are Whole House Fans Noisy?
Whole house fans are not a new idea and have been around for awhile now. However, modern whole house fans don’t have much in common with the older huge noisy monsters. Back in the day, a whole house fan has been hard to install, noisy and extremely energy inefficient. Fans from the past also had a reputation of being very loud.
Fortunately, today, using optimized motors and insulated ducts, modern whole house fans are much more quiet.
Features of a Modern Whole House Fan
The modern quiet whole house fan today offers an innovative design, making it so quiet, you’ll hardly even know it’s running. An insulated, flexible acoustical duct system separating the intake grill from the motor as well as a suspended mount decreases sound level and vibration to virtually silent.
Aside from being substantially quieter, the new whole house fans have optional insulated, motorized, sealed damper doors with no framing needed during installation, and a small fan that runs all night long to use less energy than an AC unit would. Additionally, your home will be cooler in the morning.
- Low Noise, High Power
The ducted design of modern whole house fans insulate the fan’s noise from the interior of your home. At high speed, its powerful airflow will cool your home quickly without disturbing your activities in the evening. At low speed, you can keep your home ventilated all night long without noticing any noise coming from the fan, even right under the grill.
- Outstanding Energy Efficiency
Because of the high-tech, premium meticulous design and ECM motors, a modern whole house fan is the most energy-efficient available. For instance, with one particular modern whole house fan, a mid-size system, on medium speed, can generate more than 2900 CFM while using only 167 watts of power. Now, compare this to a standard 3-ton AC unit that uses around 3,300 watts.
- Maintenance Free Operation
Modern whole house fans are manufactured with industrial-grade components, metal construction and solid-state electronics which are designed to run maintenance free for years.
- Automatic Insulated Dampers
Some whole house fans come with Power Airlock™ dampers, that have R-49 insulation. The damper doors are automatically opened and closed with industrial-grade actuators, providing a thermal barrier and airtight seal between your attic and living space. This eliminates condensation, air leakage and heat loss; all crucial in winter climate zones.
While the sound levels are extremely quiet, not all whole house fan systems will be appropriate in all areas for installation. For instance, you won’t want to install a bigger unit in your bedroom. And, some locations, like Hawaii for instance, lack insulation, so it’s important you speak with a consultant to help you figure out the appropriate system for your home’s location.
If you’re looking to buy a whole house fan, consider purchasing a modern system, like the QuietCool QC CL-3100 Whole House Fan, that’s easy to install, whisper quiet and requires no maintenance. Call us here at WholeHouseFan.com at 1.888.229.5757 if you have any questions about whole house fans.