How to Prepare My Whole House Fan for Winter

Using a whole house fan allows you to effectively cool your home during mild weather without the need for air conditioning. It serves as a great alternative or supplement to air conditioning which burdens the electrical grid during heat waves, increases your carbon footprint, and results in high electricity bills. Furthermore, whole house fans ventilate the home and improve indoor air quality.

While the benefits of a whole house fan are significant, if you live in a climate that gets cold during the winter, you want to be sure your whole house fan isn’t allowing any heat to escape.

Whole house fans can be closed when they’re not in use, however, some whole house fans are not airtight when closed, so significant amounts of heat can escape, driving up your heating bills. Therefore, you need to make sure your whole house fan is prepared for winter to avoid any heat loss during winter.

3 Steps to Prepare Your Whole House Fan for Winter

Luckily, there are ways to effectively prepare your whole house fan for winter. Doing so will make it more airtight and prevent heat from escaping your home through your fan.

1. Seal and insulate. The metal louvre that closes the fan is responsible for a lot of heat escaping the home because it is not airtight. So by insulating the metal louvre, you will prevent excess heat from escaping. Use an insulation board that is at least one inch thick. Use an adhesive to attach it to a rigid surface like plywood. Finally, use velcro to secure the louvre to the louvre cover and tighten it with a threaded nut and bolt.
2. Use an attic box. If you don’t want a visible cover inside your home, use an attic box instead. An attic box will provide an airtight seal against the housing of the fan. You can make an attic box easily enough with fiberglass duct board.
3. Install a winterized insert kit. Installing a winterized insert kit prevents cold air from coming into your attic in order to prevent heat from escaping your home during the cold season. When the seasons change, you can easily remove the insert. The kit is easy to install, all you have to do is insert it behind the grill when the weather begins to cool and take it out when warmer weather returns.

QuietCool winterized insert kits work to prevent heat from escaping and reduce noise caused by changes in air pressure due to high winds. QuietCool winterized insert kits provide an airtight seal and are easy to install, without the need to go into your attic.

Check out all of our whole house fan accessories here, including winterized inserts for whole house fans.