Where is the Best Location for a Whole House Fan?
The whole house fan has been a staple in the United States for over a century. With the rise of electricity rates, and the negative impact AC units have on the environment, homeowners are realize that the whole house fan is a great solution for ventilating their homes.
The whole house fan has a cubic feet per minute (C.F.M.) rating. This rating provides you with an idea of how the unit will circulate the air in your home. A fan should ideally change the air in your home every couple of minutes. Prior to buying a fan, you’ll need to calculate your living space volume in your home so you can determine the amount of air the fan will need to circulate.
For homes that already have air conditioners, the best strategy would be to shut the AC unit down at night and use the whole house fan instead. The whole house fan, on average, uses 90 percent less energy than air conditioners.
Where to Place the Fan
Center of Home
Although it really depends on the home, the whole house fan works best when you install it close to the center of your home. The best place is an unobstructed hallway. In order to determine which spot is best in your home, go to your attic and choose the attic joists nearest to the center.
You need to allow enough space for the fan shutters to open and close. The space should also be free of too many pipes or wires.
Should you center your whole house fan in order for it to work effectively? No, although it’s recommended, it’s not mandatory. It doesn’t matter where your fan gets the air, it just matters that you have your windows open. If your fan is close to the windows, you can open up fewer windows. If it is far away from the windows, you will need to open more. This will allow you to control the amount of air you have coming from your windows.
Attics
Another good location for your whole house fan is the attic. This is because attics are well ventilated and provide a lot of space for equipment. Furthermore, they enable the fan to clear out the hottest air in the home. If your home does not have an attic, you can have the fan exhaust in a crawlspace or garage. You will also find a number of roof mounted fans on the marketplace.
Because a whole house fan exhausts into the attic, it needs to be properly vented so you do not build up pressure. Otherwise, you will jeopardize fan performance and air could be forced back through ceiling openings as well as particulate matter and dust because of pressure build up. When you are running your fan, it is important you open the windows or you risk backdrafting which draws exhaust gases from your chimney and vents.
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