Whole House Fans and Humidity Control
Whole house fans are one of those rare appliances that once you install them into your home, you never look back. The benefits of using a whole house fan are huge. Whole house fans remove heat from your home, keeping you cool. They provide a comforting breeze. They remove indoor air pollution. They’re fantastic at lowering humidity levels indoors, which is something other cooling systems like air conditioners just can’t tackle.
Below, we’ll go over how whole house fans work and how they can help you control the humidity in your home.
How Do Whole House Fans Work?
Whole house fans are usually installed in the ceiling of a hallway that connects to your attic. To operate a whole house fan, you will need to open at least one window or door and attic vent.
When turned on, a whole house fan will ventilate the home by sucking in fresh air and exhausting trapped indoor air.
Humidity in the House
Humidity can find its way into the house (generally) due to one of two reasons:
- It’s humid outside. Either you live in a humid environment or some days during the summer you experience high humidity. If your home is poorly sealed or you open the windows, that humid air will come inside get trapped.
- Inside humidity is trapped. Whereas the first reason may be due to poor sealing in the home, this second reason is because you’re home is sealed up too tightly and there’s little to no ventilation.
As humans, we generate humidity simply by living and breathing. If you cook and take hot showers, you’re creating additional humidity. Plants in the home may also contribute to indoor humidity levels. During any season when you keep all of the windows shut, this natural humidity accumulates and sticks around in the home. In the winter, you may notice it condensing on the insides of your windows.
Reduce Indoor Humidity with a Whole House Fan
Can whole house fans reduce indoor humidity? Absolutely.
However, they are most effective at reducing the humidity described in number 2 above, when inside humidity is trapped, rather than reducing humidity that’s a result of outside conditions. This is because whole house fans are best when outdoor conditions are different than indoor ones.
For example, if you wish to cool your home down in the summer, you’ll get the best results when temperatures drop at night and during the mornings. Similarly, your whole house fan should be used to reduce humidity levels only when the humidity inside is greater than the humidity outside.
Whole house fans are most suited to dry or moderate climates rather than very humid ones. In climates where some days are humid and some are dry, a whole house fan can be used with AC depending on the humidity levels at the time.