I recently purchased an eleven year-old home with an attic fan. What is this?

Question

How can I identify it when going in the attic? Should I have a thermostat control somewhere? Any more details or instructions that I should know about? How does it help?

Answer 1

If it is a true "attic fan" it was have a vent into the ceiling of the house. Not a vent, per se, but a door with slats. When you turn the fan on, the slats open up. Air from the house is suck by the fan up into the attic and pushed out through the vents in the attic. The purpose of the attic fan is to quickly draw outside air into the house and exhaust the air that is in the house out. When you run the attic fan, you need to have windows open so the air outside can be draw into the house.



Typically, attic fans DO NOT have a thermostat. Its up to you to know when to run it and when not to. If the air outside the house is hotter than the air inside the house, of course you would not run the thing. On the other hand, if you are cooking something in the kitchen and it burns and gets smoky, the attic fan is a great way to quickly get that smoke out of the house.



Attic fans are great for summer nights, when the temperature outside is cooler than the temp in the house. You just open the windows, turn the fan on, and it will quickly draw the cooler air into the house.

Answer 2

An attic fan is designed to do for the entire building what the exhaust fan does for a bathroom. During hot weather, and with some/all windows open, the attic fan draws air through the house from the windows up into the attic and out the gables and other attic vents. If the fan is on it is drawing air into the attic; there is no reverse mode on the switch.



An attic fan does not condition the air in the house, so there is no thermostat which controls its operation. The attic fan merely moves air through the house, along with all the dust, pollutants, etc, in the outside air which is the source.



Unless you reside in a location which has a very mild climate during the warmer months, you probably have a heating/air conditioning system. If that is the case there is little or no appropriate use for an attic fan. On the other hand, if the house is only eleven years old, there may be a reasonable rationale for its presence. Talk with the real estate agent who handled the transaction or the former owner for clues as to intended purpose. Was there no discussion of the attic fan before you contracted to purchase?



One caveat: closure of the vents of the attic fan assembly does not effectively seal or prevent escape of heat during cooler months. Therefore, the attic fan is an energy inefficient device and installation. Consider removal of the fan and installation of framing and drywall ceiling, after which fill that area of the attic with insulation.

Answer 3

There are two kinds of "attic fans", one is small and designed to pull hot air out of the attic. There are typically controlled by a thermostatic switch. They are installed in the roof near the peak.



The other attic fan is rather large and is intended to pull air out of the house and exhaust it into the attic. This type of fan is usually located in a central point such as a hall way. It is mounted horizontally in the ceiling and has louvers that close when the fan is not running. With this arrangement, you can open the windows in the various rooms of the house and the fan will create a breeze from each window, pulling in fresh air. It doesn't cool the house so much as it keeps the air moving so it feels cooler. It also keeps hot air from accumulating in the attic. Control of this type of attic fan is usually manual from a switch near the fan location.

Answer 4

There are two types of fans in question. 1. A whole house fan. This is the kind you will see in the ceiling that opens to the attic. It will usually be connected in conjunction with your furnace thermostat wiring.

2. Attic fans they are usually located "INSIDE" the attic usually one on each side of the house where the opening/vents to the outside. They may have a switch or a thermostat to run it.

Mine (self installed) are operated by a thermostat on each fan. I have mine set to 70 degrees. When the attic reaches that temperature they come on and draw the hot air to the outside of the house.

The heat in the attic quickly builds up to more than 90 degrees. They help a lot to keep the living space cooler or the heat from building up. Most times my A/C don't kick in till late afternoon or early evening. I have it set at 68.

In addition if/when you have to re-shingle your roof, ask for white or the lightest color you can get. The darker color will absorb/draw more heat. The lighter color reflects the suns rays.

Answer 5

An attic fan is controlled by a switch, no thermostat.



in lieu of AC, one can open a window or any number of windows and when the fan is running, it will pull air from the outside and exhaust the air into the attic. This circulates fresh air throughout the house or one room with a cooling affect.



On moderate days or nights it will save electricity as opposed to running AC. These were most common prior to AC in homes. If a location has much polluted air, it may not be desirable.



In the attic you will see a "box framework" around the fan.

Answer 6

There are two different fans types you may have, If you find large square or rectangular set of louvers in the ceiling of the house you have a whole house fan, it will run off of a timer switch in the wall. When the house it hot you open your windows, turn on the timer, this will suck the hot air out of the house and replace it with cooler air form outside. If you dont have louvers in the ceiling you have an attic fan, it will be in the attic and exhaust air either thru a hood on the roof or louvers on the end of the house. This will work off of a thermostat in the attic, it exhausts hot air from the attic and replace it with cooler air from outside. The determining factor is once again louvers in the cieling.

Answer 7

An attic fan removes excess heat from your attic, making your home easier to cool. Generally there is a built in thermostat that was set during installation. Look at the roof from the outside, you'll see a metal hood that covers the fan. If you want to inspect it you'll have to go in the attic. Best way to check it is wait for a good hot day next summer and poke your head in the attic and see if it's running. Good Luck

Answer 8

listen: every fan is differant! some are simply switch controlled,some have Thermo stats. some have both. some the thermostats are simply up in the attic near or on the fan itself. if your in the attic simply see the fan and check for a switchor tstat.

this fan is to ensure your attic doesnt overheat and helps keeps your entire home cooler in the summer. thats it...

Answer 9

Yes it should have a thermostat; it is to keep the hot air from your attic hence will help keep home cooler and cut down on air conditioning costs.

Answer 10

An attic fan has an air intake usually in the hallway. I would go to home depot or lowes and talk to someone in that department and look at what they have to find out more. I read that they pull the hot air out of your home but are not very economical to use.

Answer 11

attic fan is used for re circulating air in the attic. keep the heat down.

Answer 12

it has a thermostat yes. and it will save ya alot in the summer cant miss it when youre up there looks like a hump