:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/RoofTurbineFan-708a3b541f4a477d824ae8f9214616c2.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "What Are the Pros and Cons of Installing One?")
| Complete-Home Fan | Attic Fan | |
| What It Does | Pulls air in the home upward into the attic | Expels air from the attic to the skin |
| How It Cools | Removes built-up scorching air and offers a delicate breeze | Cools down area above ceiling; much less radiant warmth can imply a cooler dwelling space if ceiling is uninsulated |
| How one can Use | Guide, managed by change or pull wire | Computerized, managed by thermostat |
| Value, Supplies Solely | $200 to $1,600 | $75 to $400 |
Cooling and Venting Skill
Attic Fan
Efficient attic insulation reduces the necessity for an attic fan to chill the home. The insulation is designed to buffer a cool dwelling area in opposition to searing scorching attic temperatures or a heat dwelling area in opposition to a chilly attic. So, if your own home’s attic is effectively insulated, it’s possible you’ll not really feel a lot distinction by having an attic fan.
An attic fan will help calm down the dwelling area if the attic will not be insulated. A scorching attic radiates warmth via the ceiling, very similar to the warmth of a espresso mug on a hand holding it. An attic fan lowers the warmth in the home by lowering the attic’s temperature; it by no means strikes any air throughout the house.
Attic followers can hold an attic well-ventilated, stopping the expansion of mould and mildew.
Complete-Home Fan
So long as the out of doors temperature is decrease than the indoor temperature, a whole-house fan will assist to chill down the house. Complete-house followers can be utilized to offset the utilization of energy-hungry central air-con models. Researchers at Iowa State College estimated {that a} whole-house fan makes use of about 33% as a lot energy as a central air conditioner. That’s primarily based on a 2-1/2 ton air conditioner and a $0.06 kWh price.
Greatest for Cooling and Venting Skill: Tied
A complete-house fan usually will cool the house higher as a result of it strikes the air inside the home. A complete-house fan will not be as pronounced as a room fan however will be felt. It disperses scorching air that has collected within the higher areas of your own home and creates mild air motion.
Set up
Attic Fan
Attic followers that mount behind current gable vents will be put in shortly if the attic has an current energy supply. Powered roof vents are more difficult to put in. These vents require a gap within the roof, plus the outside facet of the fan built-in into the shingles.
Complete-Home Fan
So long as the attic has electrical energy, essentially the most difficult a part of putting in a whole-house fan is chopping into the ceiling drywall and attaching the damper field to the ceiling joists. Bigger whole-house followers that span two joists are tougher to put in as a result of the severed joist should be braced by two facet items. Venting into the attic is straightforward: the air is pushed into the attic and the fan is suspended with two hanger straps from the rafters.
Greatest for Set up: Attic Fan
An attic fan will often be simpler to put in than a whole-house fan as a result of putting in a whole-house fan means enlarging or growing the attic’s outflow to the outside.
Look
Attic Fan
Probably the most visually obtrusive attic fan set up shall be one the place a number of followers are situated on a roof. A gable-mounted attic fan will not be as noticeable as it can match throughout the attic and behind the gable opening’s vent.
Complete-Home Fan
A complete-house fan is situated throughout the attic however should open into the house’s ceiling, with a vent overlaying the opening. Complete-house followers are the width of your ceiling’s joists and are round 36- to 40-inches lengthy.
Greatest For Look: Attic Fan
An attic fan will at all times be much less visually intrusive than a whole-house fan as a result of it has no opening to the dwelling area. If the attic fan is situated behind the house’s current gable vent (quite than a shutter-style fan that replaces the vent), the fan shall be almost invisible from the skin.
Sound
Attic Fan
As a result of the attic fan is situated both in a gable or on the roof, it’s separated from the dwelling space by a number of ft and by the ceiling. Moreover, the ceiling could also be insulated, which offers vital soundproofing.
Complete-Home Fan
The entire-house fan is situated within the ceiling of the dwelling area. Some whole-house followers have an insulated isolator: a steel bay that matches underneath the damper field to lift it a foot or two above the ceiling.
Greatest for Sound: Attic Fan
Individually, an attic and a whole-house fan have about the identical sound degree. However when put in, there’s a larger separation between the attic fan and the dwelling area, plus attic insulation might act as soundproofing. This implies an put in attic fan shall be quieter than a whole-house fan.
Ease of Operation
Attic Fan
Attic followers activate and off mechanically. A thermostat within the attic, usually with a large temperature vary (from 60 to 120 levels F, as an illustration), sends a sign to the fan to activate when the preset temperature is reached.
Complete-Home Fan
A complete-house fan is turned on and off by the person. Home windows and screened doorways should first be opened; then, the fan is turned on. The fan might have a pull wire that drops from the ceiling or is operated with a wall change. Typically a timer is put rather than an everyday change to permit for a set run time which is particularly useful for nighttime.
Greatest for Ease of Operation: Attic Fan
An attic fan operates seamlessly and within the background. It doesn’t must be adjusted until the person needs to alter the temperature setting. Home windows and doorways don’t must be opened or closed.
Value of Product and Set up
Each attic followers and whole-house followers require an electrician to route an electrical cable into the attic and hardwire the facility to the unit.
Attic Fan
Each gable-mount and roof-mount attic followers price from $75 to $225. Shutter-style attic followers that change current gable vents price $200 to $400.
Complete-Home Fan
Most whole-house followers are rated between 1,500 and seven,000 CFM. Decrease-velocity whole-house followers that blow straight into the attic and don’t have any connected vents price $200 to $400. Greater velocity followers with connecting vents price from $800 to $1,600.
Greatest for Product Value and Set up: Attic Fan
Attic followers are inexpensive to buy and set up than whole-house followers.
High Manufacturers
Under are a few of the hottest and well-respected manufacturers to look out for.
- Lively Air flow
- Air Vent
- iLiving
- LOMANCO
- Masterflow
- Ventamatic