Mark L Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 I'm right up the road from you man in Olivehurst. They are coming to install it on Thursday. The wording you used is exactly what the guy told me...once you have one, you will never live with out one again. Given this climate, I can only imagine this to be true:banana: Yeah, it makes a huuuuuuuuge difference, especially if you run it throughout the night, it makes the AC more efficient the following day because it doesn't have to work as hard. The only thing I've heard is, some are very loud, as in 'one cannot sleep' loud. The one I have is very soothing and I can sleep easily. However, my neighbor has one and it is very loud, where he cannot sleep with it on. So I guess it's all on which manufacturer you go with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07RS4 Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 Yeah, it makes a huuuuuuuuge difference, especially if you run it throughout the night, it makes the AC more efficient the following day because it doesn't have to work as hard. The only thing I've heard is, some are very loud, as in 'one cannot sleep' loud. The one I have is very soothing and I can sleep easily. However, my neighbor has one and it is very loud, where he cannot sleep with it on. So I guess it's all on which manufacturer you go with. Do you know who you went with? I went with these guys....and he promises the only thing I'll hear is the movement of air throughout the house. Whole House Fan Company Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFairbanks Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Dave, I noticed in the video when the guy was cutting out the sheetrock it didn't appear that he had the area closed off. That sheet rock dust will go every where, fast. Especially if he is using a sawzall like in the video or a rotozip. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07RS4 Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 Dave, I noticed in the video when the guy was cutting out the sheetrock it didn't appear that he had the area closed off. That sheet rock dust will go every where, fast. Especially if he is using a sawzall like in the video or a rotozip. Just a thought. Good point...whenever he is in my house I'll be standing behind him with my shop vac going. BTW, on your previous post about the attic ventalation. I have six vents in the attic that we saw....2 turtle backs as you call them, and 4 of the vents that are under the eves. He said it's going to be close with the amount of air this thing pushes (36 in)....I may have to widen the vents. Hmmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFairbanks Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 BTW, on your previous post about the attic ventalation. I have six vents in the attic that we saw....2 turtle backs as you call them, and 4 of the vents that are under the eves. He said it's going to be close with the amount of air this thing pushes (36 in)....I may have to widen the vents. Hmmmm. You could add a couple more vents similair to what you already have. Or add one big one. Depends on what if you would be O.K. with how it looked. Usually those vents are placed on the back side and nobody ever sees them any how. There are several differet styles. You could also just remove your ridge cap shingles and put one of those ridge vents in and then re-shingle the ridge. The soffit venting is going to be a little harder to change. You may need to have a siding guy fix that for you. I don't know why the just put those vents here and there in the soffit. Mine is vented all the way around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark L Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Do you know who you went with? I went with these guys....and he promises the only thing I'll hear is the movement of air throughout the house. Whole House Fan Company Yeah that's the company I used. You'll be in good hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07RS4 Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 Yeah that's the company I used. You'll be in good hands. Sweeeet. Thanks man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07RS4 Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 You could add a couple more vents similair to what you already have. Or add one big one. Depends on what if you would be O.K. with how it looked. Usually those vents are placed on the back side and nobody ever sees them any how. There are several differet styles. You could also just remove your ridge cap shingles and put one of those ridge vents in and then re-shingle the ridge. The soffit venting is going to be a little harder to change. You may need to have a siding guy fix that for you. I don't know why the just put those vents here and there in the soffit. Mine is vented all the way around. Yeah, I don't know why they do that. They have 3 holes in them, with a screen over the holes. I called a guy to see how much if he had to remove that type, and put the bigger ones in and they quoted me $200 for the first vent, and $150 after:help:. I would add them myself like you said, but if I have to do it from the outside, it's on the second floor and I'm ashamed to say I'm afraid of heights:loser: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFairbanks Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 (edited) Yeah, I don't know why they do that. They have 3 holes in them, with a screen over the holes. I called a guy to see how much if he had to remove that type, and put the bigger ones in and they quoted me $200 for the first vent, and $150 after:help:. I would add them myself like you said, but if I have to do it from the outside, it's on the second floor and I'm ashamed to say I'm afraid of heights:loser: Thats ridiculous, especially when you consider the price of the fan. This is exactly the reason why I have learned to do just about everything myself. Search Results for*roof vent*at The Home Depot In regards to your fear of heights issue. Just do what I do. Don't look down....lol. There is no getting around getting on top of the roof. You have to pretty much work from both sides. This seems to have a lot of good info on attic ventilation. http://www.owenscorning.com/literature/pdfs/ventsure-catalog.pdf Edited May 26, 2012 by LFairbanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdresq4 Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Dave, Just sent you a PM. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07RS4 Posted May 26, 2012 Author Share Posted May 26, 2012 Thats ridiculous, especially when you consider the price of the fan. This is exactly the reason why I have learned to do just about everything myself. Search Results for*roof vent*at The Home Depot In regards to your fear of heights issue. Just do what I do. Don't look down....lol. There is no getting around getting on top of the roof. You have to pretty much work from both sides. This seems to have a lot of good info on attic ventilation. http://www.owenscorning.com/literature/pdfs/ventsure-catalog.pdf Thanks Chris. Dave, Just sent you a PM. Steve Got it...thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdresq4 Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Any questions shoot me a PM. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kornercarver Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 I have an attic fan in my house now and had one for about 20 years in my other house. We had attic fans as a kid so I don't think I have ever been without an attic fan in the house I lived in. We use it a great deal in the spring and fall, but summers are simply too hot here to use the attic fan. The only downside is it brings in a lot of dust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07RS4 Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 Installed and ready to rock...say goodbye to my AC if I play my cards right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewy Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Say hello to dusting your house more! lol Good luck! Really hope it works out for ya! Gonna save some money for sure! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07RS4 Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 Say hello to dusting your house more! lol Good luck! Really hope it works out for ya! Gonna save some money for sure! Chris God I hope not:mad: Thanks..yeah, I've already got my schedule worked out. So if my plan works out, and the house is down to outside temp in the morning (around 62 average), that should hold steady until we are about ready to go to bed. The good news is, I've had numerous comments that said this is the best insulated house they've seen. So I think I can do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdresq4 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Good Deal dave. Mine is on right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Adam's Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 (edited) The big con is the dust... anytime you're pulling more outside air in thru the windows its gonna bring stuff with it. Honestly not that bad though. The benefits are HUGE... pretty much I only have to run our AC during mid day to regulate. Almost never at night except for on super hot summer nights. On average I run it right around sunset when the temps drop... it'll usually drop the temp in the house to 70-72* give or take. Then we shut it off and the house stays cool thru the night. In the AM I turn it on high right after I wake up... lately I've been able to get the house down to around 65* in the morning. I close the windows and blinds after that, set the AC to about 76* and it rarely kicks on before 1pm and even when it does its more about maintaining the air temp... not trying to overcome a ton of heat. I'd estimate that it saves us about 20-30% on our electricity in the summer months probably even more the rest of the year b/c you can feasibly cool the house enough in the morning that you never have to run the AC at all. Not only can you keep the house cool without AC using one the AC isn't as heavily taxed trying to cool the house down as it would be normally. With the attic cooled so is your duct work meaning the air passing thru it reaches the interior of the house cooler than it would otherwise. As cheap as they are and as easy as they are to install its a no brainer! EDIT: Key things about using one in your house... Make sure to clean the fan and motor assembly regularly. Never turn it on when there isn't sufficient windows open to draw air. Open widows spaced throughout the house and try to stick to the cooler sides. Don't open too many. I usually open 2 upstairs for low speed, 2 up and 1 large down for high speed operation Buy a simple 2 speed pump control (sold at home depot) and use that instead of the included pull chain they come with. Wires in easily. Place the fan as centrally as you can so it draws evenly from all areas of the house. Edited June 1, 2012 by Dylan@Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Adam's Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Dylan has one, and will hopefully be helping me install mine in a few weeks here Gotta find time... have a birthday party this weekend, next weekend I'm in Colorado again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFairbanks Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 The big con is the dust... anytime you're pulling more outside air in thru the windows its gonna bring stuff with it. Honestly not that bad though. I close the windows and blinds after that, set the AC to about 76* You must have a nice wife Dylan to tolerate 76*. I keep mine set at a constant 70* and figure in the month of August I pay about $3.50 a day. Does your humidity levels fluctuate enough for you to notice when you use the fan? I know mine stays fairly constant at around 40%. I don't have a whole house fan. Just use central air. Ideal humidity levels are between 35 and 50%. Lower than 35% and you have issues with viruses over 50% you start dealing with mold. The issue with dust can be helped by having a good quality filter on your air handler. And if your fan on your air handler isn't obnoxiosly noisy running it 24/7 is beneficial. Some are designed to do this, some are just way too noisy. I know mine isn't even audibly noticeable. Not only doesn't help balance temps in the house it is always cleaning the air. I run a Merv 16 filter in my setup and change it every 3-4 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ryan Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Gotta find time... have a birthday party this weekend, next weekend I'm in Colorado again. Booo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07RS4 Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 (edited) The big con is the dust... anytime you're pulling more outside air in thru the windows its gonna bring stuff with it. Honestly not that bad though. The benefits are HUGE... pretty much I only have to run our AC during mid day to regulate. Almost never at night except for on super hot summer nights. On average I run it right around sunset when the temps drop... it'll usually drop the temp in the house to 70-72* give or take. Then we shut it off and the house stays cool thru the night. In the AM I turn it on high right after I wake up... lately I've been able to get the house down to around 65* in the morning. I close the windows and blinds after that, set the AC to about 76* and it rarely kicks on before 1pm and even when it does its more about maintaining the air temp... not trying to overcome a ton of heat. I'd estimate that it saves us about 20-30% on our electricity in the summer months probably even more the rest of the year b/c you can feasibly cool the house enough in the morning that you never have to run the AC at all. Not only can you keep the house cool without AC using one the AC isn't as heavily taxed trying to cool the house down as it would be normally. With the attic cooled so is your duct work meaning the air passing thru it reaches the interior of the house cooler than it would otherwise. As cheap as they are and as easy as they are to install its a no brainer! EDIT: Key things about using one in your house... Make sure to clean the fan and motor assembly regularly. Never turn it on when there isn't sufficient windows open to draw air. Open widows spaced throughout the house and try to stick to the cooler sides. Don't open too many. I usually open 2 upstairs for low speed, 2 up and 1 large down for high speed operation Buy a simple 2 speed pump control (sold at home depot) and use that instead of the included pull chain they come with. Wires in easily. Place the fan as centrally as you can so it draws evenly from all areas of the house. I'm hoping the dust will not be a factor, just a little more dusting like you said. Most of the farmers are done plowing, and kicking up dirt. My 4 month old is the only one I don't know if he has allergies or not, I guess I'll find out:xfingers: I'm actually really surprised your house gets that warm that fast...mine will usually stay cool much longer. The hottest part of the day around here is around 1630 - 1700. Very good point about the heat load being much less, when and if I my plan goes south, the A/C shouldn't have to work as hard because the uphill battle isn't as steep. I should have installed it myself, but I just wanted it done. They where in and out in an Hour and Half. It cost me $1395 installed, and I still have to send my $100 rebate in to P,G&E. The installer did mention that this may be a tax deduction next year. One can only hope. Make sure to clean the fan and motor assembly regularly. I'm covered for ten years on all maintenance and if anything goes wrong. Never turn it on when there isn't sufficient windows open to draw air. Open widows spaced throughout the house and try to stick to the cooler sides. Don't open too many. I usually open 2 upstairs for low speed, 2 up and 1 large down for high speed operation. I noticed that it does significantly reduce windspeed at each window depending on how many you open. Which only makes sense. Good point. Buy a simple 2 speed pump control (sold at home depot) and use that instead of the included pull chain they come with. Wires in easily. They wired in a wall switch for me. High/Low options, and a 12 hour timer! Place the fan as centrally as you can so it draws evenly from all areas of the house. Perfect, they installed it on the second floor obviously, and directly in the middle of the house Thanks for the tips, and taking the time to write them! You must have a nice wife Dylan to tolerate 76*. I keep mine set at a constant 70* and figure in the month of August I pay about $3.50 a day. Does your humidity levels fluctuate enough for you to notice when you use the fan? I know mine stays fairly constant at around 40%. I don't have a whole house fan. Just use central air. Ideal humidity levels are between 35 and 50%. Lower than 35% and you have issues with viruses over 50% you start dealing with mold. The issue with dust can be helped by having a good quality filter on your air handler. And if your fan on your air handler isn't obnoxiosly noisy running it 24/7 is beneficial. Some are designed to do this, some are just way too noisy. I know mine isn't even audibly noticeable. Not only doesn't help balance temps in the house it is always cleaning the air. I run a Merv 16 filter in my setup and change it every 3-4 months. The air handler running is fine Chris, and I don't know how hot it get up there in mormon land, but it's 105 average here in the summer, with a 64 average at night. The problem is not regulating the temperature in the house, but the blanket of 160 degree air that's in the attic, that truly never get's relieved. You're A/C is basically fighting an uphill battle, cooling hot air, instead of getting rid of the hot air. Here's the way I look at it, and I will win the war of cheapness I have waged against my electric bill. 64 degree's air at 0600 - Attic, Entire House cooled.... - We both leave for work at 0600 (Shut all windows, blinds) - We both work until around 17:30 - 18:00 The 64 degree air will slowly rise throughout the day, and MAYBE get up to around 78 - 80 by 2100. This is when I turn the WHF on low and run it through the night...at .06/hour.....as opposed to around $1.50 an hour for the condensor fan. I'm telling you, this house is very well insulated, and the way the sun rises and sets....I think I can pull this bad boy off!!!!!!!!!!!! If you kept you're house at 70 degree's here....you would go broke. I'm telling you bro, $400 and $500 electric bills are not uncommon in this neck of the woods, especially if they have innefficient homes trying to keep that low of a temperature. Check this out, and you will see I will win;) Hourly Weather Forecast for 95961 - weather.com BTW, I got it on high right now, and there is a nice stiff breeze throughout the house. Although, just the airflow is kind of loud, bwahahaha Edited June 1, 2012 by 07RS4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFairbanks Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 The air handler running is fine Chris, and I don't know how hot it get up there in mormon land, but it's 105 average here in the summer, with a 64 average at night. The problem is not regulating the temperature in the house, but the blanket of 160 degree air that's in the attic, that truly never get's relieved. You're A/C is basically fighting an uphill battle, cooling hot air, instead of getting rid of the hot air. Mormon land..... Not all us. Typically in August it will heat up to between 95-100. But I know it doesn't cool down to 64* at night. If your attic is your problem I would think something like this would help. Cox Hardware and Lumber - Aluminum Turbine Vent with Base, 12 In Can you add more insulation to your attic to alleviate the hot air from permeating the living areas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07RS4 Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Mormon land..... Not all us. Typically in August it will heat up to between 95-100. But I know it doesn't cool down to 64* at night. If your attic is your problem I would think something like this would help. Cox Hardware and Lumber - Aluminum Turbine Vent with Base, 12 In Can you add more insulation to your attic to alleviate the hot air from permeating the living areas? Just giving you a hard time. No Sister Wives for you? I've been to Hill AFB plenty of times, and I think the 3% beer you have there is kind of ammusing:thumbsup: I wish I had a picture. But the entire attic is at least 3 feet deep with insulation! It's the white kind of insulation, that isn't hazardous. Not like the old school stuff that had fiberglass in it. I asked if when the fan gets turned on, won't it just blow that stuff all over. And no, it creates so much pressure in the attic, it actually compresses it down. Pretty cool. It was funny, it looked like the guy was shoveling snow when he was up there just trying to make enough room for the fan frame. So no, I can't add anymore insulation, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFairbanks Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Just giving you a hard time. No Sister Wives for you? I've been to Hill AFB plenty of times, and I think the 3% beer you have there is kind of ammusing:thumbsup: I wish I had a picture. But the entire attic is at least 3 feet deep with insulation! It's the white kind of insulation, that isn't hazardous. Not like the old school stuff that had fiberglass in it. I asked if when the fan gets turned on, won't it just blow that stuff all over. And no, it creates so much pressure in the attic, it actually compresses it down. Pretty cool. It was funny, it looked like the guy was shoveling snow when he was up there just trying to make enough room for the fan frame. So no, I can't add anymore insulation, haha. Cellulose Insulation? No, no sister wives. One is enough, can't imagine 4. Yeah, they have some quirky thoughts up here and thoughts on alcohol. Had a Christmas helper one year that drank Mtn. Dew like it was going out of style but wouldn't drink a cup of coffee. I asked him what the difference was and I guess cold caffeine is ok, but not hot caffeine. The new thing is in restaraunts some think there needs to be a wall so kids can't see the bad stuff. Normal people call it a mixed drink. Anyhow, back on topic. I hope that it works for you. Like you mentioned earlier it is probably ideal for someone to have in a climate like yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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