Hello,
I was wondering if anyony has ever direct vented a fan like the quietcool fan?
http://www.quietcoolfan.com/qc2250.html
Ideally I would use the roof mount, but they say it cant be used on an 8:12 roof.
http://www.quietcoolfan.com/rooffans.html
I am in northern CA, have a 3 story 2000 sq foot house that I want to put a whole house fan in. I have no attic, so I cant vent to that. I have a section of ceiling that I can put the fan in, and then 2-3 foot space to the roof that it needs to vent out. My other option is to modify the roof fan so that it can sit on the 8:12.
Any experts out there with the experience to advise?
thanks!
Replies
You don't have an attic, but you do have 2-3 feet above the ceiling/below the roof? Isn't that an attic (albeit small)?
Can't use on steep roofs? How about framing e.g. like a chimney platform on the roof for the fan to sit on (level) ... you could dress up the exhaust much like a chimney.
I went to the website you gave us ... what is the purpose of the fan?
Do you have existing exhaust fans?
e.g. bathrooms, kitchen? Are they any good? I guess I'd tend to put different controls on those fans rather than install a large whole house fan.
Do you have air quality or moisture problems? Do you have central A/C and/or heating?
Lots of climate diversity in CA ... what area do you live in? Coastal? Mountains? Eastern Sierra?
Normally a "whole house fan"
Normally a "whole house fan" mounts in the ceiling and vents into the attic space. Air exits the attic through normal attic vents. You don't adequately describe your "2-3 foot space" above the ceiling for us to know if it's a vented attic or simply "dead" space above the finished ceiling (and essentially part of "conditioned space").
Whole-house fans are installed in a central hallway inside the house and pull fresh outdoor air through open windows. They are often used to augment air conditioning or instead of air conditioning in mild summertime climates.
Well I don't know about quietcoolfan but whole house fans are very beneficial. When these fans combine with ceiling or other fans than they provide more comfort in hot summer days.
http://www.ventis.com.au/how-it-works/warm-home/
Do you have a gable or end wall in the attic 28" or so high? If so you could install a louvered exhaust fan in the normal orientation. I assume the attic is conditioned space - insulated and not vented.
Our roof deck was icynene foamed, so it is conditioned space. I mounted a 24" exhaust fan in a gable end. You need enough dummy registers in the ceiling to support draw of the fan. I open a few strategic downstairs windows at night - chosen to allow the longest path for the cold night air. A timer turns the fan off at sun-up and I close the windows. The house and its contents start off every day at around the minimum night-time temp. I have an insulated box to cover and seal the fan in the winter.
If your attic is not conditioned space, you could still use the exhaust fan if you cut a 3'x3' (or whatever the size of the fan) opening in the ceiling directly below the fan and connecting the ceiling hole with the end wall hole with 2x4s and sheetrock and insulate. Fan might be loud in this situation though.
Fans = whole house fan?
An exhaust fan/whole house fan, is just a fan. Because its large, it is usually fitted flat in the ceiling. It can be fitted in a wall.
The idea, is to pull cool air into the home during the night time period, and usually during the spring and autumn, to then close the windows before the air outside warms, and get the air conditioning off to an easy start. The position of the fan is merely one of choice.
For over two thousand years, people in the Middle East have been using a similar idea. They build a tower called a wind catcher, the passing wind pulls the warm air from the home. They use no electricity.
Fans = whole house fan?
An exhaust fan/whole house fan, is just a fan. Because its large, it is usually fitted flat in the ceiling. It can be fitted in a wall.
The idea, is to pull cool air into the home during the night time period, and usually during the spring and autumn, to then close the windows before the air outside warms, and get the air conditioning off to an easy start. The position of the fan is merely one of choice.
For over two thousand years, people in the Middle East have been using a similar idea. They build a tower called a wind catcher, the passing wind pulls the warm air from the home. They use no electricity.