What is it? A Whole house fan is a large exhaust fan mounted in the ceiling/attic to evacuate heat from the house and attic.
How does it work? Whole house fans are designed to replace the warm air in the house with cooler outside air. They are usually installed in the hallway, but will work in any room with an attic. To move air efficiently, some windows or doors will need to be open while it is running. The fan pulls cool air into the house, pulls the warm house air up into the attic and pushes the hot attic air outside through the attic vents. Occasionally, additional attic vents are necessary for the fan to operate properly.
Will it work in my Two-story house? Yes. A whole house fan is a fantastic way to remove the upstairs heat retention. The fan would be located at the top of the stairs to draw from the downstairs, as well as the rooms upstairs. The beauty of this fan is you control the areas you want cooled, by the windows and doors you choose to open. At bedtime, for example, it may only be necessary to cool upstairs bedrooms. Also, by having the fan on a timer, you can go to bed with the fan running and the timer shuts it off.
When do I use it and for how long? A Whole house fan is normally used when the temperature outside is the same or cooler than the inside of your home. It is important to pre-cool in the mornings to get a jump on the afternoon heat. The fan is used again in the evening once the outside temperature is 85° or cooler. It will take 5 to 10 air exchanges through your home to cool not only the air, but the walls and furnishings as well. A fan properly sized for your home will exchange the air in 3 to 5 minutes.
How much does a whole house fan cost to operate? A whole house fan will cost 5 to 10 cents per hour to operate. Your air conditioner will cost at least ten times more per hour to operate.
What type of controls do you recommend? We use a 12-hour timer with a 2-speed switch. The fan must be turned on manually and the timer will shut it off. It is important that you are aware of when the fan is on so you can be sure to have some windows and doors open. That is why we do not use "automatic on" timers or thermostats.
How noisy is the whole house fan? There are two types of whole house fans on the market, direct drive and belt-driven units. Delta Breeze whole house fans are belt-driven which are the quietest. The more blades there are the less each has to do to keep the air moving, allowing the fan to run at a slower speed. A slower speed means a quieter fan. The combination of more blades (ours having 6), the slower speed, and being belt-driven eliminates nearly all the noise associated with whole house fans. Remember, a quiet fan is one that will be used.
What size is right for me? All whole house fans are rated by CFM (cubic feet per minute). A 2000 CFM fan is considered small and a 10,000 CFM fan is considered large. For an idea of the fan's efficiency, imagine a 2,000 square foot home with 8 foot ceilings. The total cubic feet of air in the home would be 8 x 2,000 or 16,000 cubic feet of air. If the house had a whole house fan rated at 5,000 CFM, the fan would take approximately 3 minutes to replace the air in the home. If a whole house fan rated at 10,000 CFM was installed in the same home, it would exchange all the air in less than 2 minutes.
Will it work for me? There are two requirements for a whole house fan to work. Your house must have an attic and adequate venting to exhaust the heat through the attic. A whole house fan can also be mounted vertically with a motorized shutter for homes with special placement needs. We have years of experience specializing in whole house fan installations. The efficiency of this product speaks for itself and is a valuable improvement to any home.
We will be glad to answer any questions you have regarding the whole house fan. We offer free in-home evaluations and estimates.
          
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