Need advice on whole house fan
We are planning on installing a whole house fan on a three story brownstone. As several previous posters have observed, almost all whole house fans are designed to vent into the attic. However, given the nature of Bklyn brownstones (flat roofs, no attic), we need a fan that mounts on the roof. What have people…
We are planning on installing a whole house fan on a three story brownstone. As several previous posters have observed, almost all whole house fans are designed to vent into the attic. However, given the nature of Bklyn brownstones (flat roofs, no attic), we need a fan that mounts on the roof.
What have people trying to install whole house fans on brownstones found out? We have 3600 sq ft of space we are trying to ventilate, so it needs to be a powerful fan. I don’t think other solutions previously mentioned such as turbines would work in this case.
Can anyone recommend an HVAC engineer that might be able to consult on this?
Thanks for any advice.
I’m on a decision if we would replace the whole house fan or not. I’m choosing whether to get the fan online or through walmart.
http://www.thehardwarecity.com/?sku=5804448
When we moved to a new apartment I’ve had problems with it, the whole house fan wasn’t working so I had to replace it immediately. I tried going to this site and they really deliver.
http://www.thehardwarecity.com/?sku=5804448
Whatever type of exhaust fan you use, make sure there is adequate intake air to replace
what is being drawn out.
Otherwise, you’ll create a negative pressure (like a vacuum) in your home which will prevent the chimney from doing its job and fill your home with carbon monoxide when the boiler or water heater is running.
That would be bad.
You are right to ask for consultation with an engineer or HVAC Professional.
The house I grew up in had a whole house fan (vented to the attic), with no AC, and it was fantastic. It pulled air from the basement, which partially below grade and thus always a few degrees cooler than the rest of the house. Far more efficient than AC. If you’re concerned about electric (12:57), then you should be concerned about the whole house, not just one appliance.
We’ve been thinking about getting a whole-house fan for our (atticless) row house. In our case, we have a bulkhead that could be mounted to, which would mean not having to do a roof penetration. I know Home Depot carries “mushroom” fans that look like they might do the job (roof installed or otherwise).
you might also want to think about where your make-up air is coming from if you put a whole house fan in the roof. you will probably want an air intake somewhere or you might end up drawing replacement air from your brownstone cellar which i would say might not be the best idea. unless of course you always open a window when you run the whole house fan.
3:10, window AC units are far less efficient than CAC…
THe OP may want to visit
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/categories/hvacr/exhaust-fans/whole-house-fans
to see some HH fans.
Here’s one: http://www.rewci.com/tatc.html
I googled, “whole house fan” & “no attic”.
Let us know if you find any other good ones, this seems like a good idea.
And loud. You might want to visit a home that has one already to experience the sound level as well as the cooling sufficiency.
Running a fan at night consumes a hell of a lot less electricity than running AC, be it CAC or a window unit. Besides the potential cost savings, environmental benefit, etc etc, I just don’t like AC air. Anyway, we are also installing a solar thermal system coupled with radiant floor heating and may or may not add PV panels if we have ANY money left.
From what I’ve read, whole house fans are a fantastic way of cooling down your house naturally, it’s not gonna help much when it’s 105 outside, but let’s say 90% of time in summer it will be sufficient.