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Posted by CFster on January 28, 2006, 6:14 pm
Ok, I just had a new roof with a ridge vent installed on my Cape, along with
new siding and perforated soffit vents. There are also gable vents on either
end.
Because of the configuration of the upstairs hallway, installing a whole
house fan will be difficult (and I don't want to put it in one of the
bedrooms). Also, I understand that whole house fans do a good job of pulling
in HUMID cool air, as well as being noisey.
I'm interested in a gable fan - cooling the attic space, and leaving my dry
air conditioned air alone on the second floor.
Is there any danger of the fan pulling in rain water through the ridge vent?
Are they typically a low amp type of deal - meaning could it be wired into
an existing outlet near by, or does it need it's own dedicated circuit?
Also, somebody said I shouldn't even have gable vents anymore, as there is
supposed to be a flow between the soffit and ridge vents - and the gable
vent will eliminate that. Should I just have one gable vent with a fan and
cap the other one?
Thanks
-CF
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Posted by on January 28, 2006, 7:31 pm
Ok, I just had a new roof with a ridge vent installed on my Cape, along
with
new siding and perforated soffit vents. There are also gable vents on
either
end.
Because of the configuration of the upstairs hallway, installing a
whole
house fan will be difficult (and I don't want to put it in one of the
bedrooms). Also, I understand that whole house fans do a good job of
pulling
in HUMID cool air, as well as being noisey.
I'm interested in a gable fan - cooling the attic space, and leaving my
dry
air conditioned air alone on the second floor.
Is there any danger of the fan pulling in rain water through the ridge
vent?
Are they typically a low amp type of deal - meaning could it be wired
into
an existing outlet near by, or does it need it's own dedicated circuit?
Also, somebody said I shouldn't even have gable vents anymore, as there
is
supposed to be a flow between the soffit and ridge vents - and the
gable
vent will eliminate that. Should I just have one gable vent with a fan
and
cap the other one?
It sounds like you should leave well enough alone. A ridge vent with
good soffit venting should be all you need. Some people are of the
opinion that the gable vents will short circuit some of the air by
allowing air to come in the gables and exit via the ridge, instead of
coming up through the soffits. In practice, I doubt this is a problem
worth worrying about. One thing for sure, adding a power vent into
this equation is unlikely to make things better and may make them
worse. Why do you think you need a powered gable vent?
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Posted by CFster on January 28, 2006, 7:50 pm
> Ok, I just had a new roof with a ridge vent installed on my Cape, along
> with
> new siding and perforated soffit vents. There are also gable vents on
> either
> end.
> Because of the configuration of the upstairs hallway, installing a
> whole
> house fan will be difficult (and I don't want to put it in one of the
> bedrooms). Also, I understand that whole house fans do a good job of
> pulling
> in HUMID cool air, as well as being noisey.
> I'm interested in a gable fan - cooling the attic space, and leaving my
> dry
> air conditioned air alone on the second floor.
> Is there any danger of the fan pulling in rain water through the ridge
> vent?
> Are they typically a low amp type of deal - meaning could it be wired
> into
> an existing outlet near by, or does it need it's own dedicated circuit?
> Also, somebody said I shouldn't even have gable vents anymore, as there
> is
> supposed to be a flow between the soffit and ridge vents - and the
> gable
> vent will eliminate that. Should I just have one gable vent with a fan
> and
> cap the other one?
> It sounds like you should leave well enough alone. A ridge vent with
> good soffit venting should be all you need. Some people are of the
> opinion that the gable vents will short circuit some of the air by
> allowing air to come in the gables and exit via the ridge, instead of
> coming up through the soffits. In practice, I doubt this is a problem
> worth worrying about. One thing for sure, adding a power vent into
> this equation is unlikely to make things better and may make them
> worse. Why do you think you need a powered gable vent?
Not a powered gable vent. I'm talking about a gable fan.
The reason I want one is because it becomes unbearably hot up there in the
summer.
-CF
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Posted by Ken on January 29, 2006, 9:55 am
CFster wrote:
>
>>Ok, I just had a new roof with a ridge vent installed on my Cape, along
>>with
>>new siding and perforated soffit vents. There are also gable vents on
>>either
>>end.
>>Because of the configuration of the upstairs hallway, installing a
>>whole
>>house fan will be difficult (and I don't want to put it in one of the
>>bedrooms). Also, I understand that whole house fans do a good job of
>>pulling
>>in HUMID cool air, as well as being noisey.
>>I'm interested in a gable fan - cooling the attic space, and leaving my
>>dry
>>air conditioned air alone on the second floor.
>>Is there any danger of the fan pulling in rain water through the ridge
>>vent?
>>Are they typically a low amp type of deal - meaning could it be wired
>>into
>>an existing outlet near by, or does it need it's own dedicated circuit?
>>Also, somebody said I shouldn't even have gable vents anymore, as there
>>is
>>supposed to be a flow between the soffit and ridge vents - and the
>>gable
>>vent will eliminate that. Should I just have one gable vent with a fan
>>and
>>cap the other one?
>>It sounds like you should leave well enough alone. A ridge vent with
>>good soffit venting should be all you need. Some people are of the
>>opinion that the gable vents will short circuit some of the air by
>>allowing air to come in the gables and exit via the ridge, instead of
>>coming up through the soffits. In practice, I doubt this is a problem
>>worth worrying about. One thing for sure, adding a power vent into
>>this equation is unlikely to make things better and may make them
>>worse. Why do you think you need a powered gable vent?
>
>
> Not a powered gable vent. I'm talking about a gable fan.
>
> The reason I want one is because it becomes unbearably hot up there in the
> summer.
>
> -CF
>
>
I have a similar situation except I do not have ridge vents in my roof.
My furnaces are in the attic and of course the evaporator coils are in
those furnaces. Since here in the south it is like placing cooling
coils in a oven in the middle of summer when the attic gets hot, I
placed a thermometer in the attic one day to see just how hot it got.
It was well over 115 degrees with only natural convection through eave
vents and the two gable vents I have.
First I looked for a circuit that powered only bedroom outlets or
lights, and tapped into it for power to a couple of gable fans I
installed. Since I was doing the wiring, I also installed a switch
accessible in a closet so that I could disable the fans anytime I did
not want the fans to run. Times like going on vacation etc. meant that
I was not running them when they were not needed as I also turned off
the A/C then as well. The motors on most exhaust fans use something
like 1/5 HP and do not consume much current, so when added to the
existing circuit I tapped into, there was no danger of exceeding its
rating. The fans have a thermostat that can be set to turn on at 90
degrees or more and they turn off when they fall below the set level.
When I measured the temperature again after installing the fans, the
temperature never exceeded 100 degrees. Keep in mind it is normal for
us to have most days in July and August in the high nineties. Since the
sun beating down on the roof is primarily responsible for the attic
temperature and not the outside air temperature, changing the air in the
attic is what cools it.
With regard to natural convection via ridge vents: I am sure they do
some good and since they are designed to prevent rain from being blown
in during a storm, I would think it is unlikely that a power gable vent
would pull in water if it was raining. It is important that you have
eave vents and that they are not covered with insulation or other
material. It might even be wise to add more such vents if you can. I
however believe a power vent or vents move much more air and
consequently lower the temperature in the attic much more. If your
furnace/air handler is in the attic, I would suggest you follow that
route. It along with added insulation in the attic have made a major
impact on my cooling costs.
Ken
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Posted by on January 29, 2006, 11:48 am
"Not a powered gable vent. I'm talking about a gable fan.
The reason I want one is because it becomes unbearably hot up there in
the
summer. "
Well, now I'm confused. You said you were considering putting a fan in
the gable in the attic and leaving the conditinoned second floor space
alone. What is that, if not a powered gable vent? And where does it
become unbearably hot? In the attic? That is normal with any attic,
even if it's properly vented. You want to reduce the temp from a
possible 140 to a more reasonable 110 or so, not get it to room temp.
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> with
> new siding and perforated soffit vents. There are also gable vents on
> either
> end.
> Because of the configuration of the upstairs hallway, installing a
> whole
> house fan will be difficult (and I don't want to put it in one of the
> bedrooms). Also, I understand that whole house fans do a good job of
> pulling
> in HUMID cool air, as well as being noisey.
> I'm interested in a gable fan - cooling the attic space, and leaving my
> dry
> air conditioned air alone on the second floor.
> Is there any danger of the fan pulling in rain water through the ridge
> vent?
> Are they typically a low amp type of deal - meaning could it be wired
> into
> an existing outlet near by, or does it need it's own dedicated circuit?
> Also, somebody said I shouldn't even have gable vents anymore, as there
> is
> supposed to be a flow between the soffit and ridge vents - and the
> gable
> vent will eliminate that. Should I just have one gable vent with a fan
> and
> cap the other one?
> It sounds like you should leave well enough alone. A ridge vent with
> good soffit venting should be all you need. Some people are of the
> opinion that the gable vents will short circuit some of the air by
> allowing air to come in the gables and exit via the ridge, instead of
> coming up through the soffits. In practice, I doubt this is a problem
> worth worrying about. One thing for sure, adding a power vent into
> this equation is unlikely to make things better and may make them
> worse. Why do you think you need a powered gable vent?