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Gable Mounted Attic Fans A. Pismo Clam 07-04-2006
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Posted by Speedy Jim on July 4, 2006, 10:03 pm
A. Pismo Clam wrote:

> Hello All,
>
> Since we do not have the room in our attic [or our hallway] to mount a
> whole house fan, we have decieded that we should go with one of these
> fans. Since we are doing this ourselves and very new to this, we are
> asking for your help, please! Today, we are about 104 degrees by our
> outdoor thermometer.
>
> Our home faces north. As a consequence the east side of the house gets
> the sun first. We have two static attic vents, one at each end of the
> home as well as several vents at the eaves. So here are my questions:
>
> [here's the link]
> http://www.bvc.com/products/cool/gablemount/cx1600.html
>
> When we mount one of these attic fans should we place it on the east
> end of the house, bringing in cool air from the west side of the house,
> or should we mount the fan on the west side of the house, thereby
> exhausting the hot air already in the attic?
>
> By the way, they have a 2.1 amp PSC attic fan that really sounds great.
> However, what does "PSC" mean.
>
> Many thanks for taking the time to respond!
>
> Norm & Loretta
>

A gable mount fan can do a lot to reduce attic temps where sun exposure
is a big problem. That reduces the heat transmission into the interior.

While static venting is great, you probably don't have the luxury
right now to experiment with it.

Personally, I would mount it to exhaust the hot air.
Be sure that all inlets are screened as well as the gable outlet
to keep bugs out.

PSC fan is "permanent split capacitor". Refers to the
type of motor. They run more efficiently, esp when run at
reduced speeds.

You'll need to pick the time you work up in the attic
carefully; if hot up there you put yourself at risk working.

Jim

Posted by A. Pismo Clam on July 4, 2006, 11:00 pm
> >
>
> A gable mount fan can do a lot to reduce attic temps where sun exposure
> is a big problem. That reduces the heat transmission into the interior.
>
> While static venting is great, you probably don't have the luxury
> right now to experiment with it.
>
> Personally, I would mount it to exhaust the hot air.
> Be sure that all inlets are screened as well as the gable outlet
> to keep bugs out.
>
> PSC fan is "permanent split capacitor". Refers to the
> type of motor. They run more efficiently, esp when run at
> reduced speeds.
>
> You'll need to pick the time you work up in the attic
> carefully; if hot up there you put yourself at risk working.
>
> Jim

Hi Joe and Jim,

Thanks very much for the prompt reply. In the summer, the sun comes up
at 6 AM and sets at 8PM; that's 14 hours of no-shade exposure to the
concrete tile on the roof.

Yes! We are attempting to keep the attic as cool as we can, Joe.

Yes Jim, I think that we will just have to wait until November to
complete this project. Our local DYI store is offering some of these
attic fans now and from what you have said, the "PSC", 14" fan sounds
like the one we'll purchase.

Again, thanks for all of your help with this, guys!

Norman


Posted by Joseph Meehan on July 5, 2006, 7:36 am
A. Pismo Clam wrote:
>
> Yes! We are attempting to keep the attic as cool as we can, Joe.
>

Do you want to keep the attic cool because you want the attic cool, or
because you want to protect the roof or because you want to keep the living
areas below the attic cool?

For two of the four, passive ventilation along with good insulation
works very well. With proper insulation between the attic and living area,
there is very little to gain by reducing the attic temperature using power
vents and you add operating cost, vibration and maintenance.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit



Posted by Ken on July 5, 2006, 8:33 am
Joseph Meehan wrote:
> A. Pismo Clam wrote:
>> Yes! We are attempting to keep the attic as cool as we can, Joe.
>>
>
> Do you want to keep the attic cool because you want the attic cool, or
> because you want to protect the roof or because you want to keep the living
> areas below the attic cool?
>
> For two of the four, passive ventilation along with good insulation
> works very well. With proper insulation between the attic and living area,
> there is very little to gain by reducing the attic temperature using power
> vents and you add operating cost, vibration and maintenance.
>
>

        Although your suggestion there is little benefit to power venting an
attic if the purpose is simply to cool it, many homes have the furnace
and air handler installed in the attic. I have such a home, and the
impact of keeping the attic temperature lower so as to minimize the
impact on the cooling coil can be dramatic. My home has gable ends with
a power vent in two gables. There is also another gable for air intake
along with several eave vents.

        On one summer day I wondered what effect the power vents had on the
attic temperature and placed a remote thermometer in the attic so as to
observe it with the vents on and off. The temperature was easily
lowered in excess of twenty degrees when the vents were turned on. I
say easily, because I watched the temperature for only about 30 minutes.

        Now twenty degrees might not seem like much, but keep in mind the sheet
metal of the furnace/air handler (and the cooling coil inside) along
with the metal ductwork are fighting the effort to cool the air inside
them. I just thought I would share this fact in case the OP had a
similar situation.

Posted by Joseph Meehan on July 5, 2006, 12:47 pm
Ken wrote:

>
> Although your suggestion there is little benefit to power venting an
> attic if the purpose is simply to cool it, many homes have the furnace
> and air handler installed in the attic. I have such a home, and the
> impact of keeping the attic temperature lower so as to minimize the
> impact on the cooling coil can be dramatic. My home has gable ends
> with a power vent in two gables. There is also another gable for air
> intake along with several eave vents.

That is why I tried to indicate the differences between cooling the
attic and the reason to do so. Your example is one of several very good
reasons to want to cool the attic itself. Thanks for helping clarify the
subject.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit



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