How do I cover my whole house fan for winter?
When it comes time to winterize your whole house fan, how do you go about it? To avoid heat from escaping through your fan, you’ll need to insulate the louvers, making them airtight. You can’t just toss a blanket over the fan either since warm air will continue rising through the louvers and blanket.
How do you insulate a house fan?
When you prefer a hidden style of whole-house fan insulation, you can build an open-end box from rigid foam insulation and set the box on top of the fan from the attic side. Cut the pieces of the foam with a utility knife and tape the pieces together with foam insulation seam tape.
How do you winterize an attic fan?
An easy method to winterize a whole house fan is to cover it with an insulated box from the attic. With a bit of creativity you can easily design a box cover that will stay open by itself when the fan is running. This means the insulation box will remain closed when the fan is not running ie, in the winter.
Can you use a whole house fan with blown insulation?
The deep box around your fan should keep it from disturbing your loose-fill or blown-in insulation, assuming there are enough attic vents to provide outlets for the pumped in air. I know of several cases where whole-house fans were used without problems in attics with loose-fill insulation.
What’s the difference between an attic fan and a whole house fan?
Attic fans are quite different. They’re installed up on a roof or through an exterior wall up in an attic. Whole-house fans need windows and doors open and attic fans need lots of soffit vents to suck cooler outdoor air up into the hot attic. Without this open space, the fans will not move much air.
How many windows should you open with a whole house fan?
Make sure at least one window is open. Opening two or more windows halfway or wider is recommended to allow the fan to do its job. For general cooling, open windows far away from the fan to provide airflow to the whole house.
Should you run an attic fan in the winter?
During the winter, the heat is constantly running inside your house. Since heat rises, it can get trapped in your attic, and that hot air is moist. To combat moisture buildup, a fan in the attic is essential. It circulates the air and prevents the moisture from building up.
Should I seal attic fan in winter?
In the winter, this means your warm air could escape through the attic, reducing your home’s energy efficiency. Stopping heat loss is essential for the overall efficiency of your home, so you will need to insulate and seal the fan box so it is air tight.
Should I cover my attic fan in winter?
You should absolutely leave your roof vents open during the winter – do not cover them! During the winter, roof ventilation works to keep temperatures even. Closing your vents makes the attic space too warm and dry – dangerous conditions for mold as well as pests.
Are attic fans Effective?
Attic fans do really work. They will help to circulate air in your attic and ventilate the space so that it stays closer to the outside temperature. Attics can reach extremely high temperatures in hot, summer months and gather an excessive amount of moisture in the winter. Attic fans will help fight these problems.
Can you have an attic fan with blown in insulation?
The screening, louvers, rain covers, etc. that are a part of roof and gable end vents create resistance to air flow. Many attics have blown-in insulation. You can cover your attic fan from the top with strips of plywood that are then covered with batt fiberglass insulation.
What can I use to insulate fan louvers in my house?
Mist the gaps between the edges of the fan louver and the side of the house where air drafts can get into your home with water from a spray bottle. The spray insulation foam will adhere better to a moist surface. Place the straw onto the spray nozzle of the spray foam can. Spray the foam into the gaps around the louvers.
What are the louvers on a ventilation fan?
Louvers are the slats or shutters that open when the whole-house ventilation fan is in use and close when it is turned off. These shutters are not insulated and do not provide protection from cold or hot air drafts that can seep down from the attic and into your home.
How do you insulate a whole house fan?
Remove any loose insulation from around the whole-house ventilation fan louvers. Mist the gaps between the edges of the fan louver and the side of the house where air drafts can get into your home with water from a spray bottle. The spray insulation foam will adhere better to a moist surface.
How does battic door whole house fan shutter seal work?
The Battic Door Whole House Attic Fan Ceiling Shutter Seal is an energy-saving insulating seal for whole house attic fans. It reduces air-leakage through the whole house attic fan saving the homeowner heating and cooling loss and energy costs.
