Hello,
I could use a bit of help. I have a new house (Washington State) and it came with an Attic Fan with a 24 hour timer located in the master bedroom closet. I also have a Whole House Fan located in the laundry room with a 24 hour timer. This is a single story house about 1600 SF.
For some reason, I decided to change the times of day and amount of time the fans run for, but the air feels different now. So I decided to search the net for what are recommended settings, but no real luck. Closest thing so far is that when a new house is built in Washington (city/county rule?) that a whole house fan needs to be set to run for 8 hours a day when it is inspected. This of course was done for both the Attic Fan and the Whole House Fan.
It is winter now, and I feel that all heat being generated in the house will just get sucked out by the fans if they are running 8 hours a day (EACH). That is why I adjusted the times to begin with. However, the air just seems different now and I actually feel colder in the living room after work. Possibly because I have both timers set to start moving air when I get home.
Here are a few questions....
1) What is the purpose of having an Attic Fan, and for having a Whole House Fan?
2) Should these timers be adjusted by the amount of time they are running, and how often apart during the day they run; based on whether it is winter or summer?
3) Are there some recommended times of day and the amount of time that each of these fans should be running?
I could always call the people who installed the fans/timers and ask them what the settings were when they install them, but I would prefer to understand how these fans work and why they are on timers.
A gal I know whose husband built their house said that after the inspector passed the house, they just shut off the breaker to the Attic Fan. The whole house fan (similar to our location of the laundry area in a single story house) she kept as her husband set it up.
Does anyone here have experience in Washington or colder climates and why 2 fans are put into new construction?
MY GUESS from what I have read and think to understand. The attic fan is suppose to exhaust air out of the attic. The old days (when houses were not sealed tight like they are now) they would take air from the house and vent it to the attic. Now I see most posts and web articles describing attic fans as a way to keep a house cool in the summer. The limited articles I find on attic fans and the colder climate here indicates that the attic fan might be needed to keep mold from growing in the attic and to keep the air moving so no condensation is building up. Now the whole house fan is to get rid of all the bad air in the house. Perspiration from body sweat, stagnant air from odors, and by opening up the windows to bring fresh air in, the whole house can exchange the bad air with fresh air. BTW, the windows in this house have these little flippers that allow a small amount of air to come in from the outside without actually opening the windows up.
And my quest to find out and understand how these fans are needed and how best to operate their timers in my area is on.
Tim
I could use a bit of help. I have a new house (Washington State) and it came with an Attic Fan with a 24 hour timer located in the master bedroom closet. I also have a Whole House Fan located in the laundry room with a 24 hour timer. This is a single story house about 1600 SF.
For some reason, I decided to change the times of day and amount of time the fans run for, but the air feels different now. So I decided to search the net for what are recommended settings, but no real luck. Closest thing so far is that when a new house is built in Washington (city/county rule?) that a whole house fan needs to be set to run for 8 hours a day when it is inspected. This of course was done for both the Attic Fan and the Whole House Fan.
It is winter now, and I feel that all heat being generated in the house will just get sucked out by the fans if they are running 8 hours a day (EACH). That is why I adjusted the times to begin with. However, the air just seems different now and I actually feel colder in the living room after work. Possibly because I have both timers set to start moving air when I get home.
Here are a few questions....
1) What is the purpose of having an Attic Fan, and for having a Whole House Fan?
2) Should these timers be adjusted by the amount of time they are running, and how often apart during the day they run; based on whether it is winter or summer?
3) Are there some recommended times of day and the amount of time that each of these fans should be running?
I could always call the people who installed the fans/timers and ask them what the settings were when they install them, but I would prefer to understand how these fans work and why they are on timers.
A gal I know whose husband built their house said that after the inspector passed the house, they just shut off the breaker to the Attic Fan. The whole house fan (similar to our location of the laundry area in a single story house) she kept as her husband set it up.
Does anyone here have experience in Washington or colder climates and why 2 fans are put into new construction?
MY GUESS from what I have read and think to understand. The attic fan is suppose to exhaust air out of the attic. The old days (when houses were not sealed tight like they are now) they would take air from the house and vent it to the attic. Now I see most posts and web articles describing attic fans as a way to keep a house cool in the summer. The limited articles I find on attic fans and the colder climate here indicates that the attic fan might be needed to keep mold from growing in the attic and to keep the air moving so no condensation is building up. Now the whole house fan is to get rid of all the bad air in the house. Perspiration from body sweat, stagnant air from odors, and by opening up the windows to bring fresh air in, the whole house can exchange the bad air with fresh air. BTW, the windows in this house have these little flippers that allow a small amount of air to come in from the outside without actually opening the windows up.
And my quest to find out and understand how these fans are needed and how best to operate their timers in my area is on.
Tim