Whole House Fan Vs Attic Fan

The whole house fan pulls air in from open windows and exhausts it through the attic and roof.

Whole house fan vs attic fan.

How is an ac system different. A gable attic fan is mounted to one of the gable walls in the attic. The attic fan on the other hand blows warm air out through the roof or a gable vent and the fresh air is drawn in through the roof and vents. At first glance it seems that whole house fans are similar to attic fans but the function is different.

A whole house fan moves air throughout the entire home including the living space and attic while an attic fan merely circulates air inside the attic. Whole house fans draw air in through the windows of the house and blow hot house air out through the attic. A whole house fan is mounted in the ceiling between the living space and that attic. Attic fan vary by region causing some confusion.

It provides good attic ventilation in addition to whole house cooling. Definitions of whole house fan vs. How does it work. A whole house fan doesn t just push hot air out of the attic it draws it out of the entire house.

Attic fansare easier to installthan whole house fans because of their location and size. In a nutshell whole house fans are designed to run after sundown using cool night air to ventilate and cool your entire living space. The whole house fan pulls the warm air from the living rooms into the attic and fresh air is drawn in through open doors and windows. Whole house fans should provide houses with 3 to 6 air changes per hour varies with climate floor plan etc check with a professional to determine what is appropriate for your.

The issue with a whole house fan is that the hot air needs somewhere to go. The results are far more effective than the simple attic fan. Attics fans prevent damage like ice damming in attics during winter. If your attic isn t ventilated well that humid moist air will build up in the attic space and can cause mold to grow.

Even though one is less difficult both projects should only be tackled by professionals. However the whole house fan is an entirely different concept. Of course a whole house fan would never be used simultaneously with an air conditioner. Sometimes whole house fans are called attic fans.

It is used to suck warm air out of the living space up into the attic. The fan is used to remove hot air from the attic space in order to limit heat transfer to the living space below. Attic fans are designed to run on hot sunny days to clear super heated air from your attic.