How to Install a Whole-House Fan | This Old House
This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows a quick and clever way to keep a home cool. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)
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Tom helped a homeowner reduce his air-conditioning costs by installing a whole-house fan. Mounted in the floor of the attic, the fan pushes hot air out of the attic and draws cooler air into the house through downstairs windows.
Shopping List for How to Install a Whole House Fan:
whole-house fan [https://amzn.to/2mW7xFh], used to exhaust hot air from home
2×10 blocking [https://amzn.to/2mRqqsN], for nailing between ceiling joists
16d nails [https://amzn.to/2mWb2LV], for attaching blocking
1 5/8-inch drywall screws [https://amzn.to/2lfBhg0], for fastening plywood attic floor
spray-foam insulation [https://amzn.to/2lcLREt], used to seal hole in ceiling
Tools for How to Install a Whole House Fan:
hammer [https://amzn.to/2mRtB3H], for installing 2×10 blocking
circular saw [https://amzn.to/2mVSZWe], used to cut blocking
speed square [https://amzn.to/2lgBSht], for squaring up blocking with joists
plunge router [https://amzn.to/2kW4YT4] fitted with flush-cutting bit and guide bushing, used to cut the fan hole in the attic floor
drill/driver [https://amzn.to/2mSflaY]
reciprocating saw [https://amzn.to/2lrRPBc], for cutting hole in ceiling
wet/dry vacuum [https://amzn.to/2lp3AZa], used to catch the dust when cutting the ceiling hole
utility knife [https://amzn.to/2mWQ0gc]
Tom installed a whole-house fan (model number HV1600-GDR) manufactured by Tamarack Technologies, Inc. [https://www.tamtech.com/]
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How to Install a Whole-House Fan | This Old House
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Good luck with all that humidity
Whats wrong old man? Someone forgot how to use a tape and a saw? Gotts bust out the router lol
0:12 Woh, what is he stepping on? Is that board fastened from below?
Why did this start without an introduction of why he wanted the fan and what it's supposed to do?
Attic envy
My dad had a whole house fan too, it had 6’. Blades.
The box frame for it in the walk up attic was about 3’ high and 7’ square.
We used to set our slot car track up on the top cover during the winter.
Boy did that sucker draw air, The curtains on the first and second floor would suck inward and the curtains in the attic windows would blow out the window.
It was a dust free home
Now you will pull all the dirty air with pollen into the house. Go with clean central air.
What kind of cheap bullshit hammer is that ?! Get an Estwing man !
Wouldn't the whole house fan blow all the dust into the attic in the long run? I suppose there's a filter in the bottom but some dust will eventually get through. Also, the airflow will stir up the dust in the attic too, no?
Is this suppose to cool your house in extremely hot (90's) and humid summer weather without AC?
hmm other type i have seen were mounted to suck air from under house into…
I have what's called Quiet Cool in my house, let me tell you its awesome I run it all night in the summer Crack some windows and it circulates air like an air conditioner
The spray foam can react with the electrical wire insulation Debra.ding it and creating a fire risk.
Not even a good thing in the south. All you will do is pull hot wet air into the attic and mold the whole house. If you need fresh air there are way better options and most are not to costly if you have a forced air hvac in your house. Look up fresh cool air exchangers.
He never put the insulation back on the sides of the fan before he put the plywood back on
Why not an attic fan that sucks the air out of the attic? This would suck the A/C out of the house.
Every time I go to buy a 16 penny nail, the hardware store nickels and dimes me….
Love how he pulls back the insulation and just steps right on that block, hope they nailed it half decent those toe nails come right out, great way to put a boot through the ceiling
This must be an up north thing I’ve never seen one of these in Florida
That house is poorly insulated ! Why didn't the guy tell the home owner…..
https://youtu.be/YGnCptqNPsg check this for facts
Ceiling fan vs. whole house fan.
Dude
Eric looks like his wife cheats on him
Remotes can save a lot of money on wiring.
Wait he said the fan sucks air from the house and dumps it in the attic? Cold conditioned air if using the ac??.. I'm confused on how this works
What a dope he punctured the wire with the staple pause the video and you’ll see it. Also he didn’t cut the insulation and add it back to either side of the blocking installed. Never use the red can and expands too much he should’ve used a window and door red is for morons. Who else has a plug already set up in their attic. Lets show homeowners how to do something that they can’t. Using a sawzall to cut drywall what a hack. Air will not leak out of the soffit vents it will only rise to the ridge vent. no one has a window in their attic maybe gable vents. Lastly there should’ve been no slack on that wire unless it was installed after the fact. 99% of the time that wire will be stapled to the bottom of the ceiling joists so good luck moving the wires. Whole house fans are a joke.
What if your attic space does not have a window?
What about installing a solar attic vent fan? Are they worth the price?
Where do they build houses with attics like this? I can't even move around in mine.
Those are expensive nails 16 cents each
Where does the air come in from though?
People aren't going to remember to close their attic windows when it starts to rain.
This guys attic is nicer than my house.
Um…why not install an attic exhaust fan with it?
What the hell kind of building code allows for romex to be run UNDER the joist between the sheetrock?
Was hoping to see one that would connect bathroom and kitchen fans for quieter operation, not that…
Nearly hammered the knuckles
Why must attic fans suck in air through the windows? Why wouldn't we bring it in through a filter via dedicated intake and blow it out the windows?
Where does the moisture go? What if the cool night air forces condensation?
Tommy putting whole body on drywall… Doesn't fall through…epic!
The video and content should be how to add living space to a gigantic attic….
How he drives a 3” nail with only a couple swings. Impressive old timer
“You’re going to notice in your electrical bill”
along with the population of pigeons that collect during the morning and late evenings with the musky smell and hazardous Droppings
What about makeup air? Where is the air drawing?
What do you do if you don't have a window in your attic?
Do not install one of these things unless you want it to sound like you're next to a jet engine when it turns on.
Haha he forgot to slide cable over before putting noggin
Useless just creating a vacuum
Thank you for kust getting into the work without all the nonsensical intro reasons for installing. Because we obviously came for the installation we know it needs to be installed! Thanks again for cutting that part out of the video.
Instead of leaving window open for rain and wildlife why not finish the job right by replacing the window with a screened louver? Would also serve to reduce attic humidity and winter freezing.
That's how you roll when your granny has money and lets you have her attic
How do I get him to work on my house???
Knocked a candle over after installing a HHF. Whole house burned down before i could put it out…
This is a bad idea. Your whole house fan should not vent directly into the attic, it should be vented out the roof in such a way that it doesn't interfere with the movement or pressure of the air coming in through the soffits and out the roof mounted power fan OR ridge vent. Even small changes in air pressure inside the attic will adversely affect your roof's ability to exhaust the warm, moist air contained inside your house/attic, for example, having gable vents on a roof with a continuous vented soffit and continuous ridge vent. Near all of these unnecessary auxiliary vents, a disturbance of pressure and flow of air disrupts the process of natural convection, which is the force that carries outside air in through the soffits and out through the ridge vent and causes the system to operate suboptimally. Ideally, what you want is a homogenous air pressure inside the space to be vented, and an uninterrupted flow of air from soffit to ridge. Generally, mixing ventilations is a big no-no, especially in the case of a ridge vent + power fan setup, as they will constantly recycle the same air into and out of each other.
I just wake up early and turn my bathroom fans on for a bit.
Window open all summer long? ?
I have a 4×4 one in my hallway.
I remember watching this episode when I was little
What kind of fan unit is that?
Drywall ceiling? I thought this was This OLD House??
How many "joists" do y'all think Tom has nailed in his career? I'm guessing far more than are televised.
What's the purpose of this fan?
How about IRC (International Residential Code) that states you can not exhaust air into the attic?
This fan makes no sense, you still need to keep the window open in the loft area so what if you don't have one!
Ffccmxhl
It's quite disturbing the amount of people in these comments that don't understand the basic principles of this concept.
Tom said your electric bills gonna be higher than I am watching you waste money on a 115 dead center in your attic
Nice solution. I wonder if today’s smart thermostats can manage both the AC and the whole house fan.
Cool!
fake attic
I love how he ended with “now you’re gonna notice a big difference in the comfort of your home and a big difference in your electrical bill”
It's hilarious how convenient most of these guy's installs are. "You need an attic fan? Okay, lets install one in your 3000 square foot attic with 10 foot ceilings!" "Oh you need a wire run from one side of your house to the other? Okay! Lets use your 2000 square foot basement with air conditioning to run this wire!". I mean come on. You're supposed to be showing people DIY projects. You really think the people doing these projects have homes like that? No crawl spaces. No convenient spaces to move your elbows around in. Take it serious guys.
you missed some insulation around the new blocking.
4:15 windows open all summer long?
Put this in your attic in Canada, be -30 in your house in 5mins.
"Now you're really gonna notice a difference in your electrical bill…"
First bill comes… $92,343.
Cue "Frolic" music… ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Nice job. How did he avoid cutting that wire?
We had one of these in a house we bought, already installed. It worked great.
I'm sorry but that looks and sounds like a pos. Two fans fighting each-other for one tiny little vent, and only pushing 1600CFM? Pretty sure most cheap box fans do that in their sleep. lmao
where is 6 inches of insulation recommended ?
very neat installation
A router in the attic? That is a first for me.