How to Install a Whole-House Fan | This Old House
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- 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 [amzn.to/2mW7xFh], used to exhaust hot air from home
2x10 blocking [amzn.to/2mRqqsN], for nailing between ceiling joists
16d nails [amzn.to/2mWb2LV], for attaching blocking
1 5/8-inch drywall screws [amzn.to/2lfBhg0], for fastening plywood attic floor
spray-foam insulation [amzn.to/2lcLREt], used to seal hole in ceiling
Tools for How to Install a Whole House Fan:
hammer [amzn.to/2mRtB3H], for installing 2x10 blocking
circular saw [amzn.to/2mVSZWe], used to cut blocking
speed square [amzn.to/2lgBSht], for squaring up blocking with joists
plunge router [amzn.to/2kW4YT4] fitted with flush-cutting bit and guide bushing, used to cut the fan hole in the attic floor
drill/driver [amzn.to/2mSflaY]
reciprocating saw [amzn.to/2lrRPBc], for cutting hole in ceiling
wet/dry vacuum [amzn.to/2lp3AZa], used to catch the dust when cutting the ceiling hole
utility knife [amzn.to/2mWQ0gc]
Tom installed a whole-house fan (model number HV1600-GDR) manufactured by Tamarack Technologies, Inc. [www.tamtech.com/]
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How to Install a Whole-House Fan | This Old House
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That is the cleanest, neatest, most accessible attic I have ever seen. Try installing that thing in my attic. Fughettaboutit.
I put one in my attic, it was 100x more difficult then this, with 2x4 joists, no plywood, and rafters in the way.
Mine,you have to go sideways up the stairs
Yeah, really... I’d land somewhere on the 2nd floor
Yeah this show is notorious for that kind of crap. They always seem to end up with the ideal scenario but in the real world it's always a hundred x's harder.
My grandpa had a whole house fan when I was a kid. I dont think it was meant for residential use. I can remember the whole house shuttering and shaking when he turned it on. We would sit around and watch the ashtrays magically empty themselves while this thing was running. Nothing like overkill.
Scott Jones Lol
LMAO that's funny. Actually I think we had the same, I got a powerful one and the house would creak from the change in air pressure. It sounded like a helicopter hehe.
Grandpa probably used a surplus jet engine lol
My current house had one that did the same thing and it was loud but boy is it effective
@@kbanghart The one I put in my attic sounds just like a helicopter. You can't hear the tv on full blast in another room when this thing is on. But you only need maybe 5 or 10 minutes to cool the house down.
This guys attic is nicer than my house.
C. B. Alan A six figure job will get you that. A racist comment might come along and say “white privilege”. Been watching TOH a lot and not one video have I seen a clean comment section sadly.
Of course it is. These shows like to downplay their projects as “Oh just working on the ole’ shithole...” But their idea of a “shithole” is like a $800,000 house in Malibu CA. Lol
I have a attic and I have never seen it
Makes sense cause I’m 9 years old
Lol 😂
😂
That motorized cover is pretty neat! Our old whole-house fan just had metal flaps that would get forced open by air pressure when the fan was running, and SLAP shut when you turned it off... I can still hear the sound of it.
Used to have one of these at my old house. Very useful and they do a great job brining in fresh, cool air!
Could you please let me know the make and model of the fan, I would like to purchase on for my home.
Tamarack. If you Google "whole house fan" it's one of the main ones that show up.
Doesn't move as much as a traditional one you remember from back in the day but it also doesn't require you to cut any joists. So you could technically install 2 of them and avoid having to call a carpenter to adjust the framing and remove part of a joist. But they are pricey kind of. The insulation helps too. Traditional ones will let air in/out from the attic when it's not on and in the summer, but that can be avoided by putting insulation over it in the attic during the winter. This model avoids all the "headache" of installing a traditional one.
@@2010stoofIf you have to hire a carpenter to cut one joist and add 2 shorter pieces , you should stay out of the attic. This thing looks like a bathrooom fan, and overpriced.
Fresh dirty pollenated air.
I have one in my house and it’s great! I open up the windows at 8:30pm and turn the fan on. I start to notice the temperature starts to drop. Keeps the house nice and cool!
Since my attic was converted into two bedrooms and a bathroom I just got two window exhaust fans and blackout curtains to keep the sun out. If you crack open a window or a door to the bedroom you'll get good air flow. My room use to get HOT in the summer but this new setup works great. And, no cutting of your flow for those that feel uneasy about doing like what was shown in this video.
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
Sam Garofalo “Windtunnel, By Hoover!”
We had one growing up in our house on Long Island. The hallway vent opened when the fan turned on and it was louvers (they shut by themselves when the fan was off). The fan was in the attic window. I remember how it cooled the whole house off and I felt a light breeze next to the windows. We did not have AC so it was really helpful in the summer months. I have not seen another since, but would love to do it to my house now.
I just bought my first house and it's an older home. Lots to learn! I had no clue what the giant vent thing was in my hallway ceiling but after research it appears to be a non-functioning whole house. After hearing everyone's stories about how effective they are I can't wait to make that one of my first DIY projects!
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”
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.
I installed one similar to this. The install went pretty smooth but I was not prepared for the amount of noise. I put in the hallway of my single story house and it sounded like a Cessna airplane in my living room. I would recommend the more traditional style whole house fans.
"I'll let birds in the attic all summer." That's right Eric.
Just install a window screen.
I think you mean burglars. "I'll let the burglars in the attic all summer" 🤣
@@lordw9609 just put a "please do not burgle" sticker on the screen.
@@lordw9609 why would burglars take time to climb up to the attic if they can enter the house through doors or first floor windows.
@@MegaThepow To stay out of view and make less noise.
They also use ladders on the sides of homes to access 2nd story windows, push out window ACs, crawl though doggy doors, etc.
I'm not paranoid, I'm aware of reality.
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
You're not the only one who noticed that too!
😱😱😱
First thing I noticed. 🤦🏻♂️
It's quite disturbing the amount of people in these comments that don't understand the basic principles of this concept.
4:22 i seriously thought for a sec that he was gonna fire up the grill to celebrate
Where do they build houses with attics like this? I can't even move around in mine.
Massachusetts, my family home had one of these (and the accompanying attic) growing up. Now that I’m on the west coast I am pretty sure these things are non-existent lol
Houston - My house is like this...
Virginia
We had one of these in a house we bought, already installed. It worked great.
In NC we don't use these, we run AC to cool and reduce humidity, but in New York state they were popular.
Dennis Adams Who cares what they do in NC?
"I'll keep my attic windows all summer long" - hope you are ready for your new trash panda roommates
It's called a screen
Grant Z Price 6'
More like birds and bats coming in
Jeffrey Obney ¿
Raccoons and squirrels will get through the screen real fast.
Mad guts for touching that Insulation without gloves
Lol once you've handled it for so long it doesn't do anything to ya
@@edwarddavid2840 True - I handle it about once a year or so, and it's never bothered me. Depends on the person I think.
@@edwarddavid2840 Once you have enough calluses on your hands it doesn't affect you :)
@@miserj exactly!!!
0:12 Woh, what is he stepping on? Is that board fastened from below?
Its the wall of the hallway.
Don't know why it's constructed like that, there is 1" gap between the bottom of the joists and the top of the sheetrock supported by those 1" boards. Maybe for wiring or pipes going between rather that holes in joists. The top plate of walls are either 4x or 6x, and what he stepped on look like smooth 1" boards.
@@kimchee94112 The 1x is called furring strips and yes it does help for wiring but it's mostly used to create a level surface for drywall attachment.
Lol you should see the whole house fan in my home! The thing is HUGE
This same unit arrives today. I will start installing it tomorrow.
RandallFlaggNY I installed mine on Saturday. VERY happy with it!
Do you have to keep your windows open so that cool air can come in?
Also, whats the difference between this fan, and just say running all your vents (bathroom vents - i have 6 in my house, and the kitchen hood vent).
How's it working out? Is it noisy?
@@AmanPatelPlus Why is your name highlighted, (which indicates you uploaded this video)
A router in the attic? That is a first for me.
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
I have one too. Run it as soon as the outside temp dips below the inside temp. Since they are hanging in the attic, they are indeed quiet.
Yeah they are nice if you want to spend tons of money on one.
@@r1ckastl3y86 mine was 1200 dollars installed 2 yrs ago
@@BIGWOOD3160 dang, that's a lot. My house has a normal whole house fan which has probably been there since the house was built and my house was built in 1951. The thing sounds like a helicopter and has blades that look like a boat propeller but it gets the job done very well. I bet the noise issue could be solved by raising the fan up a bit because the shutters are right below the fan. Sorry if I rambled on too much
I bought home with whole fan. I had the white Berber carpets cleaned before I moved in. Moved in, turned on the fan and it sucked all the ashes from my fire place & chimney out and dirtied more than my carpets. Had to put a board to in front of my fire 🔥 place every time I turned on the fan. The fan was a quick way to cool down my house. So beware if you install one, it sucks up more than hot air.
If you have a fireplace, you just need to close the damper before running your whole house fan.
you do realize you're supposed to open windows before using a whole house fan in order to prevent things like that..... says so right in the instructions, first thing.
I'm going to leave my attic window open all summer........what about a driving rain? Lol
My rain cant drive....
It Never Rains in Southern California A. Hammond 1973
Loves how he throws that electrical bill line at the very end lol..."Yay, big difference in my electrical bill, wait, what, how so?"
Instead of running your A/C unit 24/7, this fan can keep your house cool when the temperature drops to around 75 degrees. It displaces the hot air in your attic on days when it's cool outside but the sun heats up your roof, and attic temps can climb to around 100 degrees.
sean m yes. Plus the model fan he installed is very efficient. You can run that unit for 12 hours and it probably uses the same amount of electricity as the AC running for 45 min to 1 hour.
Venting the attic can help a whole lot too. Traditional insulation doesn't create an air barrier like spray foam does.
sean m I agree with everything you said. Except attics can easily reach 120-140 in summer
> Traditional insulation doesn't create an air barrier like spray foam does. True, but completely foaming an attic is a death trap. It's highly flammable and smokes like absolute crazy. Better to air seal with a bit of foam as necessary, then use rockwool and/or all-borate treated cellulosic insulation for fire retarding.
TilDeath1776 US. Hot air moves to the coldest air mass it can reach. If 85 outside and 70 inside, it will creep into your house by first heating your ceiling. I don't care if it is insulated it will find a way.
By pulling house air into the attic you are bringing in fresh air at high volume through residential windows from say a 75 degree day to fill that vacuum. The hot air in the attic can't thermal against the fan speed flow so it will seek primarily the outside 79 degree air at the roof gables. CENTRAL AC is off during this BTW.
if you just open the house windows and the gable windows but no fan, then the attic heat would rather escape through your house at 75 degrees than the outside roof air at 79++ degrees.
Roof turbines will be the next best improvement to keep the HVAC off more days.
What are things that only work on the east coast.
Making the homeowner help! 😂
I have a 4x4 one in my hallway.
how did he not cut that electrical wire
i came on here to either ask that same question or look for someone else who had!
He cut around it.............................................................
Guess you didn't see the part where he started cutting the hole from the top and that wire laying right in front of him. He just cut from inside the attic where the wire was laying right on top of the drywall.
Guess u missed him saying “aba cadaba” ......(doesn’t pronounce his R’s).
It is moveable. He cut some, moved the wire to where he had already cut, then kept cutting. You didn't see where it was in the center and he said there was slack and moved it from the center to the outside then stapled it to the blocking?!?
Tom makes it look so easy, and it only took him 4.52.
My thoughts exactly. They always use super modern, super clean, super new, and super spacy homes in videos like these. That's why when you search "how to install such and such in your house" you should scroll down enough to where you see a normal person doing it, not these uploads by big networks. Even the UA-cam channel "Home RenoVision DIY" is always unrealistic.
Where does the moisture go? What if the cool night air forces condensation?
"Difference in your electrical bill"... in a positive or negative way!?! Don't leave us on a cliffhanger.
Zain Haider big increase in your bill lol
Dumb comment. Why would he say it if was an increase to the bill?! People use the whole house fan so they can turn the ac off. Got it now?
@@EDISONTECH LMAO
How convenient was that duplex just sitting there on the floor of the attic. Talk about luck of the irish.
Nice solution. I wonder if today’s smart thermostats can manage both the AC and the whole house fan.
They probably could easily enough will all the data they can gather, but dont. I have a nest, and just have to turn off the ac and turn on the whole house fan when conditions are right
This must be an up north thing I’ve never seen one of these in Florida
They really only make sense in dry climates, otherwise you will just pull humid air into your house. Florida is probably the worst place I could think to get one.
I have seen one in Mississippi
The video and content should be how to add living space to a gigantic attic....
Why did this start without an introduction of why he wanted the fan and what it's supposed to do?
Because it all should of been common sense to you... Everyone knows that heat rises, when heat has no where else to go it still steals work from the ac to get it all out.
I saw the episode on TV. The upstairs was hot and he didn't have a dual AC, so the attic fan was the next best thing.
very neat installation
Would it not be better to get a fan that can have a vent pipe attached to it, to vent straight out of the house?
No because the hot air in the attic will not be vented out and continue keeping the attic, and therefore the house, hot. The way they installed it will pull cool air through the the house and also through the entire attic.
How he drives a 3” nail with only a couple swings. Impressive old timer
Very soft pine and drove with the grain.
My grandpa would tap and seat a 3" nail, then would drive it in fully with 1 blow. Didn't matter how hard the wood was. Master carpenter!!!
Remotes can save a lot of money on wiring.
*Attic envy*
you missed some insulation around the new blocking.
What the hell kind of building code allows for romex to be run UNDER the joist between the sheetrock?
Tommy putting whole body on drywall... Doesn't fall through...epic!
“Tom I pulled the insulation out of the bay” as he starts to pull the insulation out of the bay 😂
What do you do if you don't have a window in your attic?
Nearly hammered the knuckles
People aren't going to remember to close their attic windows when it starts to rain.
What’s an attic window?
Why was the wire loose between the drywall and joist? 😱
They put a wood strip between the joist and drywall for extra soundproofing but also to help run wires under the joist without having to drill a hole in the joist
Cool!
Nice 👍👍
Now you will pull all the dirty air with pollen into the house. Go with clean central air.
A lot of studies suggest the outside air is by many metrics cleaner the inside air. Varies by location and time of year no doubt.
I remember watching this episode when I was little
How did he not fall through the ceiling at the beginning? 😂
Who has a WINDOW in their attic? LOL!
millions of homes
Could have been finished off as an upstairs bedroom. Even has its own dedicated set of stairs, no trap door or uncomfortable ladder to climb up. Would make a great addition to the home.
Attic gable windows are very common.
We have 3 full size in ours, it's really not uncommon.
tripjet999 I have 2.
I have trouble knowing when and when not to turn on the whole house fan. Any suggestions? Do I turn it on right now when it's 90 degrees out?
Exactly what Kyle said!! Running it in the day time wont help you much unless your home is in a very shaded area with lots of trees to block the sun...Running it at night will significantly reduce the use of your hvac system at night to near zero. If you can deal with the noise which for me becomes white noise after a few mins, they are worth the small investment.
Though don't let you fool yourself by the heat of sun rays. You have to use thermometers to compare the inside to the outside temp. Here in NL it's sometimes 5 degrees (Celsius) outside, but if there is no wind and no clouds blocking the sun, it might feel like 30 degrees Celsius. Extreme example.
ON at night when cooler off in AM before sun hits roof.
Benjamin Sparks The temperature in the attic will be hotter than outside. The fan is cooling the attic temp. also
0:44 Omg please use a mallet 🙃
Omg so fuck8ng unnecessary?
Conqwiztadore22 lol you probably don’t care about the final look. If he damaged it even a little bit, then when he stained it, it would look very very bad
Conqwiztadore22 also, using a hammer will put more strain on his hand versus using a rubber mallet.
Nice video, which unit model is that fan? According to NEC you can't use insulation foam on wires (Romex) otherwise it will overheat, thus you must derate wire and get proper size. See 3:26 LOL
I am an electrician and this is false. when building block construction homes and sealing off Airways phone is used around electrical boxes and Romex as well as going from first floor second floor to third floor whenever there's Romex going up to the next floor all those holes are also found there has no problems with heat whatsoever
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.
This Old House has never been about DIY. It just shows how something is done. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's easy.
Exactly. They always use super modern, super clean, super new, and super spacy homes in videos like these. That's why when you search "how to install such and such in your house" you should scroll down enough to where you see a normal person doing it, not these big network type of uploads. Even the UA-cam channel "Home RenoVision DIY" is always unrealistic.
Knocked a candle over after installing a HHF. Whole house burned down before i could put it out...
Nice job. How did he avoid cutting that wire?
I’m sure he saw it in the joist bay from the top and, since it had play, just moved it to cut around it.
What about installing a solar attic vent fan? Are they worth the price?
Solar attic fan was totally worth it, added one with my new roof, huge difference.
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?
Not a problem, just blows it right on out.
Um don’t forget he’s gotta leave windows downstairs open too for draft
Unless its an okd house lol
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.
He never put the insulation back on the sides of the fan before he put the plywood back on
James Beishuizen oh my god I just saw that!
That's how you roll when your granny has money and lets you have her attic
Good installation I appreciate it how much does this one cost just curious 😮👍
can I use this type can with refrigerated air? or is it strictly for swamp coolers.
You could but why waste energy cooling air of your just gonna throw it outside
Was hoping to see one that would connect bathroom and kitchen fans for quieter operation, not that...
What about condensation and other moist-related problems you could get when pushing air from the living area up in the attic?
Tooken care of by opening a window or just opening your attic everynow and then
Proper soffit and ridge venting. He explained it a bit wrong though.
The air won’t leave the soffits AND the ridge vent. The soffits are intake as their below, and the ridge vent is output as it’s above.
The chimney effect. With a properly vented attic space that’ll be fine. But would be even nicer to direct vent it outside and not have to worry about the attic space at all!
Because it will have more stress on it now (heat & humidity) than it did before.
Um...why not install an attic exhaust fan with it?
I just wake up early and turn my bathroom fans on for a bit.
That upward facing receptacle is a fire hazard. It can collect dust and debris. Plugs should never face up.
Receptacles can face up, but should have a cover over them when not in use. Like this: www.lowes.com/pd_158461-15527-16445_4294653953__?productId=1038045&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=
Just use an outlet safety plug. They are $2.24 a dozen at Home Depot. www.homedepot.com/p/Safety-1st-Ultra-Clear-Outlet-Plugs-12-Pack-01711/100199457
Glenn Watkins . Excellent suggestion.
That's been updated at the HD website. It's now an 18-pak for $2.98 + tax at www.homedepot.com/p/Safety-1st-Ultra-Clear-Plug-Protectors-18-Pack-HS230/205885675?keyword=safety+1st+ultra+clear+outlet+plugs
and why would you put a single outlet into a double box??? just put two in with a dual outlet cover plate!!! waste of a double box
Is that a code from the NEC or from the code I’d like to see inspector?
Ok so what if I'm in Arizona and in the summer it's freaking still 100 degrees outside in the evenings . How to do I get rid of the hot air in some rooms? Opening the window will only bring in more hot air.
You’d be better off with an evaporative fan. One that cools by adding moisture in the air
Get an AC and cycle the hot air from upstairs
Again, this is designed to VENT out air in the home. Heat rises and will suck the air from the rooms and home and push it out to the attic. But with certain temps, cooling AC will be more efficient
What do you call that stick with the big heavy piece of metal on the end of it I haven’t seen one in years
4:15 windows open all summer long?
open windows all summer long? you will have new homies in your house called jellow jackets and some other homies
No screens in your house? LOL
The spray foam can react with the electrical wire insulation Debra.ding it and creating a fire risk.
Where can I buy this exact whole house fan..
I think Northern Tools sells this unit on line. About $600.
I believe it's made by Tamarack... they have 3 different models like this -- link: goo.gl/hVPm5M
www.tamtech.com/
Yeah what's the difference in electric bill? It gets higher? How much juice does that thing use?
hmm other type i have seen were mounted to suck air from under house into...
What happens if you lose a remote?
How many "joists" do y'all think Tom has nailed in his career? I'm guessing far more than are televised.
How did you decide where to locate the fan?
Good luck with all that humidity
where is 6 inches of insulation recommended ?
Window open all summer long? ?
That fan seems kind of well small for something like that
I thought the same thing. Barely enough CFM to handle the side affects from eating at Culver's, let alone a house.
here in texas something he did would not fly by code! no electrical wiring may pass thru any opening of any kind that has a mechanical apparatus in use!
Its not. He moved it. Watch the video
So, what happens when it rains and the attic window is open?
Tom said your electric bills gonna be higher than I am watching you waste money on a 115 dead center in your attic
What is the brand name of the fan?
Was I just watching Full House? 🤔
How about IRC (International Residential Code) that states you can not exhaust air into the attic?
I think the IRC Code refers to things like dryer exhaust, oven fan exhaust, ect. This just pulls fresh air in through a downstairs windows and pushes it out through attic vents or windows.
is there another fan that will exhaust the air from the soffits themselves?
With the displacement of this fan, if you have soffit and ridge vents along with a gable vent, it should be enough exit area for the air being drawn up into the attic. Google search will provide more specifics as to exactly how much venting area you need.
Had similar system that caused mold problems as the large gable vent, the window in this case, didn't allow the ridge to vent correctly. The soffit vents were basically useless in bring in cool air as path of least resistance is the gable vent. Removed the gable vent and the mold issue has been gone a long time now. Just my experience.
@@geomarq123 Hi what climate/location? I'm in SoCal/LA, but don't have soffit vents just gable vent and some ridge vent. Wondering if I need to increase gable vent to allow the CFM to push out safely without blowing "back in" to the home through ceiling leaks. (old home btw)