Attic Fan Installation - Hot Attic made Cooler!

[@AlexRides808]

Just did two of these last week in a couple houses here in Hawaii. I recommend anybody tackling this job to do it in winter or at night.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

I did it early morning in the summer

[@lazyman2473]

right

[@RayleighCriterion]

If you have access to a fire hose, just lay down water on the roof, evaporative cooling will be helpful.

[@elonmust7470]

@@RayleighCriterion Because everyone has a firehose laying around..

[@KadGamer]

@@elonmust7470 He did say if...

[@paulstewart6203]

I grew up I grew up in St Louis in the 60s and 70s with no air conditioning, but our house had a giant attic fan above the staircase, taking the heat out of the attic at night makes all the difference in the world, comfortable sleeping without air conditioning and easy keeping the house halfway cool during the day.

[@steve0826]

@paul Stewart, you grew up twice?

[@gerardocastaneda7744]

@@steve0826 come on man,,give this guy a brake ,,,he grew up on the 60's and also on the 70's,,that's when he grew up and grew up ,,,just kidding,,thanks for shearing Paul and Steve,,,

[@steve0826]

@@gerardocastaneda7744, Lucky for Paul, those good old days of 60s and 70s. Of course let's not forget Forrest Gump.

[@malibustacy3606]

@@steve0826 I think Precious Paul is trying to be cheeky.

[@Graybeard_]

Having spent 5 years as a roofer, I can confirm that ridge vents are not intended for venting hot air from your attic (although they do a bit). They are about preventing condensation and moisture buildup. If you need to vent hot air from your attic, get a attic fan. Install it at one end of your attic and make sure to install a large enough vent at the opposite end of the attic for cross flow. Otherwise you sill be sucking your expensive airconditioned air up and out of your attic.

[@commonsenseguy8189]

What if you only have a ridge vent with intake soffits and 1 side vent on your attic? Would you still recommend a power attic fan installed somewhere? I have a new addition on the opposite side that closed off the oposite side vent. Do I need to install a vent from a pipe in the roof?

[@Graybeard_]

@@commonsenseguy8189 Too many variables I don't know. Where is your house? Does it get hot, or hot and humid? The best thing to do is put a thermometer up there and take readings on hot days. If it gets really hot (more than 20 degrees hotter than the outside air) then you need attic vitalization. Many people live with hot attics and don't realize it because they never go up there, and their air conditioner is powerful enough to keep the living space comfortable. But it's expensive to have a hot attic. If it is humid and hot up there definitely get an attic fan to keep the air circulating. I have done roof tear-offs where the plywood roof decking was completely shot even though the membrane (vapor barrier) was intact. The attic was so hot and humid it rotted the plywood from the inside.

[@waltergreene5740]

I have a question for you GrayBeard_gamer. If your house has a ridge vent and a metal roof, how do you keep horizontal rain ( like from a hurricane) from entering the attic area?

[@Graybeard_]

@@waltergreene5740 The ridge cap is the top strip of metal on metal roof. It comes in 10 foot lengths and is bent to the pitch of the roof (10/12, 12/12, etc.). Underneath the ridge cap is a (usually these days) plastic strip that is perforated. It is placed down first and then the metal cap is screwed down over it. This plastic mesh keeps both water and bugs out. Asphalt shingle roofs have essentially the same set up, but the cap is not metal, but shingle caps. There are one piece metal caps now with the plastic mesh component built in that are used on both metal and shingle roofs. I left roofing before these were out. I personally never heard of water infiltrating up and under the ridge cap, but maybe in hurricane country it is possible. I did most of my roofing up at Lake Tahoe, CA (6,250 elv.) where we often get severe cross winds blowing rain and snow.

[@cjgalindo6241]

Sounds unlikely because if the air being vented is cool (from the ac) then it would likely be less than 90 degrees, which means it would turn itself off

[@fernandojalon6339]

I did this as soon as we moved in the home. This was done 20 years ago and it keeps the upstairs bedrooms cool. It also extends the life on the roof shingles. 👍👍

[@CocoChanelle-1]

Never heard it extends roof shingles. That’s a major plus all by itself.

[@akanesoratobu8889]

how long has it last? Are these OK to run continuously? How has yours been has there been any issues?

[@serotonin67]

Relating to your fine efforts...So my sons foot when thru the dry-wall ceiling when he was playing around in the hot attic. When dad steadied his foot dangling, I could feel strong and very hot air pressure pushing down from the attic into the living room. Hence, my repair journey began. Inside the attic, measured the BEFORE temps at ridge vent without Gable Fan was 155 deg. Got it down to 135 with 1 Gable fan. With 2-Gable fans it went down to 122 deg. But the biggest IMPROVEMENT was the easy installation of RADIANT Barrier (Stapled from Eves to the Ridge Vent). This compliments the gable fans BECAUSE it channels the hot air starting at the eves upward that gets sandwiched between the roof and the rafters with the Radiant barrier. Now my attic temps are within 5-deg of outside air tmps... many times lower even when sun is beating on the roof. DEFINITELY removes heat that results in a cooler downstairs. The downstairs of my 4000 Square foot house is very comfortably cooled in less than 15 minutes with only a 2.5 Ton HVAC ! Let's make the air great again !

[@MrBisono]

Great job 😀👍👍. I am a hvac MECHANIC contractor and I installed a new air conditioner system and my customer wasn't happy, because the thermostat wasn't going below 76f. I checked everything and nothing was with the equipments and my installation. So I went to the attic to see if had a ventilation fan. And didn't not have one. That was the problem. Have been a attic ventilation fan is very important

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thank you!

[@deangrande7207]

He is not the first one to put it up this way , but the first to show it , 👍😀 , I did mine this way 25 years ago

[@TheSOULBRUVVA]

As a Brit, living here in the UK, I love to watch channels like this. We do have a different climate to you in the USA, so we have different building techniques. I'm looking at your attic and thinking, he has ZERO insulation inside his roof! WTF for a start just insulating the roof (the part under the shingles) would "bounce" a lot of heat absorbed by the sun beating down on the roof surface. Another viewer has already mentioned "painting" the roof with a lighter color, to reflect the radiated heat away from the upper surface. Yes the attic fan will radically improved the airflow through the attic and cool it down, in the same way as having just a basic ceiling fan installed in hot countries helps to cool the room down in hot weather. What some viewers fail to understand, is the value of airflow, in cooling down warm/hot items. We have had air-cooled motor-cycle engines & motor car engines, BMW & Porsche back in the 1930's have good examples of cooling their engines without RADIATORS! Radiators are the same as AIR-CON units, they use power and a liquid coolant to cool the engines. It works, yet it is expensive to operate. Air flow works, not just by moving away the warm air & replacing it with cooler air, but its the cooling effect that cooler air has, of flowing over a warm surfaces and taking away that heat. We humans use "perspiration" as a means to cool us down, as water/moisture when it evaporates has a bigger COOLING effect so we cool quicker, but lose liquid in return, so we need to hydrate to be safe..

[@harryagapidis5249]

Mate it's so strange. The materials used are totally different. Wood is abundant so that is used. Brick less so. That's why sometimes in movies you'll see hands going through walls and stuff. That would not work in many british homes. Also that's why IKEA, although lovely for self standing furniture, is terrible for anything you want to hang on walls.

[@jiismo]

Did one of these in my house in Austin TX. Saved almost $100 a month in summer on electricity.

[@oldchickenhawkgaming9447]

Not from that fan bro

[@michaelfesta9289]

My daughter moved to Austin tx for work and she said it’s the hottest place she has ever been

[@Tate.TopG.]

​@michaelfesta9289 she definitely never been to West texas or South Texas. Austin is definitely hot but dry. The worst place to be in Texas is east Texas, The humidity level is above 90% most of the time. Even in the shade you will be sweating

[@NoSuffix]

I can tell this is a great idea right away, for upstairs bedrooms are always hotter and harder to cool down than the main level in summer days.

[@PeterLawton]

I did the same thing in South Carolina years ago. The project paid for itself in one month, so it was the best energy saver I ever bought.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Glad it worked for you

[@aerontudor6542]

I had this done ending of summer 2019 and was the best decision ever... the attic is not hot and the house feels cooler and my AC has not been used more than twice this summer. Saving lot of money system paid itself in two months...

[@flannelguydiy6458]

I am glad it worked out for you

[@calartian85]

Man, you must have a huge attic entry. I'll be crawling with all of this in pieces and assembling in place.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

yes, I am lucky to have room to move around up there. There is plywood flooring from the entrance to where the fan was installed which makes it even easier.

[@heatthermography3902]

Phoenix home energy auditor here. Care should be taken to ensure that air isn't being pulled from the home's interior to feed the attic depressurization caused by the fan. To check, use a smoke pen or "puffer stick" inside the home at the can lights, and/or around ceiling fan or ceiling light mounts. If the smoke gets pulled into the attic, then air-sealing is in order to prevent losing conditioned air to the attic. Also, I usually recommend to my customers that, if they want to use an attic fan, that they ensure that there's adequate makeup air from the bird blocks, dormer vents, gable vents, etc.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Right which is why I have many soffit vents and also a ridge vent across almost the entire roof line

[@jeromefields]

How do determine what size attic fan to install, in order for the fan to be effective.

[@exnjute]

I really want to install one of these fans but do have some real concern about the depressurization issue. I have loads of hi-hats/pot lights in my main floor ceilings. Have to really research this before I buy a fan. I don't want to be sucking out my air conditioned air from inside the first floor.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

@@exnjute Makes sense. If you have plenty of ventilation in the attic with other vents then you should be okay. I will be putting together a video about sealing the attic from the living space below. That will show you how to stop those air leaks from happening.

[@flowrob6861]

@@jeromefields Each fan is marked for 'up to XXXX sqn ftgn of ur house . If garage is attached add that to house sq ftg. Pick a fan slightly larger . Things to check out is air leaks from ceiling , A/C ducts . Check ur Gable vents , soffit vent , roof vents are Enough area for the exhaust vent .

[@urexpressionsphotography1082]

I installed 1 of these fans yrs ago in attic. I put mine on a lighted switch so I could power to it during winter months. I use this type of switch, so I didn't have climb all the way up into attic to make sure the fans power was on. Great video

[@gr8bkset-524]

I installed one of these in the attic gable over my bedroom. It was too noisy so I changed it to one that was solar powered which was weaker but much more quiet. I also installed radiant shielding in the rafters. Finally I installed a $20 homemade version of a whole-house fan which I turn on at night with the windows open. It pulls in cool air and pushes out residual warm air in the attic. The last two improvements seemed to help the most.

[@lynnchelo4727]

It also pulls in much dirt.

[@lennongroover4189]

Get a large quiet belt drive 1/one or a chain drive 1/one with deep pitch or adjustable pitch blades for power, but less maintenance if it’s in terms of chain drive...is a thing or so

[@markchristensen5206]

if you can hear the gable fan, noisy, I would take a close look at how much insulation there is, 9 out of 10 homes are improperly insulated.

[@skip741x3]

@@markchristensen5206 a gable end fan should be quiet, even one with a decent CFM flow rate....when these are noisy, its usually the bushings in these have dried out and then it will squeal and groan...a ball bearing fan would get around this issue... the other reason for noise is fan blades that are bent..it creates a racket becuz the fan is out of balance.. often it will hum or even vibrate thru the roof into lower living space..

[@charlescooney6900]

The screen wire that you used is called 1/4" hardware cloth. Nice job quick and easy, and it works.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Thank you Charles

[@user-vp1sc7tt4m]

Wasps can get in through 1/4" and build a nest. If the fan is on, that will keep them out but what I did is overlap and crisscross 1/4 inch hardware cloth. this results in bigger gaps than 1/8" hardware cloth but small enough gaps that wasps have a hard time getting through.

[@ricks.1318]

@@user-vp1sc7tt4m BINGO ....... Ever been inside an attic with WASPS ... EXTREMELY DANGEROUS !!!

[@ToolforOffice]

Great, this makes the couch I put in my attic make more sense

[@flannelguydiy6458]

LOL...

[@flaviuskern225]

Installed a Quiet Cool fan this year, made huge difference already, the second floor in my colonial home is significantly cooler before turning ac on.

[@scottmelton3013]

I went through my attic sealing any cracks in the floor, put in soffit vents and more blow in insulation. After that installed a temp controlled attic fan and it all made a dramatic difference!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

That's great !

[@boracay12]

American expat in Philippines . Here they use a thin tin roof . No insulation , except maybe a thin foil "heat barrior" . Our ceiling gets up to 109 degrees . Its not my place. But when i build ill do something different .

[@frandanco6289]

Scott Melton = the guy who did it right!!!! Thanks !!!!!

[@836dmar]

I did this about 15 yrs ago. It dropped the summer house temps by 2 degrees. The AC couldn’t get any lower on its own. A great addition. After a few years it quit but the trees had grown to help with the heat. I did some siding work last year and didn’t replace it when it would have been easiest. Thanks for the reminder!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thank you for watching

[@Spinonemaster]

Most of these units call for a 3-4 in spacing off the plywood frame ... and yes, some air escapes via this gap, but this allows for a free flow of air and prevents back pressure between the blade and louvers/screen ... this allows the fan to spin at factory speed with less restriction and allows motor to cool better and it will last longer ... this is why the brackets are spaced the way they are ...I just retired from 4 decades of building and have seen many that were installed incorrectly causing them to burn out prematurely ... PSA, read and follow the manufacturers directions on fan spacing ... every manufacturer of gable end fans states 3-4 in spacing off of the frame

[@jeffccr3620]

Bingo and most people don't understand how important sofit vents are to this type of system for the proper circulation. And never never put platic bags over your whirlybird vents no matter how cold it gets outside

[@jeremyhoman3623]

What you want to achieve is "Bernoulli’s Principle". By spacing the fan a few inches off of the wall/frame, you're allowing for even more air flow!

[@dman7505]

​@@jeremyhoman3623 are you saying there is a choke point? like the Venturi effect ? which in this installation has not been achieved, there is no Choke point

[@davek6630]

I just installed one of these fans last weekend, it came with an actual fan shroud to seal the fan to the opening. It was a higher end fan than this Gaf fan. Two speed with a Phone app to control fan and monitor temps in the attic and came with a 12’ power cord. It was $30 more than this fan and the brackets were already installed.

[@rayj405]

@@davek6630 what brand is it?

[@kennsaunders1690]

I did my Dad's house years ago, and because it was a split level home I installed two attic powered fans since there was two separate attics. The outcome, less hydro used for air conditioning and longer shingle roof life.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Glad it worked for you

[@seenok7960]

I love the extension cord idea. Better than running separate wire.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

You have to make sure the cord is rated for much more than what the fan will draw

[@robertwillis3123]

No! It's NOT better to use an extension cord! Like what is wrong with you people?? After a few minutes of watching this video I thought it was either a joke or was intended to demonstrate everything NOT to do when installing an attic fan. I have learned so much from KZbin videos and always leave a positive comment or no comment at all but this video has so many issues I don't even know where to start. SMH 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@sebring700]

MY Quietcool came with an extention cord attached but the instructions say that it's for testing only and that the fan needs to be hard wired to be "in code".@@robertwillis3123

[@codenamehavvok9752]

He looks like you did a pretty good job of installing with one exception you never use never use extension cords use Romex. Extension cords are for temporary use only

[@catastrophicfella]

True. Per fire/building code. If it heats up and catches fire your insurance will do an investigation and won’t cover any repairs

[@moffettsupply9156]

Well done, Thank you. I like the idea of a mounting board , it makes the installation a lot easier, and the screen.

[@littleteethkeith]

Every HVAC guy I have ever spoken to recommends using attic fans. So never trust a roofer for your heating and cooling needs and never trust a HVAC guy for your roofing needs.

[@matthewsalvador9783]

When the new roof gets installed here soon gonna watch them like a nosy neighbor. And install a fan myself. Thanks

[@MadMurdoc86]

Few roofers understand proper venting. The roof vents are just exhaust vents, but if there is not enough cold intake at the eaves there is no pressure to drive the hot air out. You really can't over do it on the intakes, but roofers rarely do the trim at the same time as the roof so they only think of exhaust rather than the system as a whole. My house has terrible intake and has mixed systems (gable, eave, and roof vents) so nothing moves causing ice damming in the winter and high temps in the summer. I am adding a fan to mechanically deal with the flow problem.

[@seestuff09]

@@MadMurdoc86 here is the correct answer. Increasing outflow can create more problems depending on the situation.

[@wanaraz]

@@seestuff09 Like what problems?

[@bmwrulesforeternity5218]

This is my 2nd house with an issue of not being able to sleep in the master bedroom (upper floor) due to rising heat that makes the upstairs sleeping quarters unbearable. If I could tell my builder(s) of my last two houses what I REALLY think of them I would likely get arrested for evil thoughts. I totally remember the conversation with my 2nd builder saying "I want TWO A/C systems .. one for upstairs and one for the rest of the house (Main floor and basement) .. and I vividly remember him saying "ohhh that's not necessary .. with today's forced HVAC system the interior temp will be lovely..." (Famous last words) SO, .. NEVER PUT YOUR TRUST IN ANY ROOFER nor even your BUILDER .. THEY are all LIARS because they are LAZY ...

[@crabbyjimmy1]

I’ve just replaced my roof and sagging ceilings and found out that no rafter vents were anywhere in the eves and they blew insulation into it and covered all the eve circulation openings. My fan I found up there doesn’t work at all and I’m so glad I found the thermostat style one you showed in your video. I’m gonna measure the old one and install a new one in its place. Bless you for your information! I’ve slowly started adding new rafters vents which is painstakingly hard to do because you’re squeezing yourself to the lowest point to staple them in but I’m determined like no other for this situation.

[@paulmoffat9306]

I did that as well, in my house in Alabama. Got from Home Depot, and installed near the peak of the roof, and set it's thermostat to 105'F. Result was a 20' to 30' F reduction in temperature in the attic. Note: the motors only seem to last 3-4 years (bearings dry out), and meed replacement. Fortunately, HD has replacement motors as well.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Paul... that is a huge reduction in temp

[@nomebear]

That has been my experience as well. The air exchange reduced my air conditioning 50% in Corpus Christi. I was astounded! I added more insulation in the attic on the west facing side and that really helped lower the a/c run time. A proplem this caused was that moisture removal from the interior air by a/c was not adequate.

[@stupidkitty84]

I have lived in my home 9.5 years and just noticed a month ago that my attic fan was burnt out from a bird getting caught in it. How are all these comments saying their fan motor is burnt out after a few years? Makes me wonder if this is because of our use of low quality China products. Bet my fan has been there since 96' when the house was built. Guess I'll find out when I get it changed.

[@davidh.8513]

I just use a couple good quality 20 inch box fans with both hooked up to a single thermostat and they are still running good after a few years.

[@frandanco6289]

@@stupidkitty84 Good luck finding a replacement made in America...

[@marcosantonocito8997]

Great video, I had the same situation with my attic after the 20k roofing job the guy telling me you will not need a attic fan any longer .thank you for the video this is my next project

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching

[@Blakelikesfood]

160f attic (Arizona), just built custom 5cft swamp cooler for the attic, works great! I even got the attic to be cooler then the garage.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

that sounds great!

[@Blakelikesfood]

@Tony Po 160F (The temp).

[@joycevargas2739]

I’m having the same problem. Our homes are the same size. I’ll tackle this soon. Thank you. Excellent video.

[@ericaikens5339]

Nice job very simple yes very effective is people like you that help other people from your videos keep spreading the knowledge thank you

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Thank you for watching Eric..

[@jackwinters8028]

Thank you for showing us how to have a cooler attic

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching...

[@kimberlyjeanette4013]

Such a positive impact for any home, especially ones with just a ridge vent! Great video (and a big thank you!!) 😊

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thank you!

[@VegasJPH]

My man. I NEED to do this and just might next weekend. Our attic area is fully open with rafters like yours. No roof top vents or fans, 1 small gable end vent, not as big as yours and it is triangle shaped but I bet I can find a fan that will fit the area. We can feel the heat radiating down from the ceiling into my wife's office & our bedroom. We have no a/c, other than 2 portable ones in each room that will end up running all night due to the attic heat radiating downward. I was up in it before noon the other day & it was about 140-150 up there. Awesome DIY.

[@frandanco6289]

DuramaxLove - You needed to add a lot of blown in insulation to the attic to stop that heat from getting through so easily... And the fan... Do all the electrical fan stuff first, then blow in the insulation...

[@westhavenor9513]

Passive roof vents, ridge vents etc. are better than nothing, but an electrically powered (non-solar) attic fan that's properly sized and installed is the best solution. I've put one in every house I've owed in the past 30 years. Saves on cooling costs and makes the house much more comfortable in summer. The technology has improved as well. My new fan has a 3-speed DC motor that I can control and monitor from my cell phone--whisper quiet too.

[@markg4459]

Nicely done. One suggestion for future projects. Would've been good to quantify the change. Pick a 95 degree day, for example, & measure the attic temp before install. After the project pick a day that's the same temp at same time of day & use same thermometer @ same attic location. Very interesting. Thx!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Noted.... and thanks for watching

[@chloesamclutch]

Have a double wide mobile home in Florida we purchased as a fixer upper/retirement home. We had new roof, big roof vent, and new HVAC, ductwork with floor vents installed. Still gets warm in the kitchen area, ceiling warm to the touch as you stated. My plan is to cut an access on both gables, big enough a person can squeeze in, blow in new insulation, and do a fan similar to yours on one end with vents on both sides. Hoping for a dramatic improvement!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

good luck!

[@johngill5175]

This is great, I might recommend not oversizing the fan this much. This will use more power than you need to use to move the air through the attic. But that is a very small issue. Nice work man, looks great!

[@drnickriviera8270]

Not necessarily. If the fan is oversized it’s gonna move more air than the opposite vents can supply. Well the fan don’t care, it’s gonna move air. What’s gonna happen is a negative pressure space is gonna be created in the attic. This is gonna draw in a lot of conditioned air from in the house into the attic wasting more energy.

[@martindiesman1690]

Well done. You’ve inspired me to replace my now not working attic fan! I’ve been putting it off for way to long!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching

[@brentlee9482]

HVAC tech here. I would suggest one on each end. One blowing in and one blowing out to equalize pressure. You can suck your cool air out of your house unless all lighting and other penetrations are sealed. Equalizing stops this.

[@marcosantonocito8997]

If you have a gable as well on opposite end of house do you still need 2 fans?

[@420Tokez]

@@marcosantonocito8997 its to help even the flow. However the thing people arent thinking about is zone pressure. By depressurizing the attic you are drawing air and creating a negative pressure in the house if it is all at connected (which 9 times our of 10 it is). Which sometimes houses combustible appliances that dont vent well with increasing negative pressures. They need the positive pressure build up from the stack effect to flow. The negative pressure from the attic negates that making the appliance backspill into the home. I understand that this is for the summer time. But a hot water tank is in operation 24/7/365 so just a little food for thought for the DIY guy. Do your research!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

gable vent on the other side. Plus at least 20 soffit vents....and a ridge vent

[@markchristensen5206]

look into the quiet cool fan, 3 speeds. the minimum air, cubic feet, exchange you want ,is 6 times, the attic cubic feet, per hour

[@sem331964]

At 0:50, I'll bring you back a week later after the install. ( Balloon with USA flag over your right shoulder, Grey flannel shirt, Strattus cloud over your left shoulder). 16:01, It's one week later after the install. (Same balloon, same Grey flannel shirt, Same Strattus cloud). Not only have you sucsessfully installed a attic fan, you have created/discovered the space time continuum. Must have something to do with the polar vortex the attic fan is creating. LOL. Seriously, Great how too video. Keep up the good work. Thanks

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Thanks and yes i replied to someone else about those clouds in a comment last week. The audio in my original introduction got corrupted and I did not realize it until much later. So I had to re-record the introduction at the end when i recorded the finale. Hopefully that makes sense

[@kmagnussen1052]

Pay attention to the fans that are air through cooling. I put thermometers all over the attic. The delta was 30 to 50 degrees F higher day to night in the summer in the Dallas area. I put in a single attic roof vent in thermostat control from in the house not at the fan. I also added a 36” belt driven fan at the eaves. This fan also thermostat controlled. The temperature drop was a function of how hot it was but the great reduction at the high side about 30 degrees F. The big issue with these attic fans is they are shaded pole motors like your box fan with air through cooling and bushings not ball bearings. Shade pole motors use as much as 85% of their energy which is dissipated as heat. Also because of the dust that goes through the motor to cool it adheres to the edges of the oiled bushings and wicks out the oil. That causes premature failure of the motor characterized by a locked rotor. That happened to that attic fan over and over however I was diligent it checking the motor and with a three year warrantee I kept replacing it about every two years. The big box store had no replacements one year so they refunded the total purchase price. I promptly went to my local motor shop a bought a capacitor run airover ball bearing motor( a bit more expensive). This motor is more energy efficient and no lost lubricant due to dust. These motors can last 30 years. The important issue in this application was to cool the overly hot attic to reduce energy loss from the attic vent tubing. Also avoid buying shaded pole motors such as box fans get a better fan that at least has a capacitor run arrangement. If a device has bushings you can add more oil at the end of season annual cleaning. Box fans made in the USA in the 1970s had oil holes new Chinese fans have no oil holes and are made in such a way as to preclude oiling. Planned obsolescence I have kept some of these working for 10 years with oiling.

[@twincam825]

Excellent advice and true i have been HVAC tech 45 years retired good advice.

[@johnferguson3026]

I found this informative. Just bought a fixer upper in Texas with a metal roof. Definitely considering this option. House faces East. Exhaust should exit North. Two fans would even be better. Draw fan on the South side. Exhaust on the North.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

John thanks for watching and good luck with your install

[@jbmoorpark1]

Wouldn't the intake be better on the north, which is usually a little cooler?

[@johnferguson3026]

I thought about that but the months that it will be running will be 90° or above. The breeze will naturally be from the South in Summer. The fans will have less resistance with the natural air flow. You don't get many Northern breezes in a typical Tx Summer. If you do they don't amount to much and they don't stick around for long. Have a great day.

[@robertstockamp6992]

When I did mine I put a gable vent in the opposite end of my attic so the fan would draw relatively cooler outside air through the entire length of my attic.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Same here... there is one on the other side too

[@badaspunkbtch]

So, it's good to get 2 fans? My house is a pretty big 2 story craftsman. I think I should get 2 fans rather than 1 with a higher CFM rating and have it on only one side of the house.

[@robertstockamp6992]

@@badaspunkbtch Check CFM and compare it to square footage of your attic. One will probably be sufficient.

[@Snail_Nailz]

@@badaspunkbtch yes! Its much smarter to use 2 separate units for a few reasons... 1) When one fails (cuz it will) you still have one replacing air 2) Higher CFM will never do the job of 2 fans...hot air pockets, ductwork, roof slope, etc all effect how the hot air flows through the attic space

[@MrWhitelightning73]

Gable vent fans make a HUGE difference Great video. Thanks for posting ‼️

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for wartching

[@kyrebanorg9897]

I am not an expert in residential construction but I am a licensed mechanical engineer. Simply considering the laws of thermodynamics I would recommend changing the flow of that fan so that it draws air into the attic instead of pulling air out, especially if it is mounted on the side of your home with all the shade from those big trees. This would work with the principle that hot air rises and would blow the hottest are in the Attic out the gable vent instead of drawing that hotter air back down into the attic space. I would be very interested to hear some feedback from you weather blowing that fan in or out of the attic reduces the overall temperature in the Attic more. Thanks.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Steven.. it is a night vs day difference. Also you can see the many comments from others down below who have testified to this as well

[@bsm6776]

No because it also blows out moist air

[@stileshumphrey4195]

Nice video! I just wished my home had an attic!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thank you for watching

[@themightyparthos]

I have no attic but installed one of these as a whole house fan, with the A/C off, the house is about twenty degrees cooler and I don't use the A/C anymore. The fan blows the air from the highest point in my living room out to the garage and out a vent. The garage could get hot, but it has big doors too.

[@Pallidus_Rider]

Very timely video for me. I have a 2 story house, which gets very hot upstairs during summer months. Thank you. 👍

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Thanks... good luck if you take on the project

[@foamrob6577]

Make sure your external walls are insulated as well

[@jbhobbyist9372]

Very good basic install. I'm getting ready to install a QuietCool Pro attic gable fan in a bi-level home.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

best of luck with your install and thanks for watching

[@WiPri0371]

If you get noticeable indoor noise from the fan, use stacked neoprene/rubber washers under the fan mounts. Couple of thick ones or a few thin ones. They will act as noise dampeners.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

great idea but this fan is very quiet. Standing in the room below you cannot hear it

[@josebakano]

Thanks for the video! This is a great idea and perfect for that unbearable summer weather and in return keep the house cooler!

[@tylerjohnson1352]

This is awesome. I need this done in my attic

[@flannelguydiy6458]

good luck with your install Tyler...

[@sgt2044]

Great video thanks, I needed help in installing a fan below roof vent. Had my roof done a few years ago and they removed the 2 whirlybirds and put four passive vents.. well the last few summers have been Hot!! My attic is very small. But I am going to hopefully get a fan up before May ahhhh.

[@nicknamednickify]

Thank you so much for sharing your project here! I have an octagonal vent just like yours on my west gable end. Unfortunately, I don't have a ridge vent like yours, but have a window on the east end. Unless anyone here has some cautions for me, I have acquired a fan with thermostat and plan on doing it the way you did with your plywood. The only change I'll probably make is to either turn the mounting brackets around so the leading edge of the fan housing sits down through the plywood to eliminate the air gap entirely, or push the entire fan through the plywood from the back side so the brackets sit on the other side of the plywood. I'll have to look to see which would be better.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

David Sanders sounds great and yeah modify It to your liking. If you have a window on the other side of the house then just leave it open but put a screen over it on the inside.

[@greg33033]

just mount the brackets on the exterior side of the plywood and that would take care of the gap which you could run a bead of silicone around to seal it.

[@joserea4056]

Out of all the video's i have seen, yours is the best!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Thanks Jose ! Please tell 10 million of your closest friends about me !

[@sem331964]

NP! I've looked at a couple of your other videos. I'm going to try the gutter cleaning shopvac and PVC combo. Looks like it will work well and will keep me off the roof. Thanks and keep up the great videos.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thank you!

[@JoeDeadwyler]

Thanks for your video, very good tips. Just a safety suggestion for your shop. Bolt your miter box saw to the base so it does not move on you.

[@philipdonovan6510]

Thanks guy, very helpful, we're getting one right away and I know how to install it now thanks to you! Awesome.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Good luck with yours Philip

[@dennissmith5837]

Thanks for the video, it was very informative and I’ll be adding an attic fan to my house shortly. I’m hoping it will reduce my AC costs during the summer months.

[@woohunter1]

Ridge vents work great as long as your eave vents are sufficient.

[@Dangrousdave20]

Agreed! I didn't hear him mention anything about eave vents. Super important because if you have no air intake and you put a fan like this in your attic, it will undoubtedly pull air from your conditoned space into the attic, therefore reducing your cooling capability.

[@mra2957]

Fans are not the answer….

[@nolongeramused8135]

When my wife and had our roof reshingled three years ago I bought a vent fan to replace one of the passive roof vents and had them install it. The difference was so dramatic - the AC unit didn't need to be used nearly as often in the summer and when we did turn it on the hot corner with all the afternoon sun was no longer an insufferable oven.

[@Kent41A]

I would suggest stapling a radiant barrier on the bottom edge of the roof rafters and adding insulation to the wall where the fan is installed. You may also want to remove the stored items and add insulation to the ceiling, then enclose part of it with plywood for your storage area. Note that spray foam insulation will seal air leaks and insulate using just one product, and it can be used in the walls and ceiling. Be sure any can lights you have are insulation-contact (IC) rated.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching

[@bridgetstoli2347]

A radiant barrier can bake your shingles.

[@Kent41A]

@@bridgetstoli2347 Not if you don't have shingles. I live in the desert southwest, so my roof is tile. Most problems with using a radiant barrier in an attic result from incorrect installation. There must be an air gap between the radiant barrier and the bottom side of the plywood roof deck. This allows hot air to rise to the top of the attic where it can be removed, while the radiant barrier is reflecting heat. I have started to add a radiant barrier to my attic, and have not had issues.

[@bridgetstoli2347]

@@Kent41A I agree that baking shingles is impossible without shingles.

[@rosskrause3926]

@@bridgetstoli2347 😃

[@ninabritton5431]

Thank you for the diy about the extension cord- my house is in constant sun- I'm up for this and can't wait to see if my house will get below 82 degrees on those 97 degree days! Wish my A/C guy would have listen to me about the heat gain :/

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching

[@Losttoanyreason]

An attic fan around here is a very large fan placed in the attic to draw air from inside the house proper and expel it outside. Cooling the house at night appreciatively. Usually placed in the ceiling of a hallway . Very popular before AC became so ubiquitous. You would close your windows to an inch or 2 crack and the fan would suck cooler outside air into the house.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Those are great... have one of those too

[@OOICU812]

These are called "whole house fans."

[@alfaromeo6985]

In Houston that whole house fan is good only in Falls and Springs. During the summer it is hot and humid. The fan does not remove humidity. It also draws in a lot of dust and pollen, which is a serious problem for people with allergy.

[@goofsaddggkle7351]

@@alfaromeo6985One also almost killed a hard working e/o during a house fire when the attic sort of flashed out the whole house fan opening over the entryway. Learning moment for us all.

[@joecoelho7030]

I have had one for the past 11 years in Phoenix works like a charm!!! Some days are so hot it barely shuts of at 90!! The only down side is I have to replace them about every 3-4 years they dont build them to last thats for sure but they only cost about $90 at Home depot so that not that bad to have a cooler house!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching...

[@emedvallejo377]

Great video. Very thorough. Good editing the out the dual spots. I like the plywood mount idea. It might be good to put some water seal on it before putting it up.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Thank you Emed

[@eaglerider94]

Great video. I'll be installing one in my much needed attic!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thank you for watching

[@johnford5568]

Possible problems are sucking the ac from inside the house. Also for optimal cross flow, the ridge vent should be removed and and intake installed on the opposite side of the attic. Also, don't be surprised if the electric motor doesn't last long working in the heat. I chose to install whirlybirds to augment the ridge vent. This works if they are about the same level as the ridge near the top. The soffit intakes should be numerous and kept clean. I have 4 whirlybirds and ten feet of ridge vent in south Louisiana for 2000 sq ft and it keeps it about 120° when its 95 out in summer sun. Cools down fast enough. Love lomanco ball bearing whirlies properly installed, no power, and wont suck inside air and they are quiet.

[@jirimarek8089]

Do you have any pics, I have no clue what whirlies are.. also I'm newly working for an energy /attic company and we sometimes suggest to spray insulation foam from inside the attic to eliminate the issue with later added fans that suck that ridge vent air... any thoughts?

[@rosskrause3926]

@@jirimarek8089 Whirlies are the spinning turbines installed on the tops of roofs..

[@ramoncortez8623]

Great idea, I been watching your video every year and this may be the one that I actually do it.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching. Please share the video!

[@turboflush]

Roofers and other trades look at venting backwards. Yes.. minimum air flow.. to prevent moisture buildup. But remove excess heat.. it won't radiate heat so much into the house. It makes your shingles last longer. Makes it more comfortable to be In attic. If you use for storage.. less damage of baking the items.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching

[@jimcollins8097]

I did the same thing several years ago. I removed every other louver fin and doubled the length of the remaining ones with 1/4x2" flats to minimize rain intrusion.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thank you for watching

[@wilfredrivera5963]

Same thing with me....I live in Florida and the roofer told me that I didn’t need a fan because of the ridge vent. I’m going install one myself too.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thank you for watching

[@ljiljanaprelevic7022]

So far, so good! I installed this fan yesterday. kzbin.infoUgkx7yWIKcrbA9KMHkGSfcgxW2lsjHT6B8Sh I've been watching a continuous radon monitor in my house for about a week, and the levels have been running between 4.5 and 7.9 pCi/L. Shortly after I installed this fan, the radon level started dropping, and in less than 24 hours since I installed it, the level is now 1.9. My basement is approximately 2,000 square feet. Total home square footage above basement is approximately 4,000 square feet. The noise level so far is very quiet. Mine is installed indoors, so I had to purchase a cord and connector. If I have any problems later, I'll update my review. But for now, I'm very pleased with it.Update after 48 hours: Using a constant monitor, my radon is now fluctuating between 0.38 and 0.45 pCi/L. I've moved the monitor to my basement and am getting a constant 0.43 reading. After 24 hours, and when I know the weather will be safe, I'll place the monitor outside for about 12 hours. I'm thinking that the 0.38 to 0.45 may be the outside "ambient" radon level. I'm using this monitor (purchased from Amazon): Corentium Home Radon Detector by Airthings 223

[@13ghosts31]

I have a ridge vent, soffit vents, and gable vents. And it’s still hotter than hell in my attic. A gable vent is what I’m going for now.

[@jeffh4451]

I had the same issue with my home, I removed one of my soffit vents and found the holes were 4"x 8" way too small. I used a license plate 7 x 10" approx for a template and enlarged the soffit vents on three sides of the house couldn't reach the 4th side, installed new 8" x 16" soffit vent screen. Attic temp dropped 20 degs from improved air flow, later when I replaced the roof had the roofer install tan shingles (matched the house color) temp dropped another 20 degs . So consider those soffit vents to improve flow too, screens are cheap

[@dadweena]

Thanks for the great video! I have one of those fans and will be doing a similar installation real soon. One note on your beginning and ending .... you said at the end it was a week later from the intro and that's crazy cool that the clouds are in the same place as in the beginning of the video! :)

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Right... I filmed both the beginning and the end at the same time. I did not like the original intro that I recorded. I think if you ask a lot of people who do youtube videos, you would be surprised as to how many people do this.

[@mikegruber172]

@@flannelguydiy6458 I asked and I was surprised

[@CUBANCHULO149]

Awesome video! Thanks for your help in this project! Have to do this in my attic too..Thank you!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Glad it was helpful!

[@randolphquintana3355]

Nice.... been thinking the same, had a roofer guy tell me the same balogna, ridge snap shh.... sticking to your idea, thnks 😎👍

[@flannelguydiy6458]

yeah the roofers are full of crap

[@juliotrujillo2683]

Hi Flannel ! I’m wondering how the attic fan is doing at this time. My concern with this kind of fans is that it will bring in and out humidity as well. Also make sure the extension cable is a heavy duty one just to avoid cable overheating in the attic.

[@kevkev5935]

Good stuff and thank you for putting your install online. I've been looking g into doing one of these as well as I live in Central Texas and our attic easily gets to 135 degrees in the summer I've installed an entrance sealer around the access door and I feel like this and a few other mods will help cut down on the cooling costs.

[@Nafpaktos-Florida]

Get a QuietCool fan made in the 🇺🇸, just got one and I’m installing it next week here in Long Island NY. From what I have seen on YT the QuietCool fans will reduce the attic heat by30-50 degrees and the floor below the attic about 5 degrees cooler

[@kevkev5935]

@@Nafpaktos-Florida Thank you for the recommendation. I've been seeing a lot of positive feedback on those as well. We have the radiant barrier boards up there which have helped a bit, but there is absolutely no circulation. What I've seen is that those QuietCool fans can move a lot of air, so if I could get a 30 degree temp drop up there that would be huge.

[@vze2rdgy]

Good video. I guess, if you had attached the fan by sending it through the hole and screwing it on the other side of the plywood, you could have minimized that gap (which you sealed using the aluminium tape). Besides more stability against the wind force when the fan is running.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

The way those connector tabs were and the holes provided, that was not possible. It would only have worked if I used plywood that was an inch and a half thick

[@gemarlperry3232]

There is an aerodynamic reason for the gap between the fan and the mounting surface. The fast air flowing past that gap is under lower pressure or slight vacuum. That low pressure air sucks even more air out of the attic. Thanks for the video. I plan to install one in my attic soon.

[@bobt471]

Good video.... easy to follow. Looks like the fan brackets have a long and short side. Looks like you could have flipped the bracket ( short side ) to get a closer fit to the wood. But awesome job. !

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thank you! unfortunately these brackets that came with the fan were the same regardless of which way they were installed

[@TheRealOtakuJoe]

I live in the Phoenix area and installed one a few years ago. I did hardwire mine with a switch that I can turn off when needed. One other thing is I fastened some heavy gauge metal mesh screen to the back for hand and finger protection.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

That works!

[@Matt-xq6ow]

Thank you so much for the video. Also, that wire trap was a really good idea.

[@sean6077]

a few years i put one these in my shop. you never really know how much they help until it stops working. now i get to buy and install another one.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

yeah I had an attic fan installed in the roof. The roofing company said I did not need it. They could not have been more wrong

[@Sleepysnorlax1]

I’m sure there are more positives than negatives, but I had attic fans in 2 of my homes growing up and I hated them. They probably worked fine for their intended purpose, but my parents would just use them in place of AC after 8. So, no matter how hot or humid it was outside, we’d turn it on and that supposedly cooled us overnight. It actually felt good by 4 AM.

[@CrochetNewsNetwork]

So actually you hated your parents for not spending the money to air condition :-)

[@niravchauhan590]

Use dc motor for this fan then connect it with solar panels...it runs free for life..

Ooohhhh I like that idea! Especially since running A/C to a fan is nearly impossible on my house. Thanks!

[@AnthonyBrusca]

Fire risk.

[@stnln2180]

Solar powered fan is three times more expensive and one third of the power of a regular 110v. fan. So...to have similar power of a regular 110v fan you would have to install two of solar powered fans. Otherwise great idea

[@MrPrios1]

Now that is an idea!

[@MrPrios1]

A slow fan with a small motor? 12VDC, no batteries.

[@user-gn5uy6lx7z]

I grew up in a wood frame house, and we had a 4-foot fan in our attack. We would turn it on and open the attack door, then the windows in the house. The fan would pull the air through. That was our air-conditioning

[@traceyjscott069]

Install two or three small bathroom vent fans directly underneath your ridge vent then wire them directly to a temperature switch set to whatever temperature you think will work best for your attic. That will work better than anything else!

[@SEEtheREPLAY]

Or 10 GPU FANS

[@alfaromeo6985]

The bathroom fan is rated at 70 CFM. It usually takes 2300 CFM for a 1500 square foot home attic to properly cool the attic in southern states during summer months.

[@commentator2.0]

Thanks for the video. I need to install one of these in my house

[@flannelguydiy6458]

You should!

[@DJ-xo4jg]

Have you considered adding a radiant barrier to the attic? Not sure what part of the country your in, but if it gets not there for an extended time it might be something to consider. Also not very expensive, maybe $200 depending on amount of sqft needed and what product/brand. Thanks for the video. Simple to the point and no b.s.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thank you Derek...

[@teacherlynn671]

Yes, but I have a two vents side by side in both sides of the attic. I hate to block one off just to have a fan as it will lower the cubic feet of air intake. But great job and Flannel Guy-you are the cure for a bad day.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching! please share the video

[@greenyonline]

Any permanent fixture should be hard wired to code for safety.

[@jasongeo2]

Oh shutup. Any extension cord will suffice

[@donnash5813]

@@jasongeo2 This person is making joke. It amused me and I laughed but he is wrong.

[@surfcasualms]

If you have a large straight ranch with gable roof and attached garage i found one at each end is necessary to move enough air. Plus a whole house fan makes a huge impact on attic heat.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

If I were to install another fan at the other end of the house, it would be blowing in while the other one is blowing out. The whole house fan is great when the exterior temp is lower than the temp in your home.

[@Astromyxin]

@@flannelguydiy6458 Yes, one should be your fresh air supply, and the other should be your exhaust. Otherwise, the system is not operating optimally. If you did add another fan, you'd have to remove the ridge vent and cap the ridge with normal cap shingles for the system to operate optimally.

[@pughconsulting]

Another idea that falls into cooling is planting the right trees in the right location. Find trees that lose leaves in winter. I have a big oak on the South side and my electric bill is $140 in the summer while my neighbors are pushing close to $300. Same style houses. I chose lighter shingles and added blow in insulation. Little things matter and add up!

[@flannelguydiy6458]

Shading the roof makes a huge difference but to wait 20 years for the trees to grow tall enough? Put solar panels on the roof. They provide shade and help with your electric bills at the same time.

[@pughconsulting]

@@flannelguydiy6458 Fair enough and good advice! My children will benefit from several live oaks I planted but I'll be surely dead before I see those benefits. I had a company put in a 20' maple so that's more reasonable. My local electric company gave away trees a few years ago as well.

[@frandanco6289]

@@flannelguydiy6458 So you put glass panels on the roof that get ho,t and where does that heat go to??? Yes, below them... To the roof... But if you pay $$$ for solar panels, and hopefully battery back up, then After you Pay for All of that stuff, then you see what you are saving... I did not see that you had any attic insulation up there... That of course will also help keep the house cooler...

[@frandanco6289]

@@pughconsulting I am with you on this !!! Deciduous trees make a huge difference, but will not help if you want to install solar panels... I would rather take the trees because they are going to be way, way, way, less expensive than solar panels, and every time you have to do a roof job, repair, etc., you have to remove the solar panels to get to it... I guess if you are young, in your 20-30's, all these new thing will work out better IF you can afford the initial cost, and then someday, when they are ALL Paid For, Then, do you start saving money...

[@anthonyfletcher8053]

@@frandanco6289 yup! My sister went the solar route and pays about $60 or less for her electric bill. Her bill for the solar panels? About $400 🤣 We looked at solar and the sales man said we don’t even use enough energy to justify selling us solar panels 😂

[@user-cptpwp]

Newest ones are 70/108 low/hi speed quite cool. Blue tooth. Nice job

[@paule1047]

I’d like to have seen the temperature before and after..

[@Maximonious]

He basically said it: "About 135 degrees" before... then the thermostat is shutting off the fan at 95ish. So... about 135 before. About 95 after.

[@flyingjeff1984]

You ask the operative question.

[@J.T.19134]

@@titaniumspecial4207 my attic does not effect the temperature of my house, however last Christmas my wife went up to get our decorations. All the candles she had melted, the wrapping paper wrinkled, I got my Lazer temp gun. It was 147 in my attic.

[@brentlee9482]

I can grant you it was a lot cooler

[@J.T.19134]

@@brentlee9482 my attic today was 131, and it was only 87 out 85% Humidity. My house is in the sun ALL day. From 8-2 right side of the ridge is 130. 2-7 it kinda crosses over. So at 10 am. The right side will be 130, left about 100, 6pm. Left 130, right 100. This is with a Lazer Temp gun, from my second floor. I won't go up there until after 9pm

[@Spiderpig8276]

Thanks for the lesson. I'm going to do the same for my attic.

[@flannelguydiy6458]

thanks for watching