Improving Cooling in a 60 Year Old House - Attic Ventilation

[@mxcollin95]

Bro you can buy a Govee Bluetooth thermometer for like $15 bucks and it’ll link to a Govee Home phone app and give you a live temp read plus historical data too. Think it also measures humidity. Just bought one myself and it seems to work well. Just link the thermometer to your phone and then throw the thermometer in the attic. 👍

[@RealEstateRehab]

But where's the fun in that!! Haha. I actually haven't heard of that but I'll check it out for my house! Thanks for the comment man

[@mxcollin95]

@@RealEstateRehab haha ya swimming in insulation is fun but in case you get tired and need a break… 🍻

[@ptso7580]

That bathroom did have an outlet once upon time, it was on the light fixture. Or it's now an illegel junction box in the wall behind sheetrock. Perhaps for the washer on the other side of the house. You need insulation in the attic big time that attic fan is too small of CFM. ACs dont create cold air it moves heat through gas and you have a lot of heat inside that building to move out.

[@RealEstateRehab]

Correct! I looked all over the light fixture for an outlet and was shocked it didn't have one. It also meant none of the outlets downstream from the bathroom were protected by a GFCI but they are now (the kitchen outlets). Insulation is next on the list! Hopefully this week. All I did was read the box for the fan and believe the sales pitch! I guess I was suckered haha. And yep. AC displaces heat, it doesn't create coolness. Also why in extreme cold, a heat pump can't heat a home without auxiliary heating elements because there's no heat to bring from the outside in to the inside. Taking me back to engineering school now! Haha

[@ptso7580]

@@RealEstateRehab Old school bathroom light fixture has the two prong outlet built in the fixture. Looks like yours is newish. You prob can find old razor blades in the wall cavity behind the sink if the bathroom wasn't remodeled in the past. And they do have heat pumps that work in extreme cold you are in a zone that doesn't require em? So they won't sell it in your parts. Don't know what part of the orb you reside. In Artictca they are heat pumps in the test phases and are kinda working pretty skookun.

[@RealEstateRehab]

@ptso7580 very interesting! I had to install heat coils to get through the colder days of winter but I'm in South Carolina so those are few and far between. The second bathroom in the house still has the old light fixture with the outlet in it so that one hasn't been touched! Not sure I want to go poking around looking for old razor blades though.... haha

[@TamakiRocks]

"I grounded it" 🤷🏻‍♀️ lololol that's great (Also, kitty!) Deck door would look so good with the cabling, but I could see time being a limiter

[@RealEstateRehab]

Peanut made her first appearance! Deck door? What?

[@TamakiRocks]

@@RealEstateRehab the barn door/gate/thing

[@RealEstateRehab]

@TamakiRocks ohh yes I agree! I was thinking cable as in wiring. I did wood slats for now but I will switch to cable later down the road!

[@ballerbrady2014]

did the attic fan make a difference in how cool the house got?

[@RealEstateRehab]

It's hard for me to gauge the difference it made because the insulation is so poor as well. The ceiling during the day is upwards of 80 degrees when the ambient temperature is 73 (using a thermal camera). So I really think I need to improve that and see all these things work together. The air coming out of the vents is in the 50s though even at the furthest point from the air handler. So I consider that a win! Cool air is getting in, but it's not STAYING in.

[@mxcollin95]

You might get a lot more performance out of your fan install if you block the vent area around the fan so the fan draws in hot attic air rather than the air closest to it coming from the outside through the vent then back out through the fan. You could just block the screen area around the fan with cardboard temporarily to test and see how big of a difference that can make. Often the screen block pieces come with attic fans. Just a thought

[@RealEstateRehab]

@mxcollin95 agreed! I ended up putting plastic around it to test it out and it helps a lot! Thanks for the agreement!

[@truthseekerKJV]

This won't fly for those who have ridge vents.

[@RealEstateRehab]

Agreed. I'd rather have soffit and ridge vents but this was quicker since I had neither.

[@paulspratt1348]

Dude it would be better without that crap music.

[@RealEstateRehab]

What do you suggest instead of music or silence? I didn't get a chance to rewatch this with the music after my first upload failed so I admit the second one wasn't the best haha. But suggestions? I think if people preferred silence over music then they'd mute it.

[@VFRExplorer]

@@RealEstateRehab Keep the music - you're the video producer; it's your content and ultimately your choice. If you find the soundtrack matches your taste, so be it. I personally enjoyed it. Also, good work on grounding the fan, haha! I'm dealing with a 74 year old house right now. No ground wires anywhere, and some of the circuits are mixed amongst various room light fixtures and outlets. It's a mess!

[@RealEstateRehab]

@@VFRExplorer I appreciate the feedback! I've been trying different things as I learn (I've never been an editor or producer or anything at all, I just like to work with my hands). These older houses are tough for sure! Someone had this house rewired so luckily it all has ground wire throughout it. I just installed a new ground loop after digging the old one up during the foundation drain project so I'm protected again. The mixed circuits kill me though like you're saying. One breaker for like 4 rooms and the dishwasher is definitely not right. Hopefully you can get that straitened out one circuit at a time though! I wish you luck and thank you again for the feedback!