QuietCool Attic Fan Part 2 - Installation Review

This is part 2 of a 2-part series where I will be installing and discussing the lessons learned from installing a QuietCool AFG SMT 3.0 Smart Attic Gable Fan.
During the day and in a house that doesn't have a/c, the 2nd floor becomes unbearable during the hot summer days due to the radiant heat coming from the attic.
I'm installing an attic fan to hopefully reduce the heat to make the 2nd floor a little bit more livable during the hot days.
Thank you for watching :)

[@tmckinney3055]

I installed a QC AFR SMT ES-2.0 on my roof and have seen a significant improvement. I also added four additional soffit vents to draw more air into the attic and blocked off the other rooftop. vents. So far I am seeing a 35-40 degree attic temperature difference in the heat of the day. Also my attic is recovering faster when the sun goes down. By 9pm the attic is down to within a few degrees of the outside temperature. I can tell a difference with my HVAC running less often. I think the cooler attic air is putting less stress on my central HVAC, which is mounted in my attic. Only time will tell if the fan holds up but so far I am pleased.

[@PlanItSendIt]

Same, I'm extremely happy with mine too.

[@sumone6077]

Thank you very much for the video and the lessons learned.

[@PlanItSendIt]

I appreciate the feedback, thank you! :)

[@kirtclem3949]

Thank you for these videos. One thing I would like to know is what the fan sounds like from the outside. I'm thinking from a neighbor's perspective - low, medium, and high. How noticeable is the noise from the fan say at night time?

[@PlanItSendIt]

From a neighbor's perspective, it's definitely not obnoxious at all. Just sounds like a vent on high with lots of air movement... no whistling, high pitched, or other annoying sound. Your neighbors would have to hate anything that wasn't complete silence to find this intolerable.

[@TG-uc8tv]

Great Video, thanks for the info. How is the app that controls the unit? Also, can you control the device with Alexa/Google Home devices?

[@PlanItSendIt]

Thank you! 😊 I don't use those apps, but the QC app is pretty self explanatory. Just take a couple of minutes to go through the settings and you'll have it mastered. Good luck! 👍

[@oldowl4290]

Honestly dude, the whole "'send it" thing these days is way overly played out and at this point.. cringy. Thanks for the tips otherwise.

[@PlanItSendIt]

Ironically, my dad was literally telling me the same thing yesterday. When creating the channel along the lines of accepting risk, it was going to involve planning or understanding what a lack of planning could result in. I didn't want "Do It" like Nike, and "Execute" seemed to ominous, so I went with "Send It" from my military training. It may not age well, but I think the meaning will be understood for a few more years at least.

[@jack91522]

Do you think having that second vent below it decreases the fan's ability to remove all the heat in the attic?

[@PlanItSendIt]

Yes, that was a concern, so I ended up covering it with cardboard. I didn't at first because I thought I wouldn't have enough venting for my whole house fan, but I figured with active venting during the hot days, it would counter any loss.

[@jack91522]

@@PlanItSendIt did covering it make a difference? If not, might as well leave it uncovered

[@maxhernandez8413]

So i noticed that you have the same issue i am having which is that the gable vent opening is 13" and the fan is 16" does this seem to cause any issue with extra stress on the fan?

[@PlanItSendIt]

I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Once I added sufficient venting for the CFM it moves, all was good.

[@maxhernandez8413]

@@PlanItSendIt like enough air to be drawn in to the fan, or somehow increased the size of the opening to the outside so there wasn't as much resistance?

[@markchristensen5206]

To help with the inside of the house heating up. I'd add at least R60 insulation, to the attic deck, celling, rafters, floor. That well also help to retain inside heat in the winter time. Sence you said your home was built in the 70s so was our home, you also want to seal, the space between the, registers, and sheetrock. With foam or caulking, I like foam

[@PlanItSendIt]

Thank you! 😊 I'm definitely heading that way. I want to finish some of the overhead lighting first before I insulate. However, I do want to get it all done ASAP after my ankle surgery recovery.

[@markchristensen5206]

I understand, just remember any penetrations through the holes, sheetrock. That are not sealed, with caulk, or I prefer foam. Everything after that well be for nothing.

[@markchristensen5206]

While your in the attic, homes built in the 70s, they used, gray duct tape, on the heating,cooling, duct work, it fell apart years ago, it needs to be resealed with the foil tape, and mastic, save you at least 20% on heating bill

[@PlanItSendIt]

@@markchristensen5206 great stuff, thank you!!!

[@jerryhayes6733]

Might want to try and block off the lower gable vent to keep from recycling at the one end of the house. Run a test with card board for a day or two and see what temperature difference you get. What temperature sensors are you using?

[@PlanItSendIt]

I use a AcuRight Weather Station with remote sensors and one is in the attic. Thank you for the recommendation and I thought of that, but unfortunately I couldn't keep it blocked even if it worked better because my whole house fan needs the ventilation capacity.

[@Matt-mh5ud]

@@PlanItSendIt You might need the ventilation capacity, but never place an intake by an exhaust vent; it creates circular air wash. For proper function, the intake and exhaust should be as far apart as possible to get a draw through effect.

[@PlanItSendIt]

@@Matt-mh5ud great point. This was one of my concerns I didn't discuss because I wanted to keep the topic on the attic fan. But during the day as mentioned in the video, intake is on the opposite side of the house. When I turn on my whole house fan, intake is from within the house. And since it pushes more air than the attic fan, it pushes out all available vents in the attic.

[@stephenarseneault8629]

Jerry has it right. If you have gable vents on the other side of the house you want air coming in through them and out through this new fan only. Block the lower gable. When the whole house fan is on you can turn on the gable fan on low and move all the air the house fan needs between the fan and the gable vents at the other end of the house. This fan on low will allow the house fan to move more air than all of your gables alone. You are wasting a huge portion of your air movement by sucking it right in the gable below, and with that you are not moving much hot air out. You might even hit your 5 degree target with that lower gable by the fan blocked. Like Jerry says, slap on a piece of cardboard for a few days and see how it goes. If it helps, block it permanently. Also, it would help to get some aluminum tape and seal around the base of the fan so you don't have recirc leakage their either. The tighter your seal, the more hot air this fan moves out.

[@PlanItSendIt]

@@stephenarseneault8629 once I recover from my surgery, I'll give it a go.

[@CarlosN-pq9zr]

Would roof sprinklers with solar pump and rain barrels work to help cool the roof? It's a crazy idea I have since I lived in Florida 😜

[@PlanItSendIt]

That might work. Not sure about Cali though because we don't receive enough rain most of the time and our water is stupid expensive.

[@DarylRosenberg01]

Where does the attic recovery air come from? Are you wanting to pull the air from the inside of the house (I.E. whole house fan)? Are you allowing air to vent it from outside from uncovered attic vents? Then, how far apart is the air inlet into the attic from the new attic exhaust fan? Ideally, one might consider the widest gap/distance between them to ensure good attic coverage leaving less "dead air" A cheep way to achieve the same result would be lay flat ducting. You can install the lay flat on the exhaust of the whole house fan and run the tubing to the far/opposite end of the attic. I dunno, just an idea

[@PlanItSendIt]

If you recall from part1 where I shown what the louvers look like, I have an identical set on the other side where the supply air comes in facilitating the air to span the entire attic prior to exhaust... plus I have some smaller soffits too. This is during the day only when it's hotter outside the house. When it's cooler outside, the whole house fan provides the cooler air and both fans work in conjunction to cool the attic where they both can cool the attic to within 3 degrees of outside temp.

[@MrGriffsAdventures]

Thanks for the video. Can you give a part 3 on the controls? I am interested to find out what happens if the power goes out. Do you have to go back up in the attic to reconnect to the unit?

[@PlanItSendIt]

I plan on doing a one year review after I recover from surgery and can physically get into the attic because others have given me suggestions I want to try. I'll make sure I talk about the app.

[@MrGriffsAdventures]

@@PlanItSendIt thanks I appreciate it. I'm really looking into buying this fan and wanted to know more about the app. And if you had any issues with it. I had read that if the power went out you had to go back in the attic to reset the powerhead or something like that to get the app to start working again

[@PlanItSendIt]

@@MrGriffsAdventures I've never had that problem, but I'll be honest, it doesn't make sense to me that you'd have to reset after a power outage. You saw how I plugged it right in without pushing any reset button and it operated immediately. Plus, when my wife turned on the breaker, it turned on immediately too. I'm very content with the app. It takes a little time navigating to figure out where things are at, but nothing more than 2-3mins. I would buy this model again if I move if that helps because it does make a noticeable difference on the 2nd floor.

[@MrGriffsAdventures]

@@PlanItSendIt thanks I appreciate it. I live in Florida and my attic get extremely hot. So really looking at putting one in. Thanks a lot and hope you get better

[@markchristensen5206]

I have 2 green models, one at each end of the atiic, my attic ceilings are air sealed, and insulated to r76, the difference between outside and inside attic temperature is about 10° . I like the 3 speed model, for very low cost to operate, and the temperature controls with my phone

[@PlanItSendIt]

Concur on the 3 speeds! Especially since the low speed only requires like 60 something watts to operate. And great job on the heavily insulated attic. That will be my next step.

[@markchristensen5206]

@@PlanItSendIt low speed 22 watts, mid speed 67 watts High speed 147 watts, very economical to use, especially with my .35 cents a kwh rates

[@markchristensen5206]

Our ,whole house fan helps to cool the house down quickly

[@PlanItSendIt]

@@markchristensen5206 thank you for the reminder!

[@PlanItSendIt]

Same! My whole house fan was one of my best additions for beating the heat at night. Combined with high efficiency windows, the whole house fan has been even more effective. 👌