Replacing an Attic Fan - Do It Yourself

amzn.to/34K183W
amzn.to/31GTaGV
amzn.to/3b7kQaV
Due to requests, I am now including links to products when possible. These links are provided for reference, no company or individual paid to be in this video. Depending on the vendor, a small commission might be paid and would be used to support adding content to this channel.
Amazon Prime free 30 day trial: amzn.to/3g9mwCL
Amazon Tool Deals of the Day: amzn.to/3eUGcsD
Temperatures outside really soar in the summer. And so too do temperatures in your attic.
When attics aren’t properly ventilated, temperatures can reach 150 degrees in the attic.
And in the winter, humidity builds in your attic.
That’s why it’s so important for homeowners to replace their old attic fans.
It’s an easy do-it-yourself project, and it can also save you a lot of money on your electric bill.
More YNH with Teresa: Teresa Garrett
• Teresa Garrett - Do It...
MATERIALS
-electric attic fan
-drill
-flat bar
-wire nuts
-screwdriver
-ladder
-tape measure
-nutdriver
-sealant
-screws
INSTALLATION
Before you do anything, turn off the circuit breaker.
Then go on your roof and decide whether to put your new fan in the same spot as your old one. The fan should be placed as close to the ridge as possible because heat rises. It should also be on the back side of your house so it can’t be seen from the street.
If you’re going to put it in the same spot as your old one, you need to pull out all the nails or staples out of the flashing. They’ll be located on the bottom half of the fan. You’ll use a flat bar for this job. Make sure to take your time. It’s common for people to rush through this and they end up tearing shingles, causing leaks. Once the nails or staples are removed, loosen the shingles all around the top of the fan, and then pull the old fan out.
If you’re putting the fan in a different location, you need to cut out a hole. To do that, you’ll need to mark your spot from the attic... so your hole is in between the rafters. Drive a hole through the roof so when you get on the roof, you’ll know where to cut your hole. Then, using a reciprocating saw, cut a 14 ½ inch hole in the roof. Start your cut at the bottom and work up.
At some point, you’ll have to disconnect the wiring from your old fan. You can either do it from the attic or from the roof when you pull out the old fan.
If you are uncomfortable with the electrical components in anyway, call an electrician. If you want to do it yourself, in most cases it’s fairly simple because you already have the wiring from your old fan. So in most cases, you’ll just have to attach the box to the existing wires. Make sure you color code the wires.
You can either do the electrical from the roof or from the attic. Which one you choose will depend on your attic space and height.
Put sealant all around the flashing of the new attic fan, and slip the fan up under the shingles. Screw the bottom half down and put sealant on top of the screws so they won’t leak.
If you didn’t do most of your wiring on the roof, now you need to go into the attic and attach the control box to the existing wires. Then you attach the control box to the joist.
And that’s it !
Most new fans have thermostats that allows you to set the desired temperature so the fan will automatically turn on when it gets so hot in the attic. Some even have humidistats that will take the humidity out of your attic in the winter.
Attic fans come in different sizes. Buy the size you need according to the square footage of your house. Also look at the warranty on the motor, some models will quit working after only a year and a half.
MORE FROM YOUR NEW HOUSE
Featured videos:
• YNH Featured Videos
Great DIY Projects from Your New House:
• DIY - Do It Yourself w...
Quick Tips - easy tips to make your projects (and life) better:
• Quick Tips - Great, ye...
Gardening and Landscaping:
• Gardening and Landscaping
Adventures in Homebuilding - Home info with a smile:
• Adventures in Homebuil...
Choosing and Using Tools with Carmen Ciricillo:
• Choosing and Using Too...
Factory Tours and Product Testing:
• Did You Know?

[@edwardhaughney9665]

Rather impressive video; getting right to the point. PDQ. Thanks

[@t.t.8878]

She makes it look so easy, but it's not! My son & I spent 3 hours trying to remove the old fan. A LOT of roofing caulk was used & we had a terrible time getting the flashing loose without damaging the shingles. We had to take the old fan apart to get at the upper flashing. Putting the new fan in & connecting the electric was easy.

[@danielpechalov4092]

This has been great, i was expecting something more invasive. Thank you.

[@narayandeziel]

Kudos from a Hunker writer. That was concise and really helpful.

[@Karina_Engr]

I love seeing these episodes.

[@chaimrubin2538]

Excellent video. Do you know if any attic fans are integrated with smart technology? They fail and can be a fire hazard so any kind of sensor would be very helpful.

[@geekgamespt7928]

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

[@punkmanmatthew]

Ugghh don’t want to do that lol. Wonder how much it is to pay someone to do it.

[@carminemartino8471]

I just replaced mine in the same exact fashion but I can hear/feel "vibration" under it about 4 feet to the right and left of it on BOTH floors of my house. If I step outside of those areas, I "feel/hear" nothing and is very quiet. Is there anything I can do to reduce this vibration sound? Is there a rubber barrier that I could place in between the fan and the roof? Not sure what solution are out there. I don't believe it is a fan problem because the noise isn't the motor, its like it vibrating the roof and the studs in the wall on both floors!

[@dalancheek2530]

It's a Harmonic. Some rubber material could help to isolate it - but odds are it's just not properly screwed down - see my other comment here in this thread, I went into more detail, but you're experiencing EXACTLY what I described would happen if SHE really did this job as we are shown here - HARMONICS, being carried through the trusses &: the studs/joists connected thereto. Must be a gap between roof sheathing, else you could hear it all over. We had a filtered-return that made a noise nobody but me could hear. Ex called an HVAC guy, he said "it happens - I bet he can hear old CRT TVs from outside a house, too (I can)... I just hear higher frequencies than most people - even most teenagers. He fixed it by sealing around the back side of the filter frame with spackle. Air was being pulled through between the drywall & the frame - a TINY crack - & making an 1/8"piece of drywall tape vibrate so fast that the sound was much higher in pitch than a mosquito - much higher than the average person can hear... I'm guessing this is more audible, & sounds metallic, although it COULD be FELT if it's low frequency... Regardless - SCREW IT DOWN ON ALL SIDES, IT CAN'T VIBRATE - BUT DON'T GLUE IT DOWN-DON'T SILICONE THE EDGES! WATCH THE OTHER VID!

[@BibleExposition2022]

People say the powerful attic fan will suck out the cold air from inside your house & cause the AC to run more thus cost more electricity. Solar fan or get the attic fan that has less CFM suction would be better. I have a powerful attic fan similar to the one in the video not working, I like to get a smaller one to replace so it won't suck out the cold air in the house. Thx

[@CrAZyFr33Rid3r]

If its pulling the cold air from inside the living area then you have a whole house fan which is in lou of A/C. Meant to run with windows open on the first floor and pull air through house and out the attic...also venting the attic If you run A/C, you need this rooftop type or 1000 cfm gable( siding) mounted in attic. This doeant pull air drom your house if you have a vented attic, which vented attic is a must as you need to replace the air that the fan is using. Higher vs lower cfm is relevent to attic size and works directly with how much venting you have, vented eves, cut in roof vents, gable vents etc.

[@geerstyresoil3136]

attic fan should have a thermostat shutoff once the attic cools down. if its causing AC to run more then its set too low...

[@CrAZyFr33Rid3r]

@@geerstyresoil3136 hes referencing a whole house fan.....no attic vent fan should pull air from in the house regardless of the house or attic temperature. Attic fans pull air from attic vents. He was mistaken..whole house fans were meant to pull air from 1st floor windows and through house and exhaust through attic. That pulls A/C out but was meant to be used in lou of A/C and not with it

[@Tacos_Paco]

Make sure the power is off folks.

[@charlessmith4242]

* How often should one re caulk those exposed screw heads?

[@AC-ob7ke]

I'm doing that now. It depends on type/quality of caulk, how correctly it was applied, weather conditions, etc. You may even find where one has failed and another has not, so no specific interval. Just inspect periodically and re-caulk as needed.

[@charlessmith4242]

@@AC-ob7ke * Thanks for the feed back.

[@lgumbiner]

I have a couple problems with this video. Over time, with all the heat a roof gets, the asphalt shingles will adhere to your fan base. You cannot just slide the old fan out as shown in the video. You most likely will need to tear up the shingles to get the old fan out. Also, she improperly attached the wire nut to the stranded and solid core wires. Good case for using Wago wire connectors.

[@ecsyntric]

talk about a fast worker.. she's quick

[@GSnugg]

I know this video is old, but her walking around the roof like that (w/o anti-fall gear) scared me.

[@jjc6776]

This video was made back when people had common sense not to fool around when doing stuff like this.

[@RjWolf3000]

That roof doesn’t have a steep slope and she isn’t close to the edge. Odds of tripping and the rolling the whole length of the roof are pretty low. Now, not checking the power off is a more troubling omission.

[@dalancheek2530]

Um... She left out reattaching the shingles she had to poop loose to get the fan under them - and only fasteners on exposed metal flashing -square attached to fan)... I can't imagine that thing vibrating -3/4 of it's edges are free - 60-cycle harmonics, buzzing against (& carried through) my roof. I can hear it FROM HERE - THAT, & the first first of wind carries away every other shingle she touched - and leaks become your new friend! (1) measure & pencil mark the approximate footprint of the fan base, then "free" all the shingles inside it BUT LEAVE THEM IN PLACE. Slide the fan under shingles, into place, as shown here. You don't seal flashing - so nothing between fan & paper ESPECIALLY not plastic roof crap. Fan. Roof. Screws. Exterior silicone caulk, appropriate tools -- all you need. Flashing likely has indents where you're supposed to put screws. Screw them - THEN put a bit of silicone to seal them from the weather. NAIL THE LOOSE SHINGLES BACK DOWN - put a couple of dabs of silicone under each tab & press them into place - you broke their adhesion, they're brittle, and you don't want the first breeze to run off with them. THIS is a much better vid - shows how it really should be done 😉* kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3aalWehj62Ei7M *Not mine, don't know him, just the best vid I could find.

[@akanesoratobu8889]

can you just put roofing sealant underneath the loose shingles instead? I met roofing tar under the shingles so it adheres or do you need to nail them down?

[@thoward4051]

Thanks for taking the time to share this information!

[@chrisdesimone4249]

Never mix an attic fan with a ridge vent (voids all warranties) also, the fan sucks the vented air from the ridge causing a short circuit. Take it from me, our roofer did it to us and caused $50 k in damages

[@chrisstromberg6527]

How did your building inspector not catch that?

[@chrisdesimone4249]

@@chrisstromberg6527 He was Horrible

[@akanesoratobu8889]

wait how did it cause 50k in damages from the fan being installed?

[@Commentleaver-c6x]

How does it cause an electrical short circuit?

[@keytothegate68]

Really a qualified electrician will do it for $75 -100 bucks? in my area Midwest they want $1000.

[@drummer626]

Joist. You mean rafters

[@ironeagle22a]

Someone forgot their fall protection harness.....

[@GSnugg]

I wondered that myself.

[@alexbojsza734]

U forgot one thing wasn't it nailed down

[@publicmail2]

Attic fan are never worth it, over insulation and nature venting.

[@HBO1984.]

I beg to differ. Those two silly whirly bird vents didn't pull out enough hit air from the attic. I installed a 1600 cfm powered attic fan and a solar attic fan. HUGE difference. No brainer.