House Fan Vs. Attic Fan
Some people call whole house fans attic fans, which leads to confusion about these two distinctly different types of fans used in the home. But there are a couple of similarities. Both fans serve to cool parts of the home and both are mounted in the attic. However, that's where the similarities end. Does this Spark an idea?
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Facts
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House fans, or whole house fans, are used to draw in cooler outside air through the home's open windows in an effort to cool the living space. House fans are run during cooler, less humid parts of the day like early morning, evenings and nights. House fans replace the warm air inside the living space and send it up through the attic while pushing hot attic air out through roof and attic vents.
Attic fans run during the heat of the day to move super heated air from the attic space to the outside. They have virtually no direct effect on the temperature of the living space itself, however attic fans can help lower energy bills when running air conditioning systems.
Benefits
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House fans allow homeowners to avoid using air conditioning to cool the home by creating a draft of cool air through the entire house. House fans can reduce energy bills substantially by using far less electricity than air conditioners.
By removing very hot air from the attic space, attic fans can help take some of the strain off air conditioning systems. Attic fans also can help prolong the life of a roof because the undersides of shingles stay cooler.
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Identification
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House fans are installed between the living space and the attic, usually in the ceiling of a central hallway. The fans have metal or plastic louvers that open up when the fan is turned on and allow air to pass through.
Attic fans are typically mounted on the roof and have blades that act somewhat like a turbine to force air up and out of the attic.
Features
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House fans are activated manually by turning on a switch anytime the homeowner wants to pull hot air out of the living space and draw in fresh air from outside the home.
Attic fans are activated automatically by a thermostat that senses when the air inside the attic has become too hot.
Considerations
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Attic fans should always have a fire stat included, which will shut the fan down if it senses that temperatures have become extremely high, which may be the result of a fire. Should the attic fan continue to run if a fire were present, the draft created would spread the fire rapidly.
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