How to Use a Whole House Fan

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By Jackie Harsha
eHow Contributing Writer

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Whole house fan

If your home has a whole house fan, you can save energy and help the environment. Follow these steps.

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Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

In the spring, make sure your whole house fan is in good operating condition by following the instructions that the fan came with, or by going to the manufacturer's website to find out how to service your fan throughout the season.
Step 2

Make sure that the circuit breaker for it is turned on.
Step 3

Make sure that there is nothing obstructing the fan blades before you turn it on.
Step 4

Once you have determined that the fan is completely operational, open some windows and doors to make sure that you have plenty of cross-ventilation, and then turn the fan on to make sure it is working properly.
Step 5

Let the fan run for a while, to make sure that it is working fine, before leaving it unattended.
Step 6

Use it in the summer to get rid of the accumulated heat in the house at night. Use it early in the morning to save on your air conditioning bills and bring in nice, fresh air.

Tips & Warnings

To preserve the life of your whole house fan, make sure there are windows open. Otherwise, there will be too much resistance for the fan, and it will burn out faster.
Turn the fan off immediately if it makes any kind of grinding noises or if the fan blades do not immediately rotate.
If it doesn't start circulating immediately, call a licensed electrician or repairperson to fix it.

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