I want to add a few more inches of blown-in insulation to my attic which contains a 24" whole hose fan venting through 2 vents on the gable end walls. I am concerned that this new insulation may be blown around & clog the vents when the whole house fan runs if I do this. Am I worrying needlessly?
Probably yes. To relieve your concerns, when the job is done turn on the fan and spend some time up there with adequate lighting, of course. It may be sensible to limit the impingement of the fan outflow on the insulation by laying some low cost panelling sheets around the fan box. HTH
Joe
We used to have a monster whole-house fan in our 1930s Cape Code before we finished the attic and had to yank it. The blades would make a fine properller for some light aircraft, for sure, and boy do I miss that appliance. Cooled the house in 1-2 minutes. Anyway, I'd think the answer to your concerns would depend more on whether the air flow from the thing is directed more sideways, toward the wall vents, or more upward and into the attic space itself. If it has a more upwardly flow, you
*could* get some additional blow around, but it might be impossible to know for sure until you actually put in more blow-in, crank up the fan, and see what's going on. You might be OK if your fan is more vent-directed, but again, you probably really won't know for sure until you do it.But if you do get blow around, you'd need to either dissipate or redirect/deflect the strong air flow. To redirect or deflect (assuming that the fan is somewhere near the wall with the vents, perhaps a 1- or
3-sided hood built from sheet metal and attached to the fan's outer frame could be used to more fully deflect the air flow toward the vents (and away from the blow-in). I'm not sure how you'd dissipate the flow, especially if it seems like a tornado is dancing around up there as it is when the fan's going. Perhaps a qualified HVAC guy can lend some professional advice or assistance for that.AJS
Thanks for your reply,
Dick,
I have a 30" whole house fan, mounted in a manner similar to yours. I have 15" of blown cellulose insulation throughout my attic (yes, I know that's overkill).
While filling the attic with insulation, I built a 24" high box around my fan, using cardboard and duct tape. Worked a treat.
Best regards,
Tim == (substitute 'tcsys.com' for 'nospam.co.uk') _________________
Visit the Surrender Dorothy web !!
That's pretty much how ours was set up and in pretty much the same place, except in the ceiling along the short hall between kitchen and living room. But if I recall right from 6-7 years ago, we didn't get a lot of tornadic blow-around up there when the thing was cranking. We have a Cape Cod with a steep pitch to the roof and had 1,000 sft of open floor space, so there was about 10-12 feet of head room between the interior peak and the fan, so the force of the air coming off the fan was able to dissipate pretty well from what I remember. Was more like a gentle breeze up there; didn't even budge the dust or either colony of Big Brown bats in the screened-off peak vents about 8 feet off floor level on both sides of the attic.
I'm inclined to think another 2-3 inches *probably* won't make a difference, but again, that's just my inclination. I'm not a trained professional, and I'd recommend anyone who's not 100% sure about something to consult one.
AJS
Had the same situation in my last house and it was no problem...what you didn't mention though was how high the roof peak is above the attic floor. Mine was a good 8 or more feet. Just remember, you're creating PRESSURE in the attic not a vacuum, and that tends to hold the insulation in place...not blow it around.
"Dick" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@adelphia.com...
Those machines work fairly well. I would get some goggles and a respirator, though. The air will quickly become thick and unbreathable. The insulation in the air will find its way through the attic access door as you are blowing, but if you're blowing cellulose, it is not a problem to just vacuum. Cellulose certainly won't make you itch all over. The insulation is hard to keep out of soffit vents if you have them. Covering with a foam baffle, sold in the same isle as the insulation, will make it so they don't clog up, or you can blow the vents out from the bottom or vacuum from the top, but I didn't want to walk through the new blown insulation so I elected to use compressed air from outside. It's easier as a two person job. Have someone stay by the machine to load new bales. Equip them with a box knife to cut the bales. Instruct them what will happen if they stick their arm into the hopper and the shredder grabs their fingers. In the attic, nail a string line the thickness of the new insulation you want over the old insulation. It will give you a guide as to how thick it is as you go along. I put up about 6 string lines in a grid, and then could tell easily that it was consistent across the whole attic. If you have projections through the attic floor(vents, wires, etc.), now is a good time to calk around them to reduce the air transfer. When you get done, turn the whole house fan on and right back off. This will clear the fan, but not allow the gable vents to become clogged with the airborne insulation. Let them settle before turning the fan back on. you shouldn't have any insulation move when the fan is turned back on. When you're done, make sure the attic access door has a good seal. This is a good place for heat to leak out of the living space. Spend some time to make sure it is tight. During the winter, the biggest air transfer will be the whole house fan louvers unless you put plastic up, or use a cover made for it. Don't assume they seal anything. They are pretty much worthless for that job. they need something additional to insure that it wont contribute heat to the attic.
Hi Dick,
I'm in the same situation, would like to know your final result. Would you mind to share? Thanks! John
Hi, If venting is unbalanced(intake and exhaust side)
horizontal or vertical axis fan??? if the fan is vertical axis, i.e. fan blows UP, won't be a problem. If you are worried throw a typar sheet over the insulation.
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