Attic Fan Blowing Out Insulation Hazard

[micky]

Finally!

[Ed P]

My fan came with a switch to do just that. Just turn the dial.

[Scott Lurndal]

In any case, whole house fans don't generally disturb blown-in insulation if the attic is properly ventilated (ridge & soffit, or gable-end vents).

[Bob F]

Opening those windows will speed up the heating of the house. If you cool the house off at nights, that cools off all the structure of the house. That is a lot of thermal mass, that can rapidly affect any air of a different temp in the house. Blowing fans at the walls/ceilings at night will drop the structure temp more than just the whole house fan, so the house will stay cooler longer. Opening windows in some areas will rapidly heat up that structure, so you will not be able to get it so cool overnight.

[Yoga Photodude]

To clarify, I open all the house windows after sundown and turn on the whole house fan. This works really well. I need covers during the night to stay comfortable. The whole house gets cool.

In the morning I close all the windows and turn off the whole house fan. The house is completely closed full of cool air until late afternoon as it slowly begins to warn up inside. But still cooler than outside. We have ceiling fans in every room that i can turn on if needed, but I leave the windows closed until sundown and repeat the above process for the night.

In addition, I only spend extended time in the house at night. Sleeping. I hate sleeping in the heat. I grew up in the Midwest with heat, humidity and no air conditioning. Sweating, tossing and turning is not my thing.

I could run the central air conditioning all night, but again my light/gas bill is around $150 monthly. I'll bet running my whole house fan is a lot cheaper than running the central air.

I checked the price of foam board insulation at Home Depot. Pricey, but I don't think it will shed particles. I'm not convinced any blown in insulation or rolled insulation will not shed when i turn on the fan. Maybe I can find some rolled stuff that is completely sealed. Maybe this is what BobF was referring to. That would seem to be the best solution. I could do it at my own pace.

[Bob F]