Is a Whole house fan an asset?

How could it hurt? If the house inspector doesn't like it, you can then remove it.

It can't hurt. Why remove it? Not everyone is addicted to A/C. (believe it or not)

it wouldn't be any of the inspectors business. (if there even IS an inspection)

I have them in my house and we use them about half the year but we don't really have a heating season (SW Fla) . The down side is you lose a lot of heat through the louvers when the heat is on. They don't have much of an insulation rating

I wouldnt remove it, unless a buyer wants it removed.

you might disable the swich and lay some batt insulation over it to save energy

I built a insulated cover over it in the attic for the winter. The fan will not start unless the cover is opened.

Have one in my ranch house - yes it does cut down on A/C costs - depending on the humidity, I can forego the A/C until it gets above 80 to 85 degress outside.

But I was told that it's not good to use with ridge vents and soffit vents. Right now I have end (gable) vents, and soffit vents put in when I replaced the siding (ridge vents await the roof job down the road..). Is that true?

Banty

They make covers for them, though. Or a DIY'er can make covers. Also, I have an on/off switch next to the attic access.

Banty

Just tell the story exactly as you did above. It may actually help sell, as it would cut AC costs during certain seasons. If the people don't like it, they can deal with it, or just not use it.

Steve

I don't have a permanent one -- just a massive fan placed near a patio door so that it can blow out the entire out. I live in Phoenix and use it when the mornings are cool and cool the entire house down to 50-60 degrees. In the summer, it goes into storage as there is no time of day when it is below 80.

I doubt they really allow enough air flow

I imagine that if all you had was soffit and ridge vents it would not be good as you probably don't have enough total opening. I have them plus gable vents and it has worked for 27 years now.

To the OP, Yes, IMO, it is an asset and I'd think it a plus if I was the buyer.

"Bumpy" wrote

Andy, if I were buying a home, a unit like that would be a major selling point. We use ceiling fans in most rooms here and it really helps us to not need the AC as much whiich in turn saves money and is 'evironmentally friendly' (something we like).

ceiling fans don't cool a place. They make it feel cooler by aiding your own evaporative cooling (persperation).

A whole fan will cool a place extremely well if, and only if, it is cooler outside.

Then the next question is - once I get the ridge vents, do I need to close up the gable end vents?

Banty

I call the fans an asset! My grandparents had a whole house fan.

They are great for evacuating burnt biscuit smoke also :)

Oren

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That really is the main consideration. A 30" fan requires TEN square feet of exhaust to function to maximum. When you get to figgering vent space, that's quite a bit. And if the fan gets bigger, then the exhaust area multiplies accordingly.

They sell insulated box-shape lids you can drop over them, but you have to get up there twice a year to fuss with it. (Of course, you should have one of those lids over the pull-down staircase as well...)

aem sends...

I'd call a whole house fan an asset also. We had one in the house I spent grades 8-12 in and it worked great during evenings when it was cool outside. It drew cool air from downstairs (outside) and blew like a hurricane out through the attic. The air temp would drop dramatically and it was cheaper to operate than the air conditioning. We used ours primarily in the spring and fall. Summers were too hot and winters too cold.

I'd love to have one where I live now.