After my attic fan burned out on me last summer, being a ecologically
minded person, I decided to try a solar powered attic fan. It seem to work
fine but on the really hot days I dont think it really did much(my poor
research). Now that summer is ending, I'm thinking about next year. Instead
of tearing that new solar fan out, what about putting a fan in the attic
just on the inside of my gables. On either side of my house I have vented
gables.
I would need an electricin to do this, right?
TIA
John
Technically, yes. You can mount the fan but, if you follow the letter of the
law, you need an electrician, possibly a permit, inspection, etc. to run the
wires and do the hookup. If you are a hand DIY guy and know how to do
wiring, just do it, but follow the codes.
Do you have AC? If not, consider a whole house fan that will ventilate your
entire house along with the attic.
A long read but has diagrams at the end. You need a way for the air to
circulate.
http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair/ventilation.htm
As for the benefits of solar:
"Materials used in some solar systems can create health and safety
hazards for workers and anyone else coming into contact with them. In
particular, the manufacturing of photovoltaic cells often requires
hazardous materials such as arsenic and cadmium. Even relatively inert
silicon, a major material used in solar cells, can be hazardous to
workers if it is breathed in as dust. Workers involved in manufacturing
photovoltaic modules and components must consequently be protected from
exposure to these materials. There is an additional-probably very
small-danger that hazardous fumes released from photovoltaic modules
attached to burning homes or buildings could injure fire fighters. "
from:
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energy_basics/environmental-impacts-of-renewable-energy-technologies.html
If you want an ecologically and cost effective approach, I would highly
recommend looking at a ridge vent together with sufficient soffit
venting. That uses 0 energy.
Being cynical here, because of the "ecologically minded" was
mentioned.
1. Why power ventulate? Have a ridge vent installed.
2. Why solar? Solar panels might have been made with heavy metals as
ingrediants, or as by products. :)
3. Insulate. If you have enough R's installed correctly you should
have year round pay off, cooler home, and no ice daming. You can buy
a lot of insulation for the price of a couple solar roof vent fans.
Now none of this was ment as a how-to answer to your question, but a
chance to introduce a few questions, so you can make an educated
decision.
later,
tom @ www.NoCostAds.com
Why go power vent when natural venting is better, cheaper, quieter, and
better looking? Get rid of all power fans, and any non-powered vents,
and install a good full-length, continous ridge vent. Make sure it is
installed correctly with proper vent volume under soffits and isn't
blocked by insulation. Also you must close all gable vents to maximize
the ridge draw volume.
The benefits of ventilation are twofold. The first is to reduce
moisture levels all year round, which lengthens the life of roof
decking by reducing mildew and rot. The second benefit is to equalize
inside and outside temperatures in winter to reduce ice dam formation.
As in anything else, there are a range of qualities and effectiveness.
I chose ShingleVent II several years ago because it had both good
ventilation and low water infiltration (Dade County standard). Don't
go with the cheap, marginally effective Owens Corning venting that
comes in a roll at the big boxes. OC now has rigid strips to compete
with the very successful ShingleVent but I doubt it is as good, let
alone better, because OC continues to sell the cheap roll stuff.
Go look at the premium new contruction housing, or almost any new
mid/highend these days, and I doubt you will see anthing but ridge
venting.
John H. wrote:
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