Attic Fan Bad Idea

Venting a homes attic is a very important best building practices will say 50 at the ridge and 50 at the soffits unobstructed.

Attic fan bad idea.

Good attic ventilation is excellent for. Strong attic fans can actually back draft furnaces or water heaters by pulling combustion gases out of their burnersand. If the attic fan keeps the house cool enough so that the owners leave the ac off there is almost certainly an energy benefit. Warm moist air escaping the home through the attic floor can condense on cold surfaces soaking the attic space and rotting the roof deck.

If the attic fan increases the comfort level of the house it may be worth it. The negative consequences of moisture make for a long list. The good and the bad of attic fans. These fans are sold with the idea they pull bad air out of the attic and it gets replaced with ambient outdoor air.

Attic fans make your home. One static vent style is the turbine vent which uses wind to power its enclosed fan all it takes is a light breeze to rotate the blades and suck heat out of the attic view example on the home. They talk piously about having adequate soffit vents so that s where the air comes from. Using a fan to blow hot air out of the attic doesn t address the radiant heat flow from the roof to the attic floor.

Improperly vented bath and kitchen exhaust fans can pump huge amounts of warm moist air in attic spaces. All the problems are dependent on the idea of depressurizing the attic. Attic fans reduce moisture in your attic. Fan problems if there are not enough soffit gable or ridge vents a powerful attic exhaust fan can pull the air from your home.

As a certified licensed home inspector it is not correct to say too much ventilation is bad for an attic unless rain moisture is getting in. Of course if the attic fan isn t working correctly and is running all year long that would be a significant problem. Ice dams form when the warm air from the house enters the attic and warms the air above. Proper ventilation helps this moisture to escape and dry out any wet surfaces.

Or attic fan some areas of the country refer to the big fan that circulates air in your house the attic fan as the customer who as. Are attic fans good or bad. Attic fans reduce heat dramatically. Much of that heat then conducts downward and finds its way into the house.

Ice damming and mold are common problems found in attics with inadequate ventilation. The recent hail storm and replacement of everything that is roof related has many of us having to deal with attic fans and wondering. Trying to solve the heat gain problem in your attic by using a fan is like lying out at the beach with a fan blowing over you and thinking you re not going to get a sunburn.