This Old House Install An Attic Fan

Don t avoid ventilating your attic for fear you re letting cold air into the house.

This old house install an attic fan.

Gable fans are installed at the very top of your gable end walls and vented through the walls outside. Drive nail through center of vent location. Attach each fan blade to a blade iron the bracket that holds the blade to the fan. Your actual living space is sealed and insulated at the attic floor the attic is outside this envelope.

It should be close to an electrical outlet between. Install solid blocking between the ceiling joists. Mark the ceiling back in the bathroom measure the inside dimensions of the vent fan s intake port to determine what size hole you need. Cut two pieces of 2x10 to fit snugly between the ceiling joists.

Use a layout square or framing square to draw the. Set the blocks slightly farther apart than the. Identify an appropriate location in the attic to install the fan. Steps for installing a whole house fan.

Install the shades and lightbulbs. If there are asphalt shingles on your roof the attic must be ventilated to comply with the terms of the manufacturer s warranty. Use the reference hole as a landmark to transfer your measurements from the attic to the ceiling. Remove the insulation from between the joists in the fan s location.

Cut the blocking from the same 2x lumber as. Lift out the insulation from between the ceiling joists. Plug the fan s light fixture housing into the wire hanging from the underside of the fan s motor. Install roof brackets and fall arrest system to roof.

An attic fan will turn on automatically when the attic reaches a preset temperature. You install an attic fan through the roof and flashed under the shingles. One way to minimize this problem is to install an attic fan. This active ventilation system is inexpensive and easy to install.

From inside the attic take up any plywood floor covering the desired fan location. In this video this old house general contractor tom silva explains how to keep your attic cool with a fan activated by the sun. See below for a shopping list and tools. In this video this old house electrical contractor john barros shows how to swap a light fixture for a ceiling fan.