Attic Fan (floors, roof, windows, heat)

[dspguy]

My gable-mounted attic fan was disconnected prior to when I purchased my home. I went up there yesterday to hook it back up. I was expecting it to lower the temperature on the 2nd story of my house. It can't be good to have 100°F+ up there.

1) It seems pretty loud (first time homeowner, so I have no prior experience with how loud attic fans are).

2) It didn't appear to do much after running for 5 hours after sundown for the upstairs temperature.

Before I go any further with this, are attic fans just loud in general? I can hear it from the 1st floor. Should I remount it with rubber or something to absorb the vibration?

As for helping to remove the heat from up there, should I install an intake fan at the other end of the attic as well to create a draft?

[alphamale]

It's probably an old fan.

Have a certified person install a new one.

They should not be loud.

[Charles]

I think a common thermostat setting is 105F for the attic fan.

I think the only thing an attic fan would do is remove heat from the attic so the ceilings of the upper floors don't get as hot and radiate heat into the house???

(Interesting this thread is being asked in March.)

[K'ledgeBldr]

Originally Posted by dspguy

As for helping to remove the heat from up there, should I install an intake fan at the other end of the attic as well to create a draft?

Uh, no.
First off- read my post from other thread:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/18386004-post2.html

As a general rule gable vents were used two ways- if the house had soffit vents they were considered the exhaust vent. If there were no soffit vents (especially like older homes that had exposed rafter tails) the gable vents were the intake and turtlebacks (roof vents) were the exhaust.
So, depending on your situation a gable power ventilator could be doing a lot or next to nothing. The "nice" thing about gable power ventilators was no hole in the roof.

[chet everett]

The question about having an "intake fan" on the opposite gable is generally frowned on / prohibited by code. The problem is that should a fire break out the "intake fan" is literally fanning the flames just as bellows would.

Safer to be sure there is sufficient vent area to allow for exhaust fan to not struggle. Also be sure fan and associated wiring are regularly checked for safety. Noise could indicate out of balance condition which could lead to failed bearings / overheated motor and more troubles.

[dspguy]

(Interesting this thread is being asked in March.)

It was 85°F here yesterday

Thanks for the replies.

I have soffit vents. I used to have those turbine looking things on the roof, but when I had the roof re-shingled, they were replaced with ridge vents. Neither seem to vent much heat.

The heat radiating down from the attic is a bit out of control. Last night it was 65° outside (85° during the day), I had the windows upstairs open. It wasn't until 4am where the room finally cooled to 70°. That just doesn't seem right.

I think I probably need to look into increasing the insulation up there rather than focusing on the fan. Or possibly getting a radiant barrier. Anyone have any input on the radiant barrier? Is it possible to do both?

[K'ledgeBldr]

Radiant barrier was just discussed-
Radiant barrier attic coating

Just "having" soffit vents isn't enough- they have to be clear of obstructions.
For Summerville- you should have enough insulation for an R-38 rating (zone rating for SC).
That's approximately 14" of blown f/glass.

[dspguy]

They are clear of obstructions. I took each one off the soffit while I was painting a few weeks back to inspect. I'm definitely below 14 inches on my insulation up there. I guess insulation should come first, followed by radiant barrier IF necessary. Of course, installing the barrier after blowing all that insulation would be difficult.

[argelyn]

This is the best Powered Attic Ventilators, A 14 in. diameter steel blade specially designed for maximum air movement., Operates automatically. Adjustable thermostat built-in.-Broan-358-Roof-Mounted-1200-CFM-Attic-Ventilator

[K'ledgeBldr]

Originally Posted by argelyn

This is the best Powered Attic Ventilators, A 14 in. diameter steel blade specially designed for maximum air movement., Operates automatically. Adjustable thermostat built-in.-->>Buy the BROAN - NUTONE ( NAUTILUS ) - Broan 358 Roof Mounted 1200 CFM Attic Ventilator at TheHardwareCity.com

New posters aren't suppose to link (C-D ToS).
Nobody ever mentioned anything about power roof ventilators and I don't think the OP is interested in punching a hole in the roof. And Broan isn't necessarily "the best" on the market. There are several other manufacturers available that are as good or better-
Ventamatic
Hartzell
Master Flow
AIR VENT
OP has concluded that the best course of action right now is insulation.