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I have 3 power ventilators in my roof. None of them work. I have read mixed information about whether I should replace them or just leave them inoperable. I used to have a power ventilator in my former house in Georgia that I could access from inside the attic and I replaced the motor on that myself twice. When I had a new roof put on that house, I had a ridge vent installed and did away with the power ventilator. So, here I am in TN with three ventilators that don't work (this was discovered in my buyer's inspection, so I knew it) and I am wondering if I should replace them, which will require hiring someone to get on the roof, for $900, or just leave them inoperable and, if I am in this house long enough to require a new roof, look into ridge vents.
Mine stopped working 2 summers ago. Should I have replaced it, yes. But I really haven't seen a difference on last summers cooling bills compared to the previous year when the fan was functional. Maybe one day I'll replace it.
Might want to get one of what is in the attached pic and put the remote sensor for it in the attic. Lowes item or Amazon. Your attic temps without the fans running may be o.k. or may not be o.k.
The Acurite with just a glance while sitting on a shelf or hanging in the den when it gets above 80 deg. f. outside, will tell you how hot your attic is getting. Just keep the sensor away from a roof vent.
I hung my sensor from a string nailed to the side of a rafter and let it hang down about a foot from the underside of the roof sheathing, near the highest part of the attic ...as heat rises.
Last edited by greglovesoldtrucks; 06-17-2019 at 04:48 AM..
I have never heard anything good about power ventilators. I have used Whole House Fans in my present home and my last home and they work great and last, well, I don't know how long because I have never had an issue with one. One has been in place for over 12 years with never a problem, should go on for years more.
My last home was in the high desert where day time temps are 100 degrees plus in the summer. I open a window or door at each end of the house and turn on the fan early in the morning, like 4:30-5:00am, the coolest time of the day, and suck in the cool air. You can direct the air flow to any room you wish to cool just by opening windows to that room, or that end of the house.
It lower the indoor temp by 5-10 degrees, plus exhausts all of the super heated air out of the attic. When it's a 100 plus out side, the attic can reach 120-130 degrees or more..!
AT 8am, just as the temps begin to rise, I close the windows and turn off the fan. It takes all day to get the house hot enough to need the A/C. In the winter time I reverse the procedure, when the house is cold and the sun is shining, I suck in the warm air and exhaust the cold air. The whole house fan makes living comfortable and saves a pile in utility bills.
I have 3 power ventilators in my roof. None of them work. I have read mixed information about whether I should replace them or just leave them inoperable. I used to have a power ventilator in my former house in Georgia that I could access from inside the attic and I replaced the motor on that myself twice. When I had a new roof put on that house, I had a ridge vent installed and did away with the power ventilator. So, here I am in TN with three ventilators that don't work (this was discovered in my buyer's inspection, so I knew it) and I am wondering if I should replace them, which will require hiring someone to get on the roof, for $900, or just leave them inoperable and, if I am in this house long enough to require a new roof, look into ridge vents.
Personally, I would have at least two of the power ventilators replaced with solar attic fans. I had one in my previous attic and it worked extremely well for over ten years with no leaks. I never had to worry about any motors and the fans automatically activated when the temperatures rose above a certain level. BTW, you do know that you can have a ridge vent retroactively installed in your roof, right? However, without equivalent air flow from soffits, it will not be as effective at removing hot air from the attic.
Personally, I would have at least two of the power ventilators replaced with solar attic fans. I had one in my previous attic and it worked extremely well for over ten years with no leaks. I never had to worry about any motors and the fans automatically activated when the temperatures rose above a certain level. BTW, you do know that you can have a ridge vent retroactively installed in your roof, right? However, without equivalent air flow from soffits, it will not be as effective at removing hot air from the attic.
I have four rooflines on my house, so I am thinking at least two of them would need ridge vents....maybe they all would, I don't know the science behind it. Probably not a cost effective solution if done separately from replacing the roof. Certainly more than replacing the fans. Interesting that you had 10 years of good service from a solar fan. I will ask the roofer about that option.
I have four rooflines on my house, so I am thinking at least two of them would need ridge vents....maybe they all would, I don't know the science behind it. Probably not a cost effective solution if done separately from replacing the roof. Certainly more than replacing the fans. Interesting that you had 10 years of good service from a solar fan. I will ask the roofer about that option.
You may know this, but bears repeating. Good attic ventilation be it natural flow or fan forced, can only be efficient if enough air is being drawn from the outside, to ventilate the attic.
Force fan ventilation used without enough soffit/gable vents in place (outside air), can sometimes literally pull the conditioned air out from inside the home through ceiling openings. Like around ceiling fixture electrical boxes or any other improperly sealed ceiling penetration. JMO
I got talked into installing ridge vents while getting a new roof after hurricane Ivan, then the very next year during hurricane Dennis, the rain got pushed up the roof and into the vents. I had water stains on the ceilings all the way down the center of the house. I capped them off a few years later and installed a powered gable vent which works just as well, if not better. They may be okay for steeply pitched roofs, but they don’t work well for ranch style houses with low pitch roofs.
I do agree that adequate soffit vents are a must. It’s amazing how many older houses don’t have any at all.
I have 3 power ventilators in my roof. None of them work. I have read mixed information about whether I should replace them or just leave them inoperable. I used to have a power ventilator in my former house in Georgia that I could access from inside the attic and I replaced the motor on that myself twice. When I had a new roof put on that house, I had a ridge vent installed and did away with the power ventilator. So, here I am in TN with three ventilators that don't work (this was discovered in my buyer's inspection, so I knew it) and I am wondering if I should replace them, which will require hiring someone to get on the roof, for $900, or just leave them inoperable and, if I am in this house long enough to require a new roof, look into ridge vents.
The building science does not recommend any attic openings to the roof as well as do not recommend attic fans: as usually our houses are not tightly sealed at the ceiling and walls transitions to an attic- so they pullconditioned air- hot in winter cold in summer, making an unconditioned outside air gushing in to your house making your house less comfortable and your utility bills high
You better off investing in airsealing and only after that- additional insulation in the attic.
If you already have air vents in your soffits- then make sure they are not buried in insulation- then you need a roof ridge vent to match the air intake from the soffit vents. This is an outdated practice, btw
The new houses should be build with intact roof insulated on the outside of the roof
I have four rooflines on my house, so I am thinking at least two of them would need ridge vents....maybe they all would, I don't know the science behind it. Probably not a cost effective solution if done separately from replacing the roof. Certainly more than replacing the fans. Interesting that you had 10 years of good service from a solar fan. I will ask the roofer about that option.
Just remember the solar fan will be exhausting your heated air through the cracks on a bright sunny freezing day in winter- the only way to control it- to seal the attic opening in winter with the insulating foam panel and duct tape..
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