Q&A for How to Use a Whole House Fan

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Question

Can you run a whole house fan with the windows closed?

Walter Brant
Handyman
Walter Brant is a wikiHow community member and contributor who has been repairing and restoring houses with over 30 years of experience. He works with homeowners to make a wide variety of improvements to make their homes more comfortable and liveable.

Walter Brant

Handyman

Expert Answer

You should open the windows in the rooms you're using to help cool them down faster.

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Question

Can I run a standing room fan along with the whole house fan?

Community Answer

If by "room fan" you mean ceiling or floor fan, then yes. However, it's not recommended to operate your HVAC system fan at the same time time as the whole-house fan.

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Question

Do I need to leave the wooden door of the attic open while running an attic fan?

Community Answer

No, do not leave the wooden door or access hatch to the attic open when running the whole-house fan. Remember, the fan works by pulling air through windows from outside and pushing it out of your attic vents. Leaving an attic door open would push that air back into the house and defeat the purpose of the system.

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Question

How do I use a house fan to keep the downstairs warm in winter?

Community Answer

At the warmest part of the day, open a window or two and turn on the whole-house fan. Never operate the fan without opening windows, or if the air outside is colder or hotter than you want the inside of your house to be.

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Question

I like to open a couple of doors to cool the house off. Is this an efficient way to use the fan?

Community Answer

Yes, as long as you only open the doors for the rooms in which you are in. Also, only open 2-3 doors; if you open too many, the efficiency goes down.

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Question

Will running an air conditioner downstairs cause the cool air to draw upstairs?

Community Answer

No. A whole-house fan pulls in air from outside, through a window, then pushes it out your attic vents. Never operate the fan without opening windows, or if the air outside is colder or hotter than you want the inside of your house to be.

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Question

We just bought a house with a whole house fan, but I cant find any controls for it. Where would they be?

Community Answer

Back trace the wires from the fan. No doubt it will show you a general location where to start looking for the control.

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Question

Can I close my windows and leave the fan running?

Community Answer

You need to leave at least one window open fully or several windows open a little. This will help the fan circulate the air up and down through the house.

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Question

How do I tighten the belt on my whole house fan?

Community Answer

Loosen the motor mount bolts a little, adjust motor until belt deflection is one-half inch per two-foot run. Then tighten bolts and check tension by running fan. No startup squeak should occur.

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