A Whole House Fan Company
A Whole House Fan Company
A gable attic fan mounts inside the attic, right behind the vent you already have. Here is the full install, from checking the fit to setting the thermostat.
To install a gable attic fan, place the fan behind an existing gable vent inside the attic, fasten its box to the wall framing, cover any open area of the vent around it, mount the thermostat near the fan but out of the airstream, and plug it into a grounded 120 volt outlet. CentricAir’s installation manual recommends setting the thermostat to 110°F for the best energy savings. The CentricAir attic fan fits standard gable vents framed 16 inches on center.
A gable fan is the simplest powered attic fan to install because nothing gets cut through the roof. The fan sits against the inside of the vent in the gable wall and pulls hot attic air out through the louvers. If your home has gable vents and an outlet in the attic, the job is mostly measuring, fastening and setting a dial.
A gable vent the fan fits, a grounded outlet within reach of the cord, open intake vents, and basic hand tools.
The CentricAir installation manual lists these tools: a drill with a Phillips bit, Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, a level, a saw, a utility knife, a claw hammer, a tape measure, a pencil and a ladder. It also calls for safety glasses, work gloves, a hard hat and fall restraint equipment. Attics are hot, so plan the job for a cool morning.
Six steps, taken from CentricAir’s installation manual.
If there is a grounded outlet near the vent, often not. If there is not, yes.
CentricAir’s manual says installation and wiring should be done by a qualified person and must follow all building, mechanical and electrical codes. Adding an attic outlet usually means running a new circuit or extending an existing one, and permit rules vary by city. The manual adds one more rule worth flagging: in homes with a gas or oil furnace, the fan must be wired with a switch or interlocking device.
Skip the extension cord. The manual is clear that the fan should plug directly into a properly rated outlet.
Enough intake vent area that the fan pulls outdoor air, not air from your rooms below.
An attic fan works by lowering the pressure in the attic. Building America explains that if the attic does not have ample intake vents, the fan will pull air from the living space through gaps in the ceiling instead, including air you paid to cool. It recommends thoroughly air sealing the ceiling below any attic fan.
For the attic as a whole, the International Residential Code sets a baseline of 1 square foot of net free vent area for every 150 square feet of attic, with a 1 in 300 ratio allowed when certain conditions are met. Your local code may differ, so check with your building department.
It vents a hot attic. It does not cool the rooms you live in.
A gable attic fan pushes trapped heat out of the attic, which takes load off the ceiling below, and it works in any climate, including hot areas where nights stay too warm for a whole house fan. Seal gaps in the ceiling first so the fan pulls air in through the attic vents, not up from your rooms. If your goal is cooler rooms on cool evenings, a whole house fan is the tool for that job. Our attic fan vs. whole house fan guide explains the difference.
1,580 CFM on 180 watts, with an adjustable thermostat or an on/off remote with timer included.
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If there is already a gable vent and an outlet in the attic, most of the work is positioning the fan and fastening it to the framing. The slowest parts are usually framing out an oversized vent or adding an outlet.
The CentricAir attic fan plugs into a standard 120 volt outlet. Its manual calls for a grounded circuit with at least 14 gauge wire and 3 amps of available capacity, and says not to use an extension cord.
The CentricAir attic fan fits standard gable vents framed 16 inches on center. Larger vents need to be framed down to fit, and any open area around the fan covered.
Near the fan but out of its airstream, according to the CentricAir installation manual. In the airstream, it reads moving air instead of the attic’s temperature.
CentricAir’s manual says installation and electrical wiring should be done by a qualified person and must follow local building and electrical codes. If there is no outlet near the gable, plan on an electrician.