Best Whole House Fan?

[nedirtbikr]

First post here. Not a pro. Wife and I are considering getting a whole house fan put in. Not sure if I'm in the right place here or even in the right forum?

Would appreciate any suggestions on a quality whole house fan or suggestions on the best place to get this info if I'm barking up the wrong tree here.

Thanks!

[kwilcox]

What are you hoping to accomplish with your whole house fan?

[nedirtbikr]

What are you hoping to accomplish with your whole house fan?

Well, we had it in our home before this one. We pretty much used it to cool/freshen the house until we were absolutley forced to turn on the central A/C. Technically, do we need a whole house fan? Nope. We just like how it worked for us in our last home (that also had central A/C.)

Was just hoping to get some industry suggestions on which brands seem to be the most popular and most reliable. Once we know that, I can start looking for an installer that will carry/install whatever we choose.

[bmathews]

We always buy ours at Grainger. Not sure of the brand. I'm not sure the brand really matters much. It's just a motor, a blade and a fan belt. Motors are made by a handful of manufacturers and that is the key part. You need to make sure your attic has proper ventilation to force the air out of it via soffit vents, gable vents and roof hawks or ridge vents. Those suckers move a lot of air. If it can't get out, it has to go somewhere which could be back into the house through leaky areas between living area and attic. It could cause problems with gas appliances forcing the CO back into the house.