attic fan, attic fans, solar fan, solar powered attic fan, power attic venting, gable fan, attic venting, energy conservation

Powered Attic Venting

POWER VENTING

The importance of venting your attic cannot be overlooked.  In cold climates, improper venting can lead to moisture condensation which causes mold to grow, wood rot in extreme cases or even ice in the attic insulation.   In hot, dry climates, stagnant air cooks structural lumber, increases energy costs and makes your environment uncomfortable. 

In the past, overcoming this was no problem, just turn down (or up), the thermostat.  However, the days of inexpensive power are over and increasing regularly.  Making your home more efficient is a permanent investment that increases in value as energy costs rise. 

Decades of energy audits reveals most homes are severely under vented.  Most don't meet minimum codes.  Even more are plugged with insulation.   You can add more and exhaust vents but at what cost?   Power venting may be a more cost effective and  efficient method of achieving your goal.  If this is the case, these fans are the ones to use.   

Click here to visit our comprehensive attic venting page

Step by step instructions on replacing your burned out, roof mounted attic fan Click here

 

To place an order click here


This shows a typical home store attic fan installed on a gable vent inside the attic.  Although the mounting looks secure, the application is incorrect since the space around the fan is not blocked off.   The fan will create a negative pressure behind the fan and will draw air from the closest point, in this case, from vent openings around the fan.
This means very little air will be exhausted from the attic and most of it will be drawn in around the fan.  
The open area around the fan shroud (the round ring), needs to be blocked off with cardboard or wood to make this type of installation effective.  We see this type of installation on almost every home that has one!


Power Fans:
Natural attic venting is best but in many homes a powered attic ventilator is more cost effective, especially in tile roofs.   
USE CAUTION WITH SOLAR ATTIC FANS,   Great for a shed or small area, not sufficient CFM air movement for a home attic. The 15 watt model we tested here in Phoenix using a Dwyer Digital Draft hood, pointed South at noon moved 310cfm.   

 

We import a vibration free, powerful, reliable powered attic fan manufactured in Germany.  This attic fan is unlike any other available:  quiet, powerful and very efficient.
We include an adjustable thermostat and an optional mounting box with this system.  This fan features an external rotor to which the fan blades are welded.   This unique design reduces blade flex and vibration and eliminates one of the shaft bearings. 
The bearings are sealed and never need attention.  Install it, set the thermostat and forget about it.  The 14" fan consumes 245 watts.  At a national average of .10/kwh running for eight hours a day  that's less than $6 per month.  There are sites on the 'net that say the power consumption of an attic fan does not offset the cost of running it.  The goal is keeping your A/C off as much as possible which consumes 1600 watts per ton.  Logic would dictate running a fan for $6/month would be preferable to longer run times on your A/C unit from the stagnate, overheated attic air and the load on your ceiling.


Pictured here are two 10" fans which were needed due to outside vent opening shape,  this is more costly but a significant increase in performance.  (sent in by one of our customers!) Nice design, touche'!

Important to notice all of the vent openings around the fan are blocked off to prevent air from coming in around the fan.  This is critical to good performance in the installation of any fan.

The optional sheet metal mounting box we fabricate makes the installation straightforward, fast and secure.  There's a handy (optional) install tool kit with an awesome screw holder/driver, mounting screws and wire nuts.  The thermostat and junction box (included & pre-wired), can be mounted 10' from the fan to sense the attic temperature.  Set it at 105f and forget this fan is running as no maintenance is required.

                                     14" 1800 CFM fan shown above

                             Unconditional satisfaction guarantee.

To place an order click here

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Warning: In homes that have gas appliances such as water heaters or furnaces in the attic, great care must be taken to insure adequate intake venting is provided (gables/soffits), so as to not create a negative pressure that will draw fumes down the chimney of gas appliances.   Installing an attic fan in this application has the potential for fire or filling your attic with carbon dioxide.  Just make certain there is sufficient intake openings to circumvent this situation.      

 Step by step instructions on replacing your burned out, roof mounted attic fan Click here

To mount this fan under a roof deck we recommend using an Aura Vent of the appropriate size listed below:

10" German fan:  12" Auravent   Model #AV-12-C4-CN Picture

12" German fan:  14" Auravent    Model #AV-14-C4-CN Picture

14" German fan:  16" Auravent   Model #AV-16-C4-CN Picture

16" German fan:  18" Auravent   Model #AV-18-C4-CN Picture

German Fan Features

To place an order click here

Specifications
Performance Data
Fan
Model
RPM Volts Max.
Watts
Max.
Amps
0" .100" .125" .25" .375" .5" Sones**
8" PAV 1550 115 45 0.41 304 246 224 74 - - 4.1"
10" PAV
1500 115 68 0.62 624 558 533 377 132 - 7.9
12" PAV 1400 115 130 1.19 1208 1069 1030 797 - - 9.4
14" PAV 1200 115 245 2.24 1839 1654 1599 1295 - - 9.6
16" PAV 1400 115 458 4.19 3054 2882 2839 2570 2198 1699 12.0
18" PAV 1550 115 698 6.39 4115 3895 3840 3549 3239 2908 14.3
20" PAV
1100 115 435 3.98 3693 3368 3279 2775 1429 - 10.7
20" PAV
1450 115* 916 8.39 4949 4682 4615 4274 3917 3445 16.4
22" PAV
1000 115* 756 6.92 5629 5248 5153 4432 - - 12.
25" PAV 1000 115* 1134 10.38 7858 7355 7230 6567 - - 14.8
** The sound ratings shown are loudness values in fan sones at 5ft. (1.5m) in hemispherical free
 field calculated per AMCA Standard 301. Values shown are for installation Type A: Free inlet fan
 sone levels. All sone values shown are calculated at 0.1" (static pressure in inches W.G.).

Specifications
Unit sizes and dimensions
fan size specifications
 
 
 
Sheet Metal Fan Box Dimensions:
 
  8" Fade Fan Box Outside Dimensions: 10"x10"
10"  12"x12"
12"  14"x14"
14"  16"x16"
16"  19"x19"
 
 
 
Description Of Fans
 
 

Which fan looks like it's more efficient at moving air out of your attic?  Over the years we have found home store attic fans to be a liability to our installations and the only weak link in our proven NRG Package.  Since a properly installed radiant barrier increases attic air temperature by keeping unwanted heat from getting to the insulation, removing this waste heat has forced us to become experts in attic ventilation.
Home store fans like the one pictured are under powered, last one year (if that), and the Chinese thermostat is inaccurate, sticks on (or off), creates call backs and problems.  Sure the nice one costs more but like anything else, you get what you pay for. 

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attic fans

PRICING OPTIONS:
Price includes the fan with thermostat and 10' of control wire pre-wired to the thermostat which speeds up the installation.  You need only to mount the fan, mount the thermostat using the supplied juction box and wire nuts and bring a 110volt power supply to the thermostat.  Prices below also include UPS ground shipping.  We strongly suggest the sheet metal support box (seen at left), to facilitate the installation...it's the best $40 you'll ever spend. 
 
 
 
 
 
PRICING (shipping included to continental states, other areas and Canada please email)
 
Larger attic spaces require multiple fans.
 
The above recommended sizes are based on an average roof pitch of 4/12.  If your attic is framed higher than this which would create more volume in the attic, order the next larger fan. 
 
Pricey?  They sure are, you could buy a few store fans for the price of one of these....then plan on replacing it every year because that's how long they last (see testimonial below).   I don't know about you but I would rather have a root canal in Mexico than spend a Saturday morning in a hot attic replacing the fan under warranty.   Once this job is done, you never want to see it again.   This one you won't because of the quality, the thermostat and sealed motor bearings that never need lubrication.   
If you open the box upon delivery of this item are not totally impressed with the craftsmanship and quality, return it for a full refund.  We are that confident of this item.  We do not offer any product on our site that we have not field tested and trust for our online customers.
 
attic fan close up viewShown with optional fan mounting box pre-wired to an accurate, adjustable thermostat.  You need only to mount the included 2"x4" junction box (near the peak of the roof), and supply a source of 110v power to the thermostat.  We've done most of the work for you!  Shown here is the blue plastic junction box with the unit pre-wired, just add power! Set the Thermostat at 110f and forget about it, no oiling, no service is ever required.
Simply mount what you see to the left over a gable vent or large size roof vent (at least 14"), mount the thermostat, add a power source and start saving.   Most of the work is done already!  You will need a hammer to mount the blue box, a screwdriver and drill to mount the sheet metal box to the vent.   
 
To reduce the radiant heat load in summer and keep heat in during
the winter, click here
Step by step instructions on replacing your burned out, roof mounted attic fan Click here
To place an order click here
 

 
We fabricate this sheet metal fan box for our Phoenix installations and thought we should offer it to our online shoppers as well.  
The design allows for a smoother discharge of air as it fully takes advantage of the aerodynamic design of  the shroud and large side flanges makes it much easier to install.   Cuts the installation time as the fan is pre-mounted to the box.  Just hold the box up to the
wall or roof and screw in the entire assembly.
$40 and no shipping cost if included with fan order
 To place an order click here

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From our fan customers

THE 12" FAN ARRIVED YESTERDAY {Friday June 23, 2006} AT APPROXIMATELY 12:00 NOON BY UNITED PARCEL SERVICE AND I HAD A CONTRACTOR INSTALL IT TODAY {Saturday June 24, 2006} IN THE FRONT PART OF THE GARAGE ABOVE THE DOUBLE OVERHEAD GARAGE DOOR OPENING WHERE A "VENT" WAS PLACED WHEN THEY BUILT THE HOUSE FOUR YEARS AGO.      YES, THE TWO ROOF VENTS OVER THE GARAGE WERE BLOCKED OFF BY STAPLING BOTH WITH A PIECE OF CARDBOARD PER YOUR ADVICE SO THAT THE ONLY AIR NOW COMES FROM THE FIVE (5) ROOF VENTS OF THE HOUSE PLUS THE SOFFITS.     AND YES, THE FAN IS  INSTALLED CORRECTLY BY HAVING IT COMPLETELY ENCLOSED IN A BOX MADE UP OF A PIECE OF 3/4" PLYWOOD {A ROUND HOLE CUT INTO IT FOR THE FAN} AND ALL FOUR SIDES WITH {2" X 4"}.    THERE ISN'T ANY "OPEN AIR SPACES" AROUND THE BOX AS THE BOX COVERS THE ENTIRE VENT AREA PUT IN THE FRONT OF THE GARAGE WHEN THEY BUILT THE HOUSE.

NOTE:   THE OLD FAN WASN'T INSTALLED PROPERLY AND LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE THE PICTURE ON YOUR WEB SITE WHERE IT'S OPEN ALL AROUND THE FAN HOUSING.     ISN'T THAT A SHAME THAT A CONTRACTOR WOULD DO SUCH SLOPPY WORK.     I DIDN'T USE THESE SAME CONTRACTORS AND WOULDN'T RECOMMEND THEM TO ANY ONE.    THE NEW CONTRACTOR DID A WONDERFUL JOB.

    YES, SO FAR THE NEW FAN IS QUIET AND I'M GLAD IT'S IN BEFORE THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER FORBIDS ONE FROM ENTERING THE ATTIC TO INSTALL ONE.   HOPEFULLY THE 12" FAN WILL DO THE JOB AS YOU TALKED ME OUT OF THE 14" FAN SAYING I WOULD BE OVER DOING IT.    THE OLD FAN WAS ONE YEAR OLD AND WAS------"WHISPERCOOL" ATTIC VENTILATOR 1320 CFM, MODEL # 53319  WCGB  12"------AND THE MOTOR WAS SHOT AND WOULDN'T RUN AT ALL.    HOPEFULLY THE NEW FAN THAT I PURCHASED FROM YOU WILL LAST MUCH LONGER AS IT'S QUITE EXPENSIVE ON SOCIAL SECURITY MONEY.   

 THANKS FOR ALL YOUR TIME AND THE VALUABLE INFORMATION.-----------------------------MARVIN


   My purchase of an attic vent fan was a completly good experience. I like your website.....lots of information.   If you could somehow get the price down that would be key to increasing your sales .....until....until..... people "get it"...your product and the packaging it arrived in reminded me very much of the aircraft I worked on....solid, extreme quality, excellent design,  applied correctly to solve a problem........most people will not pay for that....I learned that the long hard way.....very few people will "take a chance" for quality....lots of folks have no clue about saving energy.  Your web site should be read by everyone!

 
regards,
Mark B.
 

If you live in Phoenix, click here to find out about our Home NRG Auditsİ.  Then, after your attic is properly vented, check out our revolutionary Radiant Barrier Chips or our latest patented energy product, Thermal Control Membrane to further increase your home's comfort and efficiency and make certain you wrap your ducts with our Duct Wrap product for peak efficiency.  

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