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WHOLE HOUSE FANS


DoomsDave

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Howdyall,

I'm considering installing a whole house fan that mounts in the ceiling and sucks hot (or cold) air out into the attic, and out the vents.

I'm looking for something large, with enough suck to clear out a 2400 square foot house, with about 6,000 cubic feet per minute capacity.

This will require making a hole in my ceiling to install it, plus possibly also adding extra vents to ensure that there's enough vent space for the air to go.

Anyone have any thoughts, experiences, cautionary tales? What, for example, is the difference from the practical standpoint of a direct drive or belt drive fan? How hard are they to repair, and what is most likely to go wrong?

I want to avoid getting a cheapie that breaks down after a short time, but I don't want to spend exhorbitant sums on overpiced gear, either.

Home Depot sells a fan of the type I seek for about $300.00. I'm budgeting about $1,000 for an installation on top of that.

This is going to be in Southern California, along the Orange County coastal slope about 20 miles from the ocean. It can get hot here, but it hardly ever gets hot enough to justify full-blown air conditioning, and I'm not home much in the daytime anyway.

Anyone have any tales, thoughts, etc?

Thanks to all.

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Dave, it varies widely how useful they are.... if you live in a humid area, they are a poor substitute for air conditioning. If there is a lot of shade around the house, they work well though.

That being said, I think it is somewhat dry where you are and your house is shady.... or getting there. So in your case, it might not be a bad idea. :)

As for the belt vs direct, generally you can move more air quieter with belt drive, but they require a bit more maintainence too.. all relative to how much you use it.

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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As a kid my folks had one in our house in santee ( hot summers). They work well as long as it cooler outside than inside the house like at night. If you flick it on during the day it's like a hair dryer blowing on you. One added benefit is that if your cooking and stink up the house with something awful you can get rid of the smell in about 10 seconds. They are noisy though.

"it's not dead it's sleeping"

Santee ca, zone10a/9b

18 miles from the ocean

avg. winter 68/40.avg summer 88/64.records 113/25

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Coincidentally had a conversation with friends about cooling systems. One friend was very enthusiastic about her two wall-mount split air conditioners, one in her kitchen, and one in the bedroom area of the house. That seems to be enough to cool most of the house. Supposed to be quiet and efficient, reasonably priced, and perfect for installation in homes with ductless heat systems. No personal experience with it, but thought I'd pass on the idea to you.

Here's a link to a bit of info, and you can probably find more in-depth info and reviews with a search:

http://www.doityourself.com/shop/appliances/air-conditioners/wall-mounted-air-conditioners.html

Kim Cyr

Between the beach and the bays, Point Loma, San Diego, California USA
and on a 300 year-old lava flow, Pahoa, Hawaii, 1/4 mile from the 2018 flow
All characters  in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Had one in a rental house while I was in college. Works great if you work all day and get home in the evening. Doesn't do much for you during the day, especially if your house isn't well insulated (like the one I was renting). That said, its nice to be able to recirculate all of the air in your house within minutes. As Steve mentioned, during the day it's like a blow dryer, but in my case in Gainesville, it was more like a hot wet mop.

Jason

Gainesville, Florida

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Kim has the best solution, I was just answering the question.... :P:)

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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Mini split systems are gaining popularity here and are nice for small homes. They are very popular in Asia and most pacific islands. I have installed a few systems in recent years and my customers seem satisfied with their perfomance. The initial cost can be a bit of a shock for a quality product plus installation as this is not a do it youself project for most people unless you have prior experience. There are electrical supply voltage circuits, refrigerent copper linesets, and condensate removal plumbing that must be dealt with in creative ways for a neat and professinal installation. I can cost almost as much as central air in some cases.

Robert de Jong

San Clemente, CA

 

Willowbrook Nursery

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Too big for my azz . . . .

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Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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As a kid my folks had one in our house in santee ( hot summers). They work well as long as it cooler outside than inside the house like at night. If you flick it on during the day it's like a hair dryer blowing on you. One added benefit is that if your cooking and stink up the house with something awful you can get rid of the smell in about 10 seconds. They are noisy though.

Yep. Stink up the house is what I do, with cajun cookin, and the odd fire in the f-place that goes ha ha ga ga

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Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Mini split systems are gaining popularity here and are nice for small homes. They are very popular in Asia and most pacific islands. I have installed a few systems in recent years and my customers seem satisfied with their perfomance. The initial cost can be a bit of a shock for a quality product plus installation as this is not a do it youself project for most people unless you have prior experience. There are electrical supply voltage circuits, refrigerent copper linesets, and condensate removal plumbing that must be dealt with in creative ways for a neat and professinal installation. I can cost almost as much as central air in some cases.

Hmm.

Interesting (and thanks, Kim!) . . .

How small is "small"?

My house is large (2,400 sf) but might be viable for part of it.

Certainly worth looking into.

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Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Thanks to all who responded!

You've given me food for thought.

As ever, more thoughts sought . . . .

I work all day, come home at night. It's hot in the daytime, cool at night, except in the winter, when it's warm in teh daytime and cold at night.

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Dave,

We have a 'whole house fan' at our new place and I installed one at our old place. The cheap ones from Home Depot work great! I wouldn't get too fancy with it. Like others have pointed out, they are useful for sucking in the cooler evening air and getting the house temp down after it's been heated up all day while you're gone. I usually run it for 10-30 minutes and the house is noticeably cooler. They're great for sucking in the cool morning air, getting the house nice and cool, and then you can close up the house and, depending on your insulation, your house will be cool pretty much all day without having to run A/C. There's a point at about 2-4 o'clock where it just gets hot and you have to wait until the evening againg to cool the house off, but it's a lot cheaper than A/C.

At my old house, I didn't want to cut a hole in the ceiling so I just built a simple enclosure in the attic above my crawl space/attic access door. So I'd just pop open my attic access door and turn on the fan and it sucked up through that opening.

Matt Bradford

"Manambe Lavaka"

Spring Valley, CA (8.5 miles inland from San Diego Bay)

10B on the hill (635 ft. elevation)

9B in the canyon (520 ft. elevation)

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Dave,

We have a 'whole house fan' at our new place and I installed one at our old place. The cheap ones from Home Depot work great! I wouldn't get too fancy with it. Like others have pointed out, they are useful for sucking in the cooler evening air and getting the house temp down after it's been heated up all day while you're gone. I usually run it for 10-30 minutes and the house is noticeably cooler. They're great for sucking in the cool morning air, getting the house nice and cool, and then you can close up the house and, depending on your insulation, your house will be cool pretty much all day without having to run A/C. There's a point at about 2-4 o'clock where it just gets hot and you have to wait until the evening againg to cool the house off, but it's a lot cheaper than A/C.

At my old house, I didn't want to cut a hole in the ceiling so I just built a simple enclosure in the attic above my crawl space/attic access door. So I'd just pop open my attic access door and turn on the fan and it sucked up through that opening.

Hmm

That's a thought!

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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We have one at the farm and it works great during the spring and fall. During the summer, we turn the AC up to 90°F while we are gone during the week - when we get back on Friday, I open a few windows, turn on the fan and it cools down to about 80°F while we work outside then we run the AC at night.

The farm AC went out one weekend in June and the attic fan made the inside temperature bearable at night. Fortunately all the AC needed was some freon.

We also had an attic fan in the house I grew up in. The air inside probably was not a comfortable temperature by today's standards but we couldn't afford to run the AC all the time so it worked great for us.

I would definitely get a belt driven one due to noise.

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My parents have had two belt driven ones, I've had both a belt driven one and a direct drive and I don't notice any difference. You can hear them both running. It never bothered me.

Matt Bradford

"Manambe Lavaka"

Spring Valley, CA (8.5 miles inland from San Diego Bay)

10B on the hill (635 ft. elevation)

9B in the canyon (520 ft. elevation)

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Try this...

Upfront costs are a little high, but no ongoing costs :-)

Cooling Tower

Also, i don't know how popular they are in California, but everyone here installs roof extractor fans like they have on all the factories...called whirlybirds. They extract the hot air from the roof cavity and are powered by air pressure / hot air rising principle. They only cost $75 and cost nothing to run.

Daryl

Gold Coast, Queensland Latitude 28S. Mild, Humid Subtropical climate. Rainfall - not consistent enough!

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So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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Once the humidity is over 10%, the effectiveness of the cooling tower/swamp cooler really falls off.......

The mini splits really work well, and as Bob mentioned are critical to be installed right, best is on an outside wall. Some new systems can run EIGHT (8) indoor heads(seperate rooms) off of the one outdoor unit. Our Company has put in lots of these, and while the intial cost is up there, the running costs are often about the same as an old refrigerator. You can run it in only the room you are in. if you like. But they are the cheapest to run when you just leave it at one temp.

Biggest thing is to decide the max you want to spend, and go from there.

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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I installed some similar stuff in my home about 10 years ago. I made a few other insulation improvements (such as adding some foam channels for air flow from the soffit vents to the ridge vent) at the same time, so I don't know what had the biggest affect on my energy use, but it was cut in half. Very nice return on investment.

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We had one in the house I grew up in up in north Florida. We ran it all summer - kept a couple of windows opened about 6". I don't remember being hot. We didn't have air conditioning until I was 13 or 14 and we moved to the city. I don't remember the noise but maybe all the outside noises - animals - drowned it out. I remember it creating quite a breeze up the stairs! But the house had lots of windows and very high ceilings - an old Florida house with big porches on the east and west sides.

Palmmermaid

Kitty Philips

West Palm Beach, FL

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Also, i don't know how popular they are in California, but everyone here installs roof extractor fans like they have on all the factories...called whirlybirds. They extract the hot air from the roof cavity and are powered by air pressure / hot air rising principle. They only cost $75 and cost nothing to run.

Daryl

Whirlybirds are very common here.

post-126-080731500 1314990362_thumb.jpg

We have a new, low profile model called the Ohagin, which is supposed to be better for fire prevention. They were seeing houses, even with stucco eves and cement tile roofs, burn down during brush fires, and they figured out that the embers were getting into the attic via the whirly birds.

post-126-004309000 1314990386_thumb.gif

post-126-058419000 1314990392_thumb.jpg

post-126-004859600 1314990400_thumb.jpg

Matt Bradford

"Manambe Lavaka"

Spring Valley, CA (8.5 miles inland from San Diego Bay)

10B on the hill (635 ft. elevation)

9B in the canyon (520 ft. elevation)

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Also, i don't know how popular they are in California, but everyone here installs roof extractor fans like they have on all the factories...called whirlybirds. They extract the hot air from the roof cavity and are powered by air pressure / hot air rising principle. They only cost $75 and cost nothing to run.

Daryl

Whirlybirds are very common here.

post-126-080731500 1314990362_thumb.jpg

We have a new, low profile model called the Ohagin, which is supposed to be better for fire prevention. They were seeing houses, even with stucco eves and cement tile roofs, burn down during brush fires, and they figured out that the embers were getting into the attic via the whirly birds.

post-126-004309000 1314990386_thumb.gif

post-126-058419000 1314990392_thumb.jpg

post-126-004859600 1314990400_thumb.jpg

Now THAT's the most helpful tidbit of advice I've heard in a long while . . . .

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Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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dont waste your money, get a small "heat pump" they cool down the house and use very little electric power.

trust me on this one as my brother is a world class expert on this (35 years expericence) and has talked to me about this subject a number of times

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dont waste your money, get a small "heat pump" they cool down the house and use very little electric power.

trust me on this one as my brother is a world class expert on this (35 years expericence) and has talked to me about this subject a number of times

Well, if I was in Ohio, yes, otherwise, no.

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Coincidentally had a conversation with friends about cooling systems. One friend was very enthusiastic about her two wall-mount split air conditioners, one in her kitchen, and one in the bedroom area of the house. That seems to be enough to cool most of the house. Supposed to be quiet and efficient, reasonably priced, and perfect for installation in homes with ductless heat systems. No personal experience with it, but thought I'd pass on the idea to you.

Here's a link to a bit of info, and you can probably find more in-depth info and reviews with a search:

http://www.doityours...nditioners.html

Residential central AC is not used here in Brazil to any degree. The splits are taking over the AC market as the window or wall units are being overtaken. But, that being said there are cost problems with splits. They cost more to run than central AC, they have to be cleaned more frequently, and cleaned by taking the units apart. As most people here selectively cool there homes room by room they do have place though.

dk

Don Kittelson

 

LIFE ON THE RIO NEGRO

03° 06' 07'' South 60° 01' 30'' West

Altitude 92 Meters / 308 feet above sea level

1,500 kms / 932 miles to the mouth of the Amazon River

 

Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil - A Cidade da Floresta

Where the world´s largest Tropical Rainforest embraces the Greatest Rivers in the World. .

82331.gif

 

Click here to visit Amazonas

amazonas2.jpg

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Well, bleah

thanks to you al

all

have to think about this

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Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Dave,

Sorry... I didn't see this thread until today. We used to rent this place (concrete block house) before we moved into our own house. It has breeze power

http://www.everbreeze.com.au/breeze_power.htm

installed. I am not sure whether they have them in the US, but it works very well for that house. See the thing with concrete block house, it gets hot really slowly, but once it is hot... it stays hot. So, during the build up/wet season, it gets really hot by about 2 pm and then it stays hot all night. So the only way to sleep comfortably is to put ac on which cost a fortune.

At night in the rural area of Darwin - even in the build up/wet season, it is quite cool... so this fan actually suck the cold air in. It works wonders!!! And it kept my electricity bill down. We used to leave the window of the room that we want to cool down open and close the rest. It works really well and it cost next to nothing to run.

Scott has been talking into installing this into our house, but we don't have enough ceiling space for it, I don't think.. although Scott kept on thinking that we can make it happen... Oh well, let him dream a bit :winkie:

Regards, Ari :)

p.s. btw, it is not cheap though.... but definitely cheaper to run than air conditioning!!!

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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Before air conditioning became widespread, ceiling fans (and window fans) were popular in the South. I survived summer weather in North Carolina and northern Florida that way. At present, I'm thinking about redoing my house's aging central air conditioning. We have air conditioning companies that will install the Asian mini-split systems that do away with ducts in the attic (Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, LG and others). These systems look interesting, but I'm not sure the cost is justified. Same goes for "geothermal" heat pumps, which circulate water in underground tubing to exchange heat with the earth. They apparently work very well in Florida, but appear to be extremely expensive to install, even with an amazing 30 percent tax credit.

Fla. climate center: 100-119 days>85 F
USDA 1990 hardiness zone 9B
Current USDA hardiness zone 10a
4 km inland from Indian River; 27º N (equivalent to Brisbane)

Central Orlando's urban heat island may be warmer than us

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Dave,

If you have the right size attic access you can replace the hatch with this simple to install fan. Only electricity to run!

It should be way under your budget! I can help install too.

http://www.quietcoolfan.com/products.html

Randy

These are great Randy. My neighbor put three of these in and showed them off to me one visit. You don't hear them running and they work even in summer heat. The trick is to open windows on the north side of the house and have it well planted out to bring in even cooler air. The cost of install is minimal too.my wife and I are adding three now too.

Len

Vista, CA (Zone 10a)

Shadowridge Area

"Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."

-- Alfred Austin

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Before air conditioning became widespread, ceiling fans (and window fans) were popular in the South. I survived summer weather in North Carolina and northern Florida that way. At present, I'm thinking about redoing my house's aging central air conditioning. We have air conditioning companies that will install the Asian mini-split systems that do away with ducts in the attic (Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, LG and others). These systems look interesting, but I'm not sure the cost is justified. Same goes for "geothermal" heat pumps, which circulate water in underground tubing to exchange heat with the earth. They apparently work very well in Florida, but appear to be extremely expensive to install, even with an amazing 30 percent tax credit.

Asian mini split?? what do you have instead? ducting? Wouldn't be expensive? I have 6 heads & 2 outdoor units to cool my house down. I just turn on the ones that I want instead of the whole house.... Living room during the day and then the bedrooms during the night, if necessary. It wasn't that expensive to install... I thought. Although, I don't know what you pay for ducting.

Regards, Ari :)

Edited by ariscott

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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Dave,

If you have the right size attic access you can replace the hatch with this simple to install fan. Only electricity to run!

It should be way under your budget! I can help install too.

http://www.quietcool...m/products.html

Randy

These are great Randy. My neighbor put three of these in and showed them off to me one visit. You don't hear them running and they work even in summer heat. The trick is to open windows on the north side of the house and have it well planted out to bring in even cooler air. The cost of install is minimal too.my wife and I are adding three now too.

Len,

I don´t know atout the States, but one drawback to splits is the cost of cleaning. Here at least you have to have them cleaned about once every 6 months. This costs about 100 USD per unit. So, for there that is 300 USD every 6 months. I think that the new central AC in the States is a lot more economical than a bunch of independent units. Although you can selectively cool your place with the splits. Our weather here is a bit warmer than San Diego as well. The coldest night we ever get is about 70 F. And, in the city sleeping without AC is not too comfortable. Although in the country with a fan it is fine.

dk

Don Kittelson

 

LIFE ON THE RIO NEGRO

03° 06' 07'' South 60° 01' 30'' West

Altitude 92 Meters / 308 feet above sea level

1,500 kms / 932 miles to the mouth of the Amazon River

 

Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil - A Cidade da Floresta

Where the world´s largest Tropical Rainforest embraces the Greatest Rivers in the World. .

82331.gif

 

Click here to visit Amazonas

amazonas2.jpg

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I am fan

Fan is what I am

etc

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Dave,

If you have the right size attic access you can replace the hatch with this simple to install fan. Only electricity to run!

It should be way under your budget! I can help install too.

http://www.quietcool...m/products.html

Randy

These are great Randy. My neighbor put three of these in and showed them off to me one visit. You don't hear them running and they work even in summer heat. The trick is to open windows on the north side of the house and have it well planted out to bring in even cooler air. The cost of install is minimal too.my wife and I are adding three now too.

Len,

I don´t know atout the States, but one drawback to splits is the cost of cleaning. Here at least you have to have them cleaned about once every 6 months. This costs about 100 USD per unit. So, for there that is 300 USD every 6 months. I think that the new central AC in the States is a lot more economical than a bunch of independent units. Although you can selectively cool your place with the splits. Our weather here is a bit warmer than San Diego as well. The coldest night we ever get is about 70 F. And, in the city sleeping without AC is not too comfortable. Although in the country with a fan it is fine.

dk

Don, these are fans. Attic fans, not AC. No cleaning.

Len

Vista, CA (Zone 10a)

Shadowridge Area

"Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are."

-- Alfred Austin

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Ari, since Florida is almost Darwinian (well, at least Brisbane) in the summer, we (unlike our nice-weather California friends) have central air conditioning with an outdoor compressor unit and a separate air handler that feeds chilled air into the ducts and out registers. Maintenance is pretty cheap--a big air filter to change or clean regularly (that business of changing special filters and cleaning each unit in a mini-split ductless system sounds scary).

Electricity is getting more expensive, so I'm suspecting that these ducted systems will eventually have to be replaced with something thriftier. That, or we can all move to San Diego and annoy Matty. I think they get swarmed every summer by overheated people from Arizona, anyway.

One of the annoyances of the outdoor compressors is the fan noise--a dense neighborhood will have a permanent dull roar.

Fla. climate center: 100-119 days>85 F
USDA 1990 hardiness zone 9B
Current USDA hardiness zone 10a
4 km inland from Indian River; 27º N (equivalent to Brisbane)

Central Orlando's urban heat island may be warmer than us

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I just use compressor and clean the filter myself.... and the rest.... I just do it once a year... It is not too bad. It is way easier to install than ducted system.

What do you think of Breezepower, Dave? Too big & complicated for you?

Ari & Scott

Darwin, NT, Australia

-12°32'53" 131°10'20"

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Dave,

If you have the right size attic access you can replace the hatch with this simple to install fan. Only electricity to run!

It should be way under your budget! I can help install too.

http://www.quietcool...m/products.html

Randy

These are great Randy. My neighbor put three of these in and showed them off to me one visit. You don't hear them running and they work even in summer heat. The trick is to open windows on the north side of the house and have it well planted out to bring in even cooler air. The cost of install is minimal too.my wife and I are adding three now too.

Len,

I don´t know atout the States, but one drawback to splits is the cost of cleaning. Here at least you have to have them cleaned about once every 6 months. This costs about 100 USD per unit. So, for there that is 300 USD every 6 months. I think that the new central AC in the States is a lot more economical than a bunch of independent units. Although you can selectively cool your place with the splits. Our weather here is a bit warmer than San Diego as well. The coldest night we ever get is about 70 F. And, in the city sleeping without AC is not too comfortable. Although in the country with a fan it is fine.

dk

Don, these are fans. Attic fans, not AC. No cleaning.

Len,

I guess I got mixed up as the topic sort of became a mix of cooling information.

dk

Don Kittelson

 

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Where the world´s largest Tropical Rainforest embraces the Greatest Rivers in the World. .

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I just use compressor and clean the filter myself.... and the rest.... I just do it once a year... It is not too bad. It is way easier to install than ducted system.

What do you think of Breezepower, Dave? Too big & complicated for you?

breezepower?

no clue

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

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Don't think Breezepower has migrated from Australia to the US. If circulating air to cool the attic (and other such) works in Brisbane, it ought to work in Florida. Probably even better in southern California. But I don't know anyone who's doing it.

We in Florida certainly don't have those glass block windows. No idea if they'd meet our hurricane code--the current deal is to install windows with heavy laminated glass, which would resist flying coconuts and presumably the efforts of would-be burglars.

Fla. climate center: 100-119 days>85 F
USDA 1990 hardiness zone 9B
Current USDA hardiness zone 10a
4 km inland from Indian River; 27º N (equivalent to Brisbane)

Central Orlando's urban heat island may be warmer than us

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