FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We have compiled the following frequently asked questions regarding attic ventilation and home insulation.  Don’t see an answer to a question you have?  Email us!

Batt insulation leaves gaps where they meet. Also, they fail to cover tight areas. Blown insulation gives you an entire blanket completely covering your attic floor.

Attic fans all come with automatic thermostats. The temperature in the attic tells the fan when to activate or when to deactivate.

A typical home produces 22 pints of water vapor per day. Once this moisture rises to the attic it condenses. This condensation on your roof deck causes mold, mildew and rotting of the wood. The mold and mildew growing in your attic affects the quality of the air in your home. The rotting of your roof deck can cause thousands of dollars to repair.

An attic fan or power attic ventilator is a specially designed fan for exhausting hot air from your attic. Attic fans are mounted to the roof of your home. They pull cooler air from inlet vents while pulling 130 to 140 degree air from out of your attic

We normally like to set thermostats at 90 to 95 degrees. It’s a lot cheaper to run your attic fans than your air conditioner.

We normally like to set a humidistat at 85 percent humidity.

The attic fan should be centrally located. The fan should be mounted at the rear part of your roof. The hole should be 24 inches down from the peak of your roof.

A 1200 CFM fan uses 3.6 amps., and a 1400 CFM fan uses 2.1 amps.

Our attic fans come in black, brown, and weatherwood.

Thermal overload protection is an important safety feature that shuts off the motor if the fan overheats.

No, our attic fans come in 3 colors to match the color of your shingles. The attic fan is also placed at the rear of your roof. Our fan is only 8 inches high and 24 inches in diameter.

No, the attic fan pulls outside air in from intake vents. Intake vents could be eave vents or roof and gable vents.

No, our flashing is oversized 24 inches by 24 inches 6-90 Galvanized base flange. This flashing is set in place over the hole and under the shingles. The shingles are all nailed and roof cemented into place.

A gable attic fan is a fan that is mounted in your attic on an exterior gable end wall. This fan pulls heat out of your attic just like an attic fan. A shutter will have to be installed so air can be removed from your attic.

We have 1400 CFM for 1,900 sq. ft attics and 1600 CFM from 2,400 sq. ft attics.

Whole house fans are fans that are mounted to your attic floor above a hallway. A hole is cut in your drywall ceiling above your hallway and a white shutter is mounted over the cut hole. The whole house fan pulls a breeze through your home from open windows. You can use whole house fans in lieu of your air conditioner.

Two-thirds of the time, from spring to fall, you can use a whole house fan in lieu of your air conditioner. A whole house fan pulls heat from your home while it pulls in a cool breeze from your open windows. A whole house fan is a lot more inexpensive to run than an air conditioner.

Yes, you do, on really hot days you wouldn’t want to use your whole house fan. It would just pull in hotter air. Meanwhile, your attic is 130 to 140 degrees. This is where the attic fan will run and cool off your home. Also, attic fans are good attic exhausts for the air that the whole house fan is exhausting into your attic.

Mold can form in your home attic. The moisture formed from bathing will condensate on cold surfaces, leading to formation of molds.

In winter and fall, this may not be a good option. Also the cold outside air may not feel good on your wet skin.

Mold in your home may kill a home sale and can also cause health issues.

You need a 1.1 cfm per square feet of bathroom.

The units of measurement of noise level are sones. The lower the sones, the quieter the fan.

CFM is short for cubic feet per minute. The higher the cfm, the more powerful your fan is.

R value is the amount of resistance to heat flow. The higher the number, the higher the resistance to heat flow.

R-49 is the recommended R-factor for most attics.

43% of heat loss occur from your attic.

Fiberglass insulation specifically Owens Corning Pro-Pink blown fiberglass. This insulation will not burn in a fire, although it will melt at 1600 degrees F.

Cellulose is ground up newspapers. Cellulose can be very dusty and penetrate into your home. Also, there is boric acid in Cellulose insulation. Boric acid corrodes metal if it gets wet and will grow mold and mildew. Fiberglass does not sustain mold growth.