Attic fans? Any success stories for South LA heat?

If your certain rooms that are warmer than others there are a few things to check. Did this just start or did you notice this in the winter also? Here are a few things to do. When the unit is running put your hand on the vent and see if you can tell a difference in how much air comes out and the temp from vent to vent and room to room. Its possible you have a loose or leaking duct in the attic. After you do that wait until early one morning and go up in your attic with the unit running and do the same thing. Check the duct especially and all vents, bends and joints to see if you have leaks in any of these spots. Then go on your house and check to see if you have windows leaking air. I had this issue and it makes a huge difference. Also consider that this issue could just how your house is situated according the the sun. That could be making these rooms hotter. In this case you can tent the windows. Attic fan would help, does your house have turbines on the roof? Ridge cap? all are important questions.

I think he was talking about Attic ventilation fans.

Whirley birds are much better. But you need good soffit vents ( intake ) for either to work correctly. Ridge vents are usually useless, because the roofers do not cut enough gap in the wood, and they cover the gap with underlayment.

Ducts - could be too long of flex runs. Any runs over 25 feet, should me metal duct. And maybe that duct is tapped into the plenum too far back, and the front ducts are stealing all the air.

This is why home inspectors should NOT take temp readings at the room grille with their fancy lazer. They ought to be in the attic sticking a thermometer into each plenum.

I grew up with an attic fan. At night I would use a couple of pillows and my sheet, in the window by my bed, to make a wind tunnel to keep me cool. It seemed to work, but it's all I knew.

ETA: Well, I guess I may have missed the point.

We had an attic fan in the house we grew up in. It worked but it I remember my parents complaining about how much the electricity bill was using it. It was cheaper to get a few window units

My roofers extended my ridge vent on the other side of my house when they changed my roof last year. I have an L-shaped house and the ridge vent was only on one side. They added it to both sides and since then, my house has been noticeably cooler. I think it helped.

They added a whirly bird vent to my detached office where there had previously been no vent at all and it’s made an enormous difference.

For an attic fan to work you need enough free area opening in the soffit (soffit vents). And they need to be even around the house.

Air entering the attic will equal air leaving the attic.

Some rooms being hot could just be a balance issue. Each duct tap from the plenum should have been installed with a balance damper. Likely a spin tap but even better is a shoe tap with damper.

May need to check down air to closet grills to force more air to remote grills. Air will take the path of leaf resistance. Short runs will see more air unless you create a restriction (balance damper)

Also could be an insulation issue.

more of a basement fan myself.

:rimshot:


are you insulated in the attic? i have a thread on the H/G board about insulating. after a remodel we accidentally closed off the intake of cooler air. i need to add vents, but i started with insulating and it really helped the hotter spots of the house. i'm going to have to do more eventually.

i need to add a vent as well. do you currently have ANY vents?

I have an L-shaped house with a hip roof, ridge vents on both sides and my attic is really hot.

Prior to the ridge vents, seems like this house relied on two powered vents. I keep reading not to combine ridge with any other kind of venting, but I'm considering putting some whirly birds to help.

Anyone else face a similar situation/decision? And who do you call for ventilation advice? Roofers? HVAC companies? Insulation experts?

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Ducts - could be too long of flex runs. Any runs over 25 feet, should me metal duct. And maybe that duct is tapped into the plenum too far back, and the front ducts are stealing all the air.

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This is part of my issue. Master bedroom is the third room on a 40+ foot run, and to top it off it gets constant sunlight between us cutting down trees and Ida removing the rest. Had a whirly bird added over the master, but doesn't appear to be helping too much.

Overdue to replace the A/C unit (~15-20 years old), which will allow us to better control air flow to the other rooms. But, with everything else going on, looks like 1 more year of fighting this until I can get my new unit (pushing for year-end)

OP look into foam insulatating your attic...

Not cheap but a game changer especially if you have mechanical equipment in your attic space struggling in this heat and humidity