I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. The second story of our house was built
into the attic. The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. About a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. It gets over 120F in
the attic.

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?
--
Replace you know what by j to email

"Jan Philips" wrote in message
...
I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. The second story of our house was built
into the attic. The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. About a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. It gets over 120F in
the attic.

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?
--
Replace you know what by j to email

I have the same two attic fans not working problem, but haven't had the
problem of the upstairs A/C not keeping up. I too have two-zone HVAC. It's
too early for me to tell if there is a noticeable difference in my
electricity bill, and after spending almost $800 5 years ago to have my two
fans installed, the question for me is, will yet another $800 investment
ever realize a return on investment of saved A/C over time.

I now plan to replace my fans (again).

Two factors:

1. How much longer do you expect to live in your current house before (if
ever) moving.
2. If you eventually move, you will be required to repair/replace your attic
fans beforehand, unless you negotiate with the buyer some type of credit for
not replacing them yourself. At that point you might as well repair/replace
them a few years beforehand to at least get some value out of your
investment.

You might also want to have more insulation installed in the attic, and make
sure that the attic access door is covered with a large bat of insulation to
keep hot air from leaking into your upstairs through the access door. Just
move it out of the way when needing to enter the attic. I did this two
years ago (added more attic insulation and a large bat at the access door)
and have noticed an improvement.

Is the A/C not keeping up solely due to the attic fans? In other words, did
you not have this problem when one or both attic fans were working? I would
be surprised and would think the main issue is not enough insulation and
inadequately insulated attic access door.

You could also consider some type of reflective material on the underside of
your roof at the top of the attic.

You might want to consult an insulation company for their recommendations.
In the long run you'll need to get your fans repaired or replaced,
especially if you sell and move.

On 2010-06-28, Jan Philips wrote:

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?

Yes, if you want the upstairs to be cool.

They worked in the first place, so should work in the second place.
If you don't run the AC and just let the upstairs remain unlivable, no
loss. If you run the AC, you are overworking it to early failure and
wasting money unnecessarily. Replacing/repairing the attic fans will
more than pay for itself.

nb

Jan Philips wrote:
I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. The second story of our house was built
into the attic. The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. About a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. It gets over 120F in
the attic.

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?
Hmmm,
You already know the answer to your question. Why waste time
asking? That's very funny.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:25:09 -0600, Tony Hwang
wrote:

You already know the answer to your question. Why waste time
asking? That's very funny.

Because, as I said, I'm not sure.
--
Replace you know what by j to email

On Jun 28, 10:48*am, Jan Philips
wrote:
On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:25:09 -0600, Tony Hwang
wrote:

You already know the answer to your question. Why waste time
asking? That's very funny.

Because, as I said, *I'm not sure. *
--
Replace you know what by j to email

You might want to figure out why the fans only lasted a few years
before replacing them.

"Jan Philips" wrote in message
...

I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

stuff snipped

The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. It gets over 120F in
the attic.

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?

Absolutely. Think of a car with its windows rolled up tight and how hot it
gets v. one with the windows wide open. That huge amount of hot air in your
attic needs to be vented, and fan venting (with a pull/push arrangement)
will cool things down tremendously.

--
Bobby G.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:06:54 -0400, Jan Philips wrote:
I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. The second story of our house was built
into the attic. The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. About a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. It gets over 120F in
the attic.

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?

You're joking, rigiht? Fan fails, temps go way up and you wonder if
you should replace the fans?

Only replace them if 120 bothers you.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 08:50:37 -0700 (PDT), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

You might want to figure out why the fans only lasted a few years
before replacing them.

The house was built 13 years ago by someone else. If they were put in
when it was built, they lasted 11-12 years.
--
Replace you know what by j to email

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:48:22 -0400, Jan Philips wrote:
On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:25:09 -0600, Tony Hwang
wrote:

You already know the answer to your question. Why waste time
asking? That's very funny.

Because, as I said, I'm not sure.

Don't replace them. Wait until you try to sell the house and you're forced
to replace them as required repairs.
You wouldn't want to enjoy the comfort provided in the meantime.
Spend the money on table fans instead. When you get a good sweat
going, the table fans will really cool you down.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:48:22 -0400, Jan Philips
wrote:

You already know the answer to your question. Why waste time
asking? That's very funny.

Because, as I said, I'm not sure.

For instance, someone could tell me that if it is only 120 up there,
attic fans wouldn't help, but they would at 130.
--
Replace you know what by j to email

On Jun 28, 8:06*am, Jan Philips
wrote:
I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. *The second story of our house was built
into the attic. *The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. *The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. *About *a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. *The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. *The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. *It gets over 120F in
the attic. *

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?
--
Replace you know what by j to email

As I understand it you made the attic into a living space so my advise
is forget the attic fans. In fact close off the holes from them and
insulate the heck out of the whole attic. Don’t leave any place
between the attic and the outside that is not very well insulated,
turn on you A/C and enjoy.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:06:54 -0400, Jan Philips
wrote:

I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. The second story of our house was built
into the attic. The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. About a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. It gets over 120F in
the attic.

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?

Where I come from, attic fans mean fans between the attic and the
floor below. And are only turned on after it gets cooler outside.

Fans in the roof are called somehting I forget that I consider
ambiguous. I call them roof fans. I think if that's what you meant
that would be far less consufins.

I'm had one for 27 years. Someimes the motor lasts 8 or 10 years,
one as little as two. That's the way the first two were and they both
came from the fan manufacturer. I haven't tried to oil or repair
them. Can they be oiled? Now I buy motors locally at Eledric Motor
Repair. The current fan is maybe 8 years old,

Maybe, just maybe if I had more insultatoin in the floor of my attic,
I wouldn't benefit from my roof fan, but when the fan is broken, it's
much hoter on the second floor, as you can see yourself

On Jun 28, 11:20*am, "Dimitrios Paskoudniakis"
wrote:
"Jan Philips" wrote in message

...





I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. *The second story of our house was built
into the attic. *The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. *The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. *About *a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. *The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. *The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. *It gets over 120F in
the attic.

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?
--
Replace you know what by j to email

I have the same two attic fans not working problem, but haven't had the
problem of the upstairs A/C not keeping up. *I too have two-zone HVAC. *It's
too early for me to tell if there is a noticeable difference in my
electricity bill, and after spending almost $800 5 years ago to have my two
fans installed, the question for me is, will yet another $800 investment
ever realize a return on investment of saved A/C over time.

I have one in my garage, it wasn't working, turned out to be the $30
thermoswitch - fan was fine. Worth looking into. Drink lots of
gatorade before and after troubleshooting. (BTDTGTTS - I get a
screaming headache if I get too dehydrated and then I'm worthless.)

nate

"Jan Philips" wrote in message
...
I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. The second story of our house was built
into the attic. The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. About a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. It gets over 120F in
the attic.

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?
--
Replace you know what by j to email


Fixed, not necessarily replaced. A new motor is one heck of a lot cheaper
than a complete new install.

If you do replace the units read your new warranty carefully. A lot of the
fan makers will provide a new motor for a failed one for as long as you own
the house. And yes, I have collected on that warranty at least twice.


--
Colbyt
Please come visit http://www.househomerepair.com

N8N wrote:
On Jun 28, 11:20 am, "Dimitrios Paskoudniakis"

I have one in my garage, it wasn't working, turned out to be the $30
thermoswitch - fan was fine. Worth looking into. Drink lots of
gatorade before and after troubleshooting. (BTDTGTTS - I get a
screaming headache if I get too dehydrated and then I'm worthless.)


Three tips for working in the attic:

1. Do so at night. You've got to use a light anyway...

If during the day:
2. Put a water sprinkler on the roof.
3. Disconnect one of the A/C ducts and use it to cool the attic.

Molly Brown wrote:

As I understand it you made the attic into a living space so my advise
is forget the attic fans. In fact close off the holes from them and
insulate the heck out of the whole attic. Don’t leave any place
between the attic and the outside that is not very well insulated,
turn on you A/C and enjoy.

Don't think so. The more the attic space can be ventilated, the better. Most
homes have ridge vents or whirly-gig thingamajigs. A significant number have
attic exhaust fans.

Whichever scheme you use (and you can use more than one - I have both ridge
vents and whirling dervishes) remember Axiom I of attic ventilation: You
can't have too many soffit vents.

One pundit advised COVERS for the soffit vents to be put in place during
hurricanes, much like storm windows, so that giant wind gusts won't blow off
the roof. Sounds reasonable. (During Hurricane Yikes, I did have one whirlie
gizmo blow off.)

On Jun 28, 3:33*pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
N8N wrote:
On Jun 28, 11:20 am, "Dimitrios Paskoudniakis"

I have one in my garage, it wasn't working, turned out to be the $30
thermoswitch - fan was fine. *Worth looking into. *Drink lots of
gatorade before and after troubleshooting. *(BTDTGTTS - I get a
screaming headache if I get too dehydrated and then I'm worthless.)

Three tips for working in the attic:

1. Do so at night. You've got to use a light anyway...

If during the day:
2. Put a water sprinkler on the roof.
3. Disconnect one of the A/C ducts and use it to cool the attic.

Good advice, but if the fan ain't working, it's going to be brutally
hot even after dark. Maybe if you have one of those cheap box fans
strap it to a truss or something if you can.

Attics would be an awesome application for LED lighting. Mine
currently has 500W of construction lights up there, which put off more
heat than you'd think. Even working up there in December, I was
comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. If I have to go back up there
again soon I'll be unscrewing all but one or two bulbs.

nate

"N8N" wrote in message
...
On Jun 28, 3:33 pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
N8N wrote:
On Jun 28, 11:20 am, "Dimitrios Paskoudniakis"

I have one in my garage, it wasn't working, turned out to be the $30
thermoswitch - fan was fine. Worth looking into. Drink lots of
gatorade before and after troubleshooting. (BTDTGTTS - I get a
screaming headache if I get too dehydrated and then I'm worthless.)

Three tips for working in the attic:

1. Do so at night. You've got to use a light anyway...

If during the day:
2. Put a water sprinkler on the roof.
3. Disconnect one of the A/C ducts and use it to cool the attic.

Good advice, but if the fan ain't working, it's going to be brutally
hot even after dark. Maybe if you have one of those cheap box fans
strap it to a truss or something if you can.

Attics would be an awesome application for LED lighting. Mine
currently has 500W of construction lights up there, which put off more
heat than you'd think. Even working up there in December, I was
comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. If I have to go back up there
again soon I'll be unscrewing all but one or two bulbs.

nate

*********** reply *************

Good advice from both of you but a roof mounted attic fan motor ( my
assumption) is replaced from the roof, not the attic.

Four 1/4" screws and pull the dome off.


--
Colbyt
Please come visit http://www.househomerepair.com

On 06/28/2010 05:22 PM, Colbyt wrote:
wrote in message
...
On Jun 28, 3:33 pm, wrote:
N8N wrote:
On Jun 28, 11:20 am, "Dimitrios Paskoudniakis"

I have one in my garage, it wasn't working, turned out to be the $30
thermoswitch - fan was fine. Worth looking into. Drink lots of
gatorade before and after troubleshooting. (BTDTGTTS - I get a
screaming headache if I get too dehydrated and then I'm worthless.)

Three tips for working in the attic:

1. Do so at night. You've got to use a light anyway...

If during the day:
2. Put a water sprinkler on the roof.
3. Disconnect one of the A/C ducts and use it to cool the attic.

Good advice, but if the fan ain't working, it's going to be brutally
hot even after dark. Maybe if you have one of those cheap box fans
strap it to a truss or something if you can.

Attics would be an awesome application for LED lighting. Mine
currently has 500W of construction lights up there, which put off more
heat than you'd think. Even working up there in December, I was
comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. If I have to go back up there
again soon I'll be unscrewing all but one or two bulbs.

nate

*********** reply *************

Good advice from both of you but a roof mounted attic fan motor ( my
assumption) is replaced from the roof, not the attic.

Four 1/4" screws and pull the dome off.


I was envisioning something like I have which is more correctly called a
"gable fan" - looks like just a box fan set inside the gable vent with a
little shroud around it. If the OP has one of those there's no way
around it, you gotta do it from inside the attic.

Would have been nice if the POs of my house had installed the things you
describe when they put on a metal roof, but they didn't. OF course
replacing one of those would involve being 30 feet or more in the air on
possibly slick metal, so there's other concerns involved there...

nate


--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Molly Brown wrote:
On Jun 28, 8:06 am, Jan
wrote:
I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. The second story of our house was built
into the attic. The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. About a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. It gets over 120F in
the attic.

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?
--
Replace you know what by j to email

As I understand it you made the attic into a living space so my advise
is forget the attic fans. In fact close off the holes from them and
insulate the heck out of the whole attic. Don’t leave any place
between the attic and the outside that is not very well insulated,
turn on you A/C and enjoy.
Whoa!
Is that a new theory? I don't think so. Insulation is good but good
venting is necessary. Remember heat(hot air) rises. You are looking for
condensation or frost w/o vent.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:40:29 -0700 (PDT), N8N wrote:

On Jun 28, 3:33*pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
N8N wrote:
On Jun 28, 11:20 am, "Dimitrios Paskoudniakis"

I have one in my garage, it wasn't working, turned out to be the $30
thermoswitch - fan was fine. *Worth looking into. *Drink lots of
gatorade before and after troubleshooting. *(BTDTGTTS - I get a
screaming headache if I get too dehydrated and then I'm worthless.)

Three tips for working in the attic:

1. Do so at night. You've got to use a light anyway...

If during the day:
2. Put a water sprinkler on the roof.
3. Disconnect one of the A/C ducts and use it to cool the attic.

Good advice, but if the fan ain't working, it's going to be brutally
hot even after dark. Maybe if you have one of those cheap box fans
strap it to a truss or something if you can.

I have a box fan and two oscillating fans in my attic. I'm trying to finish
off the space into a shop (to be converted to another bedroom when/if we
move). I have another day or two of work up there before I knock it off for
the summer. It is already *hot* up there and it will get worse soon (I live
in Alabama).

Attics would be an awesome application for LED lighting. Mine
currently has 500W of construction lights up there, which put off more
heat than you'd think.

About 1/2 kW each. ;-)

Even working up there in December, I was
comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. If I have to go back up there
again soon I'll be unscrewing all but one or two bulbs.

I have three dual tube fluorescent and three 60W bulbs in mine (about
450sq.ft.). I was using 300W halogens work lights but the light is too
concentrated and there were too many shadows. The fluorescent are a great
addition.

On 06/28/2010 07:15 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:40:29 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Jun 28, 3:33 pm, wrote:
N8N wrote:
On Jun 28, 11:20 am, "Dimitrios Paskoudniakis"

I have one in my garage, it wasn't working, turned out to be the $30
thermoswitch - fan was fine. Worth looking into. Drink lots of
gatorade before and after troubleshooting. (BTDTGTTS - I get a
screaming headache if I get too dehydrated and then I'm worthless.)

Three tips for working in the attic:

1. Do so at night. You've got to use a light anyway...

If during the day:
2. Put a water sprinkler on the roof.
3. Disconnect one of the A/C ducts and use it to cool the attic.

Good advice, but if the fan ain't working, it's going to be brutally
hot even after dark. Maybe if you have one of those cheap box fans
strap it to a truss or something if you can.

I have a box fan and two oscillating fans in my attic. I'm trying to finish
off the space into a shop (to be converted to another bedroom when/if we
move). I have another day or two of work up there before I knock it off for
the summer. It is already *hot* up there and it will get worse soon (I live
in Alabama).

Attics would be an awesome application for LED lighting. Mine
currently has 500W of construction lights up there, which put off more
heat than you'd think.

About 1/2 kW each. ;-)

Even working up there in December, I was
comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. If I have to go back up there
again soon I'll be unscrewing all but one or two bulbs.

I have three dual tube fluorescent and three 60W bulbs in mine (about
450sq.ft.). I was using 300W halogens work lights but the light is too
concentrated and there were too many shadows. The fluorescent are a great
addition.


I will be providing something more permanent; I'm still in the process
of updating the wiring on the 2nd floor. Once that is done I will
install at least a couple permanent lights in the attic just for ease of
servicing in stuff in the future (not that there's anything up there to
service now) installing a vent fan in the bathroom and a gable fan
similar to the one for the garage in the attic of the house.

I'll probably stick with incandescent, as I don't think fluorescent
would work very well in the winter. I find it easier to work when the
attic is 40 degrees as opposed to 100+ if I have a choice in the matter.
(sometimes you don't...) If I have a lot of work to do in the summer
I might swap them out for swirly fluorescents.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On Jun 28, 5:22*pm, "Colbyt" wrote:
"N8N" wrote in message

...
On Jun 28, 3:33 pm, "HeyBub" wrote:

N8N wrote:
On Jun 28, 11:20 am, "Dimitrios Paskoudniakis"

I have one in my garage, it wasn't working, turned out to be the $30
thermoswitch - fan was fine. Worth looking into. Drink lots of
gatorade before and after troubleshooting. (BTDTGTTS - I get a
screaming headache if I get too dehydrated and then I'm worthless.)

Three tips for working in the attic:

1. Do so at night. You've got to use a light anyway...

If during the day:
2. Put a water sprinkler on the roof.
3. Disconnect one of the A/C ducts and use it to cool the attic.

Good advice, but if the fan ain't working, it's going to be brutally
hot even after dark. *Maybe if you have one of those cheap box fans
strap it to a truss or something *if you can.

Attics would be an awesome application for LED lighting. *Mine
currently has 500W of construction lights up there, which put off more
heat than you'd think. *Even working up there in December, I was
comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. *If I have to go back up there
again soon I'll be unscrewing all but one or two bulbs.

nate

*********** reply *************

Good advice from both of you but a roof mounted attic fan motor ( my
assumption) is replaced from the roof, not the attic.

Four 1/4" screws and pull the dome off.

Nope, from the inside. If you can find the same size fan that will fit
the existing housing and you don't have to replace the entire unit.

With the US governemnt, they appear to love disasters, and people
depending on government for welfare. Using that perspective and world
view, you should leave your fans broken. You should then go take a
fire axe, and chop up your outdoor units. Do not allow anyone to
repair them, in violation of the Jones act. Apply for federal aid, and
food stamps.

On the other hand. A working American like my self would ask if you're
out of your mind to delay, even a day, the repairs. Get with it! Aunt
Bee; call the man! (Andy Griffith.)

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Jan Philips" wrote in message
...
I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. The second story of our house was built
into the attic. The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. About a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. It gets over 120F in
the attic.

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?
--
Replace you know what by j to email

The fans may run longer, with new capacitor, and clean and oil the
bearings. But, can't tell without trying it.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Jan Philips" wrote in message
...

The house was built 13 years ago by someone else. If they were put in
when it was built, they lasted 11-12 years.
--
Replace you know what by j to email

Naah, just buy antiperspirant in a drum. Use a one galon garden
sprayer to apply to whole body.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"AZ Nomad" wrote in message
...

Don't replace them. Wait until you try to sell the house and you're
forced
to replace them as required repairs.
You wouldn't want to enjoy the comfort provided in the meantime.
Spend the money on table fans instead. When you get a good sweat
going, the table fans will really cool you down.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:49:23 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

Molly Brown wrote:

As I understand it you made the attic into a living space so my advise

I think you misunderstood.

is forget the attic fans. In fact close off the holes from them and
insulate the heck out of the whole attic. Don’t leave any place
between the attic and the outside that is not very well insulated,
turn on you A/C and enjoy.

Don't think so. The more the attic space can be ventilated, the better. Most
homes have ridge vents or whirly-gig thingamajigs. A significant number have
attic exhaust fans.

Whichever scheme you use (and you can use more than one - I have both ridge
vents

Speaking of ridge vents mine have had to be cleaned of some fluffy
seed material that floats around here in June. Every ten years or
so, but it's like a blanket by that time. Maybe earlier would be
better.

My neighbor who relies on convection to vent her attic doesnt' seem to
have any of this stuff on her vent screening, and afaik, they haven't
bee cleaned in 30 years.

and whirling dervishes) remember Axiom I of attic ventilation: You
can't have too many soffit vents.

One pundit advised COVERS for the soffit vents to be put in place during
hurricanes, much like storm windows, so that giant wind gusts won't blow off
the roof. Sounds reasonable. (During Hurricane Yikes, I did have one whirlie
gizmo blow off.)

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:19:14 -0400, Nate Nagel wrote:

On 06/28/2010 07:15 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:40:29 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Jun 28, 3:33 pm, wrote:
N8N wrote:
On Jun 28, 11:20 am, "Dimitrios Paskoudniakis"

I have one in my garage, it wasn't working, turned out to be the $30
thermoswitch - fan was fine. Worth looking into. Drink lots of
gatorade before and after troubleshooting. (BTDTGTTS - I get a
screaming headache if I get too dehydrated and then I'm worthless.)

Three tips for working in the attic:

1. Do so at night. You've got to use a light anyway...

If during the day:
2. Put a water sprinkler on the roof.
3. Disconnect one of the A/C ducts and use it to cool the attic.

Good advice, but if the fan ain't working, it's going to be brutally
hot even after dark. Maybe if you have one of those cheap box fans
strap it to a truss or something if you can.

I have a box fan and two oscillating fans in my attic. I'm trying to finish
off the space into a shop (to be converted to another bedroom when/if we
move). I have another day or two of work up there before I knock it off for
the summer. It is already *hot* up there and it will get worse soon (I live
in Alabama).

Attics would be an awesome application for LED lighting. Mine
currently has 500W of construction lights up there, which put off more
heat than you'd think.

About 1/2 kW each. ;-)

Even working up there in December, I was
comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt. If I have to go back up there
again soon I'll be unscrewing all but one or two bulbs.

I have three dual tube fluorescent and three 60W bulbs in mine (about
450sq.ft.). I was using 300W halogens work lights but the light is too
concentrated and there were too many shadows. The fluorescent are a great
addition.


I will be providing something more permanent; I'm still in the process
of updating the wiring on the 2nd floor. Once that is done I will
install at least a couple permanent lights in the attic just for ease of
servicing in stuff in the future (not that there's anything up there to
service now) installing a vent fan in the bathroom and a gable fan
similar to the one for the garage in the attic of the house.

I'll probably stick with incandescent, as I don't think fluorescent
would work very well in the winter.

They seem to work pretty well for me. Again, I live in Alabama, so it's never
colder than 20F up there, and probably doesn't even get below freezing. The
plumbing (water heater) is only protected with some light insulation. However,
my plan is to use the space frequently. It'll be finished off over the next
year (will wait for Winter to insulate .

I find it easier to work when the
attic is 40 degrees as opposed to 100+ if I have a choice in the matter.

No kidding! I spent seven hours in my attic a couple of Saturdays ago. I was
working on the insulation, but I was smart enough to put it down last Winter.
I was mighty thirsty when I finished. ;-) It's been *way* too hot up there
to work since. I have a little more I'd like to do before I give up for the
Summer. It'll probably not get done, though.

(sometimes you don't...) If I have a lot of work to do in the summer
I might swap them out for swirly fluorescents.

I find those are particularly bad in cold weather. However, if it's just
temporary there shouldn't be any problem.

On Jun 28, 11:25*am, Tony Hwang wrote:
Jan Philips wrote:
I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. *The second story of our house was built
into the attic. *The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. *The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. *About *a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. *The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. *The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. *It gets over 120F in
the attic.

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?

Hmmm,
You already know the answer to your question. Why waste time
asking? That's very funny.

Hmmm,
You already knew that he knew the answer to his question. Why waste
time
and bandwidth replying? That's even funnier.

On Jun 28, 11:06*am, Jan Philips
wrote:
I think I know the answer to this, but I want to get some feedback.

We live in a hot climate. *The second story of our house was built
into the attic. *The upstairs and downstairs have separate air
conditioners. *The attic is reasonably well insulated and vented, but
it had two attic fans. About two years ago one of the fans quit
working. *About *a year ago the one on the other end quit working. Now
starting about noon or 1PM on hot days we can feel hot air coming down
the stairwell. *The upstairs a/c can't keep up - it gets up to 5
degrees above the thermostat setting. *The a/c seems to be working, it
just can't keep up when the attic gets so hot. *It gets over 120F in
the attic. *

It would be worth it to get the attic fans fixed, right?
--
Replace you know what by j to email

Fix the fans so that the conditions are the same as when you installed
the upstairs AC unit for the former attic space, OR upgrade your AC
unit for the affected space to a new one which more accurately
reflects
the actual cooling load it needs to be able to keep up with without
the attic vent fans helping...

Your AC unit can not keep up because it is undersized for the current
cooling load it is having to deal with and it was selected to be used
WITH the fans working... If you replace both of the attic fans you
will
find the AC up in the former attic space works better than it has been
for the past year...

When you finished your attic into living space how much insulation
did you put in the walls/rafter areas ? If you filled the entire
rafter
compartment with insulation batting your roof becomes a MASSIVE
HEAT SINK and will absorb and store large amounts of heat during
warm days because the underside of the roof is no longer vented to
allow a barrier of moving air to carry the excess heat out -- this is
why
soffit and ridge vents are installed, to promote a ventilation path on
the
underside of the roof to allow air to circulate... If you have
restricted
that airflow too much or closed it off, you will have cooling issues
in the living area that used to be attic...

~~ Evan

mm wrote:

Speaking of ridge vents mine have had to be cleaned of some fluffy
seed material that floats around here in June. Every ten years or
so, but it's like a blanket by that time. Maybe earlier would be
better.

Sounds like cottonwood trees. When there is a layer of it not close to
anything you want to keep, try lighting the stuff. If it hasn't been
rained or dewed on it burns as if you spilled a line of gunpowder and
lit it. A real bitch for cars with open windows, the stuff gets
everywhere, and when you drive off, the stuff swirls around you like you
are in a snow globe.

mm wrote:

Speaking of ridge vents mine have had to be cleaned of some fluffy
seed material that floats around here in June. Every ten years or
so, but it's like a blanket by that time. Maybe earlier would be
better.

My neighbor who relies on convection to vent her attic doesnt' seem to
have any of this stuff on her vent screening, and afaik, they haven't
bee cleaned in 30 years.

You have power vents and ridge vents? If the power vent is sucking air into the
ridge vents, something is wrong, and the ridge vents are "short-circuiting" the
air ventilation. My understanding is that the advantage of ridge vents is that
they inprove circulation by exhausting at the highest point of the roof. They
probably don't make a lot of sense with power vents. Increasing the soffit vent
area could decrease the cotton buildup.

Bob wrote:

Where I come from, attic fans mean fans between the attic and the
floor below. And are only turned on after it gets cooler outside.

Those are "whole house" fans, not attic fans, I believe.


Fans in the roof are called somehting I forget that I consider
ambiguous. I call them roof fans. I think if that's what you meant
that would be far less consufins.

I'm had one for 27 years. Someimes the motor lasts 8 or 10 years,
one as little as two. That's the way the first two were and they both
came from the fan manufacturer. I haven't tried to oil or repair
them. Can they be oiled? Now I buy motors locally at Eledric Motor
Repair. The current fan is maybe 8 years old,

Maybe, just maybe if I had more insultatoin in the floor of my attic,
I wouldn't benefit from my roof fan, but when the fan is broken, it's
much hoter on the second floor, as you can see yourself

More insulation is a very cheap fix in such a case.

On Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:35:46 -0700, "Bob F"
wrote:

mm wrote:

Speaking of ridge vents mine have had to be cleaned of some fluffy
seed material that floats around here in June. Every ten years or
so, but it's like a blanket by that time. Maybe earlier would be
better.

My neighbor who relies on convection to vent her attic doesnt' seem to
have any of this stuff on her vent screening, and afaik, they haven't
bee cleaned in 30 years.

You have power vents and ridge vents? If the power vent is sucking air into the
ridge vents, something is wrong, and the ridge vents are "short-circuiting" the
air ventilation.

I appreciate the suggestions.

It's the screening on the full-width soffit vents that gets covered in
this fluffy stuff. So that means I'm sucking more air, a lot more
air, in the soffitt vents than my neighbor is. I also have a
full-width ridge vent and yes, I'm surely sucking air in with that
when the fan is on, at least near the fan, but that in itself isn't
bad if the air in the attic is changed. When the fan is not on, the
ridge vent works as designed.

The cottonwood stuff is only on the screen in the back of the house,
but there is no cottonwood stuff in the front of the house at all, not
by the car like for Tony.

I could have removed the ridge vent when the shingles were replaced,
but then if the fan motor broke for a while, there would be very
little outlet venting

My understanding is that the advantage of ridge vents is that
they inprove circulation by exhausting at the highest point of the roof. They
probably don't make a lot of sense with power vents. Increasing the soffit vent
area could decrease the cotton buildup.

The eaves themselves could have been made a lot bigger, but given the
size of the eaves, I don't think the soffit vents can be bigger.
They're the entire width of the house, on the front and back of the
house, about 6 inches wide or a little more. The other 3 inches are
wood that the screen is stapled to.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:23:07 -0400, Tony
wrote:

mm wrote:

Speaking of ridge vents mine have had to be cleaned of some fluffy
seed material that floats around here in June. Every ten years or
so, but it's like a blanket by that time. Maybe earlier would be
better.

Sounds like cottonwood trees. When there is a layer of it not close to
anything you want to keep, try lighting the stuff. If it hasn't been
rained or dewed on it burns as if you spilled a line of gunpowder and
lit it. A real bitch for cars with open windows, the stuff gets
everywhere, and when you drive off, the stuff swirls around you like you
are in a snow globe.

Yeah, I think it's cottonwood.

I'll try setting it afire sometime. There's a bunch lying in my back
yard.

mm wrote:
On Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:35:46 -0700, "Bob F"
wrote:

mm wrote:

Speaking of ridge vents mine have had to be cleaned of some fluffy
seed material that floats around here in June. Every ten years or
so, but it's like a blanket by that time. Maybe earlier would be
better.

My neighbor who relies on convection to vent her attic doesnt' seem
to have any of this stuff on her vent screening, and afaik, they
haven't bee cleaned in 30 years.

You have power vents and ridge vents? If the power vent is sucking
air into the ridge vents, something is wrong, and the ridge vents
are "short-circuiting" the air ventilation.

I appreciate the suggestions.

It's the screening on the full-width soffit vents that gets covered in
this fluffy stuff. So that means I'm sucking more air, a lot more
air, in the soffitt vents than my neighbor is. I also have a
full-width ridge vent and yes, I'm surely sucking air in with that
when the fan is on, at least near the fan, but that in itself isn't
bad if the air in the attic is changed. When the fan is not on, the
ridge vent works as designed.

The cottonwood stuff is only on the screen in the back of the house,
but there is no cottonwood stuff in the front of the house at all, not
by the car like for Tony.

I could have removed the ridge vent when the shingles were replaced,
but then if the fan motor broke for a while, there would be very
little outlet venting

My understanding is that the advantage of ridge vents is that
they inprove circulation by exhausting at the highest point of the
roof. They probably don't make a lot of sense with power vents.
Increasing the soffit vent area could decrease the cotton buildup.

The eaves themselves could have been made a lot bigger, but given the
size of the eaves, I don't think the soffit vents can be bigger.
They're the entire width of the house, on the front and back of the
house, about 6 inches wide or a little more. The other 3 inches are
wood that the screen is stapled to.

That sounds like plenty of soffit venting. I'd be tempted to research speed
controls for the fan. Slow it down during the cottonwood season.

On Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:47:10 -0700, "Bob F"
wrote:

mm wrote:
On Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:35:46 -0700, "Bob F"
wrote:

mm wrote:

Speaking of ridge vents mine have had to be cleaned of some fluffy
seed material that floats around here in June. Every ten years or
so, but it's like a blanket by that time. Maybe earlier would be
better.

My neighbor who relies on convection to vent her attic doesnt' seem
to have any of this stuff on her vent screening, and afaik, they
haven't bee cleaned in 30 years.

You have power vents and ridge vents? If the power vent is sucking
air into the ridge vents, something is wrong, and the ridge vents
are "short-circuiting" the air ventilation.

I appreciate the suggestions.

It's the screening on the full-width soffit vents that gets covered in
this fluffy stuff. So that means I'm sucking more air, a lot more
air, in the soffitt vents than my neighbor is. I also have a
full-width ridge vent and yes, I'm surely sucking air in with that
when the fan is on, at least near the fan, but that in itself isn't
bad if the air in the attic is changed. When the fan is not on, the
ridge vent works as designed.

The cottonwood stuff is only on the screen in the back of the house,
but there is no cottonwood stuff in the front of the house at all, not
by the car like for Tony.

I could have removed the ridge vent when the shingles were replaced,
but then if the fan motor broke for a while, there would be very
little outlet venting

My understanding is that the advantage of ridge vents is that
they inprove circulation by exhausting at the highest point of the
roof. They probably don't make a lot of sense with power vents.
Increasing the soffit vent area could decrease the cotton buildup.

The eaves themselves could have been made a lot bigger, but given the
size of the eaves, I don't think the soffit vents can be bigger.
They're the entire width of the house, on the front and back of the
house, about 6 inches wide or a little more. The other 3 inches are
wood that the screen is stapled to.

That sounds like plenty of soffit venting. I'd be tempted to research speed
controls for the fan. Slow it down during the cottonwood season.

A good idea. I'll do that. Thanks.