Solar Star Attic Fans

[CThomp]

Has anyone installed one of these? I'm not worried about installation but i'm wonder how you like it. My attic has pretty much no ventalation and I think its because of this my a/c runs like crazy during the day. Opening my attic access feels like i'm walking into a boiler room. Plus there are things i'd like to get done in my attic but its just so freakin hot its unbearable.

[VALENT]

Could you add ridge venting? Is the soffit vented?

[CThomp]

Yeah the soffit is vented and there is a gable vent at either end of the house. But the attic still gets pretty insanely hot. A ridge vent would have to wait until i'm ready to re-roof and i'm not quite to that point yet. Plus I don't feel like cutting any holes in my roof. I'm probably going to cool seal paint the roof here in a few weeks as well. My shingles are 12 years old but I'm not sure they'll make it through hurricane season.

[VALENT]

wont you have to cut a hole in the roof to put this attic fan in? I think you will help yourself far more by closing up the gable vents and adding ridge vents. You dont have to remove any shingles except the ridge cap, cut the opening across the ridge, add the ridge vent and replace with new ridge cap shingles.

[CThomp]

This attic fan actually fits into the gable vent. It sucks air through the soffits and the other gable vent. It has a 10w solar panel you attach to the roof and supposedly only takes 30 minutes to install. But thats under perfect conditions so i'm guessing it'll take about an hour. Cutting the ridge and installing a ridge vent is an all day event. Or at least half a day depending on how fast you are. And its May in Florida. Its over 90 degrees out and humid as hell.

[bkrahmer]

10W fan, huh? That's about twice as much as a small fan that you would put on the case of your computer (not the cpu, just the case.) How much air is that going to move out of the attic? 0.001% per hour? :(

[CThomp]

http://www.solatube.com/

800cfm depending on the amount of sunlight hitting the panel. I don't have many trees shading my roof. It'll get sun most of the day. At least during the hottest part of the day.

[CThomp]

Bu I think I'm actully going to Kool Seal my roof first to see what that will do for me. I'm not going to be able to re-roof until after hurricane season and my shingles are 12 years old. Most of the adhesive is kinda worn out. The Kool Seal should hold everything together fairly well.