A/C vs. whole house fan

[DIY13]

I live in an area (close to the ocean) where it only gets hot a couple of weeks out of the year and even then it cools down in the evenings. That being said, does anyone have experience with whole house fans?
If I understand them correctly, I should be able to open all of my windows in the evening and turn on the fan for a short time to cool the house down on those hot days.

Or. Do they just not work and I would be better off with A/C in the house. (Majority of the houses in my area don't have A/C.

[Vector]

They work great. Especially if you're in an area where it cools off enough early enough. In MN, sometimes it stays hot and muggy through the night, which makes it less effective, but we had one of these in my parents' house growing up and it was very effective. They've been in that house 20+ years and didn't get A/C until last summer.

You will have to have enough ventilation out of your attic to make it effective, however. My parents have no firewall between the house and the attached garage, so air could be exhausted out the garage very effectively.

[rabadger]

I like them, and have never had a customer complaint on one.

[jrkgcs]

We live in South Texas by the Gulf of Mexico. Installed a whole house fan to save on air conditioning. It cooled the house but everything became very damp. Had to quit using it because of the moisture problem.