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Hi all,
I'd like to invest in some insulation for my 1400 square foot house
but there's a problem.
My house has a built-in attic fan. For those who do not know, it is used
to draw in outside air to cool the house. In my area of the US,
mid-south, it is not practical during the summer because even the nights
do not cool off much or dehumidify. It's nice during the fall to get the
cool night air in and the heat of the day out.
When it is turned on, metal slats open in a rectangular area in the
ceiling to vent the house's air into the attic (you have to open some
windows in the house).
I hardly use it. But you can see where it could be an energy saver for
certain times of the year.
However, its location in my house is a terrible design. It is in the
ceiling of the same hallway that also contains the intake for my central
heating/air conditioning. Although its slats are closed when not in use,
lots of air leaks through. So in the summer, the HVAC intake sucks the
hot air from the attic through the slats and into the AC system. In the
winter, it sucks the cold air into the heating system. You can feel the
draft in both cases.
The temperature differential through the house also verifies that this
actually happens. My den is often up to 78 degrees in the winter as the
system struggles to get that cold hallway up to 70 (that's where the
thermostat is, too, unfortunately).
A few years back I stopped trying to use the fan and I sealed it off
with 6 mil plastic. But there is still an enormous leakage problem, not
to mention the conduction of heat through the metal fan and slats
assembly.
My questions are:
1) Would there be a way to insulate the slat area with some kind of
material cut to size and laid on there? I'd have to be able to slip
it by the fan. I can provide dimensions and/or photos if anyone has some
ideas about thisl.
2) If #1 is not possible, is there any point to taking other steps to
insulate? It seems silly, for example, to increase my attic insulation
in other areas while leaving this gaping leak. Ditto insulating around
windows and doors. But maybe it's not?
3) I have been thinking about getting an attic ventilator in the roof to
decrease temperatures in the summer. Do you think it would have a
measurable positive effect, even considering the leakage through the fan
slats?
4) What if I get the fan professionally removed? Worth it?
Thanks for any tips. I'd really like to insulate around it if it
would be possible and effective.
Amanda
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Insulating around attic fan
