How to Winterize Your Whole House Fan

by George Karonis

Whole house fans are great for cooling your house, and can cut down, or even eliminate, your need to use air conditioning. However, if you live in an area with cold winters, your whole house fan may be allowing heat to escape, making your house cooler when you want to to be warm, and driving up your heating costs.

While whole house fans can and should be closed when you don’t need them, the metal louvre that closes the fan is not airtight and allows significant amounts of heat to escape. Therefore, it’s important to learn how to winterize your whole house fan so you can avoid all the troubles that come with a poorly insulated home during the winter. The answer to your question, “how do I winterize my whole house fan?”, is answered below.

How do I winterize my whole house fan?
You have several options to winterize your whole house fan:

  1. Seal and insulate. Sealing and insulating your fan is an easy way to winterize your whole house fan. All you need to do is insulate the metal louvre on your fan to make it airtight and prevent heat from escaping. Try using an insulation board that is at least one inch thick, and attaching it with an adhesive to a rigid surface like plywood to make it easier to handle. Then, you can use velcro to hold the louvre cover to the louvre and secure it with a threaded nut and bolt.
  2. Use an attic box. An attic box is a great option if you don’t want to have a visible cover in your home. You can make the attic box with fiberglass duct board that provides an airtight seal against the housing of the fan.
  3. Install a winterized insert kit. Winterized inserts kits for whole house fans are an easy and effective way to prevent heat escaping through your whole house fan during cold winter months. It works by preventing cold drafts from coming into your attic. All you do is insert the kit behind the grill in the winter months, and remove it when warmer weather comes. Along with preventing excess heat escaping from your home, QuietCool winterized insert kits that we offer  also reduce noise by decreasing changes in air pressure during high winds. Our kits prevent heat loss and provide you with an airtight seal, all without having to climb up into your attic. Check out all of our QuietCool whole house fan accessories here.

QuietCool Winterized Insert Kits:

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