The History of the Whole House Fan

While whole house fans are rising in popularity as more and more people look to ventilate and cool their homes cost-effectively, they’ve been around for almost a century. In the early 1900s – not long after the first electric fan was invented in 1882 – the first whole house fan was invented. While this invention was made early on, it wasn’t until the 1950s and ‘60s that the whole house fan really rose to popularity and entered the public eye.

By this time, air conditioning was already somewhat common in American homes, and people who wanted to escape the heat without paying higher costs for air conditioning units and their energy-intensive bills often opted for whole house fans instead. Whole house fans could allow just about anyone to ventilate and cool their home inexpensively. For this reason, whole house fans became an alternative option to expensive air conditioning.

The Problem with the Early Whole House Fans
While whole house fans were effective and inexpensive, there was one problem: they were loud. Back then, all whole house fans would create a loud racket – some even compared it to the sound of a helicopter – that was unpleasant. The result was that many people would only turn it on for a few minutes at a time and whole house fans are most effective when they’re run for long periods of time.

In addition, whole house fans can also make you more comfortable indoors by creating a draft which you don’t get if you switch the fan off.

So for years, people had to decide whether they wanted the quieter and more expensive air conditioning or the louder and cheaper whole house fan.

Enter QuietCool. 

QuietCool Whole House Fans
One day in 1999, Dana Stevenson, an electrical contractor, was installing a traditional whole house fan for a customer. The customer remarked to Dana, “I wish someone would invent a quiet whole house fan!”

This comment sparked something in Dana, because he went back home to his garage and became determined to create just that – a quiet whole house fan. Dana tinkered with designs until he reached a prototype that was still effective but quiet – something he could actually sell to other people.

The first QuietCool whole house fan – the QC-1500 – came to the market in 2003. 6 years later in March of 2009, Dana’s company, QC Manufacturing, was awarded a U.S. patent for the QuietCool whole house fan system.

Today, QuietCool whole house fans are still known for their whisper-quiet operation. They’re one of the most popular brands of whole house fans on the market. If you’re interested in getting a QuietCool for your home, browse our website here at WholeHouseFan.com and get one today!