Attic Breeze Solar Attic Fan Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is solar powered ventilation?
2. Why would I want to cool off my attic?
3. What are the cost benefits of installing a solar powered attic fan?
4. How are ridge vents and turbine vents different from an Attic Breeze Solar Attic Fan?
5. Can I install an Attic Breeze solar attic fan if I already have ridge vents installed on my home?
6. Are your solar powered attic fans very loud when operating?
7. If I already have turbine vents installed on my home, can I still install an Attic Breeze solar powered attic fan?
   
8. Are there situations where installing a solar attic fan would not be recommend?
9. Is there any chance of attic depressurization while using your solar attic fans?
10. Is any electrical wiring required to install your products?
11. What is the purpose of the thermal switch?
12. When would I not want to have a thermal switch included with the solar attic fan?
13. Do your solar attic fans store energy so that they can operate when the sun goes down?
14. Will your solar attic fans operate on cloudy days?
15. How well do your products stand up to extreme weather conditions?
16. If I purchase an unpainted vent, does it need to be painted to prevent corrosion?
17. What color are the unpainted solar attic fans?
18. Are your products powder coated or painted, and what colors do you have available?
19. Do light colored solar attic fans perform better than the dark colored fans?
20. Will the solar panels on your solar attic fans stand up to hail?
21. What is the best direction and angle to face the solar panel?
22. How far away can the solar panel be mounted from the solar attic fan unit?
23. Why would I need a remote mounted solar panel for my solar attic fan?
24. Will shade from trees prevent your solar attic fans from working?
25. Are there any fire hazards associated with this product?
26. Can birds, squirrels, mice, or other rodents get inside my attic through the solar attic fan?
27. Does your solar attic fan require any annual maintenance?
28. Will the solar attic fan work with blown attic insulation?
29. If I need more than one solar attic fan, how should they be spaced on my roof?
30. If my kitchen or bathroom vents exhaust into my attic, can I still use your product?
31. Can your solar attic fan products be installed on a flat roof?
32. Can I use your product if my home does not have soffit vents for air intake?
33. Can I have too much attic ventilation?
34. Can I use your solar powered ventilation products to cool an entire workshop o warehouse?
    

Q: What is solar powered ventilation? A: Solar powered ventilation equipment operates solely off of sunlight. These products do not need to be wired into an electrical grid and cost nothing to operate. Solar powered ventilation falls into the category of active ventilation, where outside air is forced through an attic or building to effectively remove heat throughout the day. This method of ventilation is many times more effective than passive ventilation since the air inside the attic or building is exchanged more times per an hour, thus removing more heat.

Q: Why would I want to cool off my attic? A: During the summer, attic temperatures can soar to over 150°F, keeping your attic hot throughout the day and well into the night. The higher the temperature of your attic, the less effective attic insulation will be at stopping heat from entering your home. While attic insulation slows this process, it does not eliminate the heat transfer process entirely. Furthermore if the insulation is old or the attic is not very well insulated, it will do very little to stop heat from entering your home. Installation of a solar attic fan helps to minimize the amount of heat entering through the attic by reducing your attic temperature. By minimizing the amount heat entering your home, you will save money on your summer cooling bill and make your house feel more comfortable.

Q: What are the cost benefits of installing a solar powered attic fan? A: If properly sized for your application, installation of our products will reduce attic air temperatures to within 5-15°F of outside ambient temperature. Of course the amount of money saved by installing a solar attic fan will vary greatly dependent on your specific application. Factors such as electricity cost, total attic area, roof color, age/efficiency of attic insulation, and the age/efficiency of your air conditioning equipment all play a role in determining your overall savings. Experience shows that installations on older homes typically have a pay back of 1-2 years. Newer homes will have a slightly longer pay back period based on their designed energy efficiency.

Q: How are ridge vents and turbine vents different from an Attic Breeze solar attic fan? A: Ridge vents operate on the principle of natural draft air convection. This means that as the attic heats up, hot air will rise to the attic ridge and naturally flow out from the ridge vent. Additionally, some ridge vents also use the wind to aid in this natural draft effect. However, ridge vents typically only produce 3-4 attic air exchanges per hour, resulting in a typical summer attic temperature of 130-140°F based on a 90°F day. Using wind power to produce motion, turbine vents are designed to pull hot air out of your attic anytime the wind blows. While typically more effective than ridge vents when operational, turbines are prone to mechanical problems, noisy operation, and low air moving capability. Turbine vents are dependent on the wind to supply the power needed to induce a draft through the attic; if there is no wind blowing, there is no ventilation. Attic Breeze solar attic fans operate on the principle of forced draft air convection. Our fans create an air draft through the attic many times more powerful than that of natural draft air convection or wind powered turbine vents. Our solar attic fans work the hardest when you need them the most; the more solar radiation (sunlight) your attic receives, the faster our fans operate. Attic Breeze solar attic fans have the capability of exchanging hot attic air 10- 20 times per hour, resulting in a typical summer attic temperature of 95-105°F based on a 90°F day.

Q: Can I install an Attic Breeze solar attic fan if I already have ridge vents installed on my home? A: Yes, you may install our products with an existing ridge vent. Ridge vents do not interfere with the operation of our solar attic fans. However while the solar attic fan is operating, the ridge vent work in reverse acting as air intake vent. When installing our products in conjunction with ridge vents, the solar attic fan unit will need to be placed lower than normal from the roof’s ridge line to appropriately balance the air flow through the attic. Experience shows that a solar attic fan installed roughly 5 feet down from an existing ridge vent will allow enough space for proper balancing of air intake ventilation.

Q: Are your solar powered attic fans very loud when operating? A: No, not at all. The high efficiency fan blades used in Attic Breeze solar attic fan products are designed for whisper quiet operation, resulting in a noise level of less than one sones.

Q: If I already have turbine vents installed on my home, can I still install an Attic Breeze solar powered attic fan? A: Yes, you may install our products with existing turbine vents. Our solar attic fans can be used to either replace an existing turbine vent or work in conjunction with your turbine vents. If replacing a turbine vent with one of our products, you will need to widen the vent hole to accommodate our fan. It is also good practice to restrict the air flow from any turbine or dormer vent within 10 feet of our solar attic fans to better balance total air flow through the attic. This can easily be done by tacking flashing, plywood, or even heavy cardboard to the bottom side of the passive vent.

Q: Are there situations where installing a solar attic fan would not be recommend? A: Yes, there are some applications where a solar attic fan (or any type of powered attic ventilation) would not be appropriate. While not typical of most homes or buildings, it is not recommended to install powered attic fans in conjunction with drop ceilings that have no hard attic deck, open attic chases, or any other building feature that may allow conditioned air to freely enter the attic space. Due to our unique design, our solar attic fans pull a powerful air draft through the attic. It is recommended for the above applications to either cap or seal any open vents, chases, or ceiling seams before installing our products in order to minimize the potential for conditioned air seepage into the attic.

Q: Is there any chance of attic depressurization while using your solar attic fans? A: No, attic depressurization should not be a problem if our fans are properly installed. Attic depressurization only occurs when there is not enough air intake ventilation available to satisfy the requirements of the powered attic fan. Given that the required amount of air intake ventilation is available, air flow through the attic will always follow the path of least resistance and depressurization will not be possible. The Home Ventilation Institute (HVI) recommends one square foot of air intake ventilation for every 300 CFM of powered attic fan capacity. This results in a minimum requirement of roughly 5 square foot of intake ventilation for each Attic Breeze solar attic fan unit installed. Experience shows that having more air intake ventilation typically gives better performance. Attic Breeze recommends double the minimum air intake requirement (if available) to achieve optimum cooling performance from our products.

Q: Is any electrical wiring required to install your products? A: No, our solar attic fans ship completely assembled and ready for use. No electrician services or electrical permits are needed.

Q: What is the purpose of the thermal switch? A: Attic Breeze solar attic fans include a thermal switch as part of our standard package. This mechanical thermal switch is factory preset at 77°F (25°C) and operates in a range of ±7°F (70-85°F). The thermal switch allows the attic fan to shut down when attic temperatures fall below the preset range. This reduces winter heating bills and extends the life of the motor.

Q: When would I not want to have a thermal switch included with the solar attic fan? A: If you will be using our products to ventilate a warehouse, workshop, or garage you may choose to have the solar fan operate continuously, regardless of temperature. Additionally, in tropical climates you may also choose to have the fan operate continuously if used as a whole-house fan. Solar attic fans are also used in northern climates to control attic moisture and humidity problems which occur during the winter. For this application, it would be appropriate to operate the solar attic fan without a thermal switch.

Q: Do your solar attic fans store energy so that they can operate when the sun goes down? A: No, there is no battery back up included with our products. However, if sized appropriately for your application, a battery back up should not be necessary. Our attic fans operate fastest when you need them the most. The more sunlight the solar attic fan receives, the harder it works to keep your attic cool. If sized and installed properly, our solar attic fans will keep your attic cool throughout the day and eliminate the need for additional night time cooling.

Q: Will your solar attic fans operate on cloudy days? A: Yes, the high efficiency monocrystalline solar panels used on all Attic Breeze products allows our fans to even operate on cloudy days.

Q: How well do your products stand up to extreme weather conditions? A: Attic Breeze manufactures solar attic fans and solar powered ventilation products that will stand up to the harshest weather conditions Mother Nature has to offer. Our roof mounted solar attic fan products are designed to withstand windstorm conditions of 110+ MPH. How durable are Attic Breeze products? On September 12, 2008 the Houston, Texas area was severely impacted by Hurricane Ike. Homes and businesses in the area were subjected to sustained winds of over 100 miles per hour and the entire region was declared a federal disaster area. Of the many Attic Breeze customers in and around the Houston area, absolutely no damage was reported regarding our products. Real world tested for the dependability you can trust!

Q: If I purchase an unpainted vent, does it need to be painted to prevent corrosion? A: No, for most applications painting is not necessary. All Attic Breeze products are manufactured from corrosion resistant zincalume alloy (45% zinc; 55% aluminum). This alloy has all the corrosion resistant properties of aluminum, but is much stronger. Zincalume is specifically designed for corrosion resistance in coastal climates. However, in extreme salt air environments (such as Hawaii), it is recommended to choose an Attic Breeze product featuring a powder coated finish (roof mounted products only). Our powder coating process meets ASTM standards for marine environments and adds an extra degree of protection against salt air corrosion.

Q: What color are the unpainted solar attic fans? A: Zincalume is a dull, silver-gray metallic color. The unpainted products do not have a shiny metal finish.

Q: Are your products powder coated or painted, and what colors do you have available? A: The vent housings on our roof mounted products are powered coated both inside and outside for added protection. The powder coating process meets ASTM standards for marine environments. The solar panel frames are painted with a heavy-duty industrial grade acrylic primer to match the vent housing. Roof mounted solar attic fan products are available in black, brown, or gray (weather wood).

Q: Do light colored solar attic fans perform better than the dark colored fans? A: While darker colors do absorb more heat, this will not affect the performance of our products. Attic Breeze fans are designed to be self-cooling, so all of our products perform equally well.

Q: Will the solar panels on your solar attic fans stand up to hail? A: Attic Breeze uses industrial grade solar panels that are manufactured with high strength tempered glass. These solar panels meet international testing standards for impact resistance and are designed to withstand mild to moderate hail storms.

Q: What is the best direction and angle to face the solar panel? A: For installations in the continental US, you will achieve optimum average daily performance by facing the solar panel toward the south. Additionally, the solar panel should be inclined at an angle roughly between 45° - 60° degrees for optimum results.

Q: How far away can the solar panel be mounted from the solar attic fan unit? A: Attic Breeze solar attic fans featuring a remote mounted solar panel come standard with 15 feet of 18 AWG weather resistant mounting cable. You may also choose our extended remote cable option which offers 40 feet of 14 AWG weather resistant mounting cable.

Q: Why would I need a remote mounted solar panel for my solar attic fan? A: If the location in which you want to install your solar attic fan does not provide optimal sun exposure, we would recommend considering an Attic Breeze model featuring a remote mounted solar panel. By using a remote mounted solar panel, the solar attic fan unit can be installed in the location you choose, while the solar panel is installed in another location offering better sun exposure. Attic Breeze offers mounting bracket options designed to allow our customers to achieve optimum sun exposure for any application. Depending on your specific requirements, our mounting brackets allow the remote solar panel to be roof, wall, or even pole mounted, in any direction or inclination angle desired.

Q: Will shade from trees prevent your solar attic fans from working? A: Yes, shade/shadows have a very negative effect on the operation of solar panels. While our high efficiency solar panels do work given cloud cover, they will not work in the shade. When choosing a location to install your solar attic fan, make sure to consider the sun exposure profile your roof receives throughout the day. For optimum performance, the solar panel should be installed in a location which receives maximum daily sun exposure.

Q: Are there any fire hazards associated with this product? A: No, all Attic Breeze products are engineered and designed to be intrinsically safe. The proprietary design of our motors prevents overloading should a fan stall situation occur.

Q: Can birds, squirrels, mice, or other rodents get inside my attic through the solar attic fan? A: No, Attic Breeze products include a ¼ inch mesh rodent guard.

Q: Does your solar attic fan require any annual maintenance? A: No, our solar attic fans are maintenance free.

Q: Will the solar attic fan work with blown attic insulation? A: Yes, as long as the blown insulation is at least two feet under the attic fan.

Q: If I need more than one solar attic fan, how should they be spaced on my roof? A: When installing multiple solar attic fans, the units should be placed to maximize cross-flow ventilation through the attic and balance air flow from all air intake sources. Spacing between solar attic fan units should be at least 10 feet apart for optimum performance.

Q: If my kitchen or bathroom vents exhaust into my attic, can I still use your product? A: Yes, as long as these exhaust vents are extended through your roof to exhaust outside.

Q: Can your solar attic fan products be installed on a flat roof? A: Yes, we offer models featuring curb mounted flashing which are designed to work with flat roofing designs. Additionally, we recommend choosing a remote mounted solar panel option for optimal sun exposure when installing our products on a flat roof.

Q: Can I use your product if my home does not have soffit vents for air intake? A: While soffit vents are the preferred method of bringing air into the attic, there are some areas where building codes prohibit the use of soffit vents. If you cannot install soffit vents, you can still use our products. Attic air intake vents can be any type of passive vent allowed by your local building code. This includes gable vents, dormer vents, air hawks, ridge vents, or any other type of passive vent installed on your roof.

Q: Can I have too much attic ventilation? A: No, not when it comes to cooling performance. In general, the better ventilated your attic, the cooler it will be. As long as you have the proper amount of intake ventilation, more air flow (or attic air exchanges) from our solar attic fan products only helps increase cooling performance.

Q: Can I use your solar powered ventilation products to cool an entire workshop or warehouse? A: Yes, our products can be used to ventilate large open spaces such as warehouses, workshops, garages, or even an entire house. However when used in this application, our products are sized differently than as applied to attic ventilation. We typically recommend 1-2 air exchanges per hour for warehouses or storage areas and 3-5 air exchanges per hour in areas where people will be working. The number of units required for the application is then determined from this basis.

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