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SuperNet
Go Ninja,Go Ninja Go..
Premium Member
join:2002-10-08
Hoffman Estates, IL

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SuperNet

Premium Member

Attic Fan keeps running

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The attic fan started running yesterday and has not stopped.
It has been lower than 50 here and it ran all night and still.

What should I do?

tschmidt
MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH

tschmidt

MVM

Details would be nice.

How is the fan controlled? Have you tried manually turning it on/off, changing thermostat settings, anything other attempt at troubleshooting?

/tom

SparkChaser
Premium Member
join:2000-06-06
Downingtown, PA

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I can't believe someone would install a fan without a switch unless it's a single line to a breaker. Have you looked for switches you never use or flipping breakers?

SuperNet
Go Ninja,Go Ninja Go..
Premium Member
join:2002-10-08
Hoffman Estates, IL

SuperNet to tschmidt

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said by tschmidt:

Details would be nice.

How is the fan controlled? Have you tried manually turning it on/off, changing thermostat settings, anything other attempt at troubleshooting?

/tom

I went up into the Attic, the fan has 2 settings, one for temp and one for humidity.. I touched the humidity and put it up a little and it stopped...

I can't see how the attic would have a lot of humidity? It is very cold right now in there..... and decent ventilation.
It was set to 68ish, I put it to 72 (is that a bad idea)

What should an attc humidity be set at?
SuperNet

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said by SparkChaser:

I can't believe someone would install a fan without a switch unless it's a single line to a breaker. Have you looked for switches you never use or flipping breakers?

On the control it has an on/ off setting on the Fan

SparkChaser
Premium Member
join:2000-06-06
Downingtown, PA

SparkChaser

Premium Member

said by SuperNet:

On the control it has an on/ off setting on the Fan

Sorry, I have a habit of relating things to what I have. I couldn't even get to the fan in my attic.

Looking at your weather it's RH is 81. So it may be working right. I don't use mine for humidity. However, sensors do fail.

tschmidt
MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
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said by SuperNet:

I can't see how the attic would have a lot of humidity?

The humidity setting is relative humidity. Warm air is able to hold more water so as temperature falls relatively humidity goes up.

70% is pretty high but humidity settings tend to be pretty inaccurate so I would not be overly concerned. My need to tweak it summer vs winter or just disable humidity it and just use temperature. Be nice if you have an accurate way to measure relative humidity to see if it really was that high.

/tom
modelamac7
join:2002-04-13
Waterford, MI

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I would not worry about the Humidity setting. Turn it up to 80% so it rarely has any effect.

Then interrupt the hot wire going from the switch to the fan motor, and run wires to a switch you mount near the entrance to the attic. That will allow you to shut off the attic fan the next time it happens, and you can solve the problem at your convenience.

Emptydarkone
Premium Member
join:2002-05-06
Springfield, IL

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said by SuperNet:

I can't see how the attic would have a lot of humidity? It is very cold right now in there..... and decent ventilation.

It's cold down state too, but the humidity is very high today. I have moisture on the insides of my windows. It's 70 degrees in the house with almost 76% humidity. Outside is 52 right now.

Msradell
Premium Member
join:2008-12-25
Louisville, KY

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As others have said I would set the humidity that point to at least 80% and the temperature set point somewhere between 90 and 100°. Using humidity to turn it on and off is a losing battle because normally the air you're pulling into the attic is at least as humid as what's in there. The important thing is to keep the temperature down.

digital fun
@76.68.116.x

digital fun

Anon

sorry for the ignorance but my attick does not have a fan, what is the purpose for a fan? mine is all insulation and fluffy stuff, no idea what a fan would be for?
LittleBill
join:2013-05-24

LittleBill

Member

to vent heat. moisture, attics need to breath

Raphion
join:2000-10-14
Samsara

1 recommendation

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said by digital fun :

sorry for the ignorance but my attick does not have a fan, what is the purpose for a fan? mine is all insulation and fluffy stuff, no idea what a fan would be for?

a) It can get hot enough in an attic to dry and damage the wood and roofing, and b) Keeping it cooled off in the attic makes for less heat pushing it's way through all your insulation and "fluffy stuff" and driving up your airconditioning costs.

Hall
MVM
join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

Hall to Msradell

MVM

to Msradell
said by Msradell:

...and the temperature set point somewhere between 90 and 100°

It will probably run non-stop if it's set that "low", wouldn't it ? I tend to trust people who deal with this, e.g. the makers of that control, and they say 100-110º.

Msradell
Premium Member
join:2008-12-25
Louisville, KY

Msradell

Premium Member

said by Hall:

said by Msradell:

...and the temperature set point somewhere between 90 and 100°

It will probably run non-stop if it's set that "low", wouldn't it ? I tend to trust people who deal with this, e.g. the makers of that control, and they say 100-110º.

Ours is set about 95° here in Louisville and it certainly doesn't run all the time. The cooler your attic is the last work your air-conditioning system will have to do.

THZNDUP
Deorum Offensa Diis Curae
Premium Member
join:2003-09-18
Lard

THZNDUP to Hall

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to Hall
.
said by Hall:

said by Msradell:

...and the temperature set point somewhere between 90 and 100°

It will probably run non-stop if it's set that "low", wouldn't it ? I tend to trust people who deal with this, e.g. the makers of that control, and they say 100-110º.

Both of my gable end ones are set at 85F. One comes on about 10AM, the other one comes on about noon. Both will go off sometime between 8PM and 10PM. That's for a typical 90-100F high/60-70F low day with maybe 20-40% humidity. You can sure feel the 'blast furnace' from early-afternoon on.

smogers
@108.170.167.x

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Anon

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Hmmm I have never heard of a attic fan.

breese
Premium Member
join:2000-05-10
Arlington Heights, IL

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I would attempt to get an accurate temperature reading first as close to the fan sensor as possible.
If the fan is getting a higher than expected temp reading it could be there is heat escaping into the attic there-by causing the fan to run more than normal and can be pulling heat out of your home.

This Could also be true for humidity. While the attic fan is designed to pull from the soffits and keep the air moving, if the fan is over sized it can / will cause heat and moisture to be pulled from the house. Anything from an attic door not sealed to exposed celling lights not insulated well enough.
85281231 (banned)
join:2014-02-01

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said by digital fun :

sorry for the ignorance but my attick does not have a fan, what is the purpose for a fan? mine is all insulation and fluffy stuff, no idea what a fan would be for?

To con most people into using MORE Electric than they should WASTING hundreds of dollars a year.

John97
Over The Hills And Far Away
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join:2000-11-14
Spring Hill, FL

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said by Msradell:

Ours is set about 95° here in Louisville and it certainly doesn't run all the time. The cooler your attic is the last work your air-conditioning system will have to do.

I installed two fans (with the same control box) in the attic at our old house in Pennsylvania after our first summer there. I had the temperature set to 90 degrees and the humidistat set to 70 percent. We were there eight years, and they never ran constantly.

robbin
Mod
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX

2 recommendations

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said by breese:

If the fan is getting a higher than expected temp reading it could be there is heat escaping into the attic there

What? Where is this heat escaping from? Do you seriously believe that the heat from the house is causing the attic to overheat in September?

If the fan is pulling moisture from the house then there is a problem with humidity levels in the house. In that case, the attic fan would be helping by removing excess humidity.

Attics build up heat from radiant energy from the sun. So yes heat is escaping -- from the sun.

SparkChaser
Premium Member
join:2000-06-06
Downingtown, PA

SparkChaser

Premium Member

As robbin See Profile said there is no heat problem. The OP's weather was 45F and RH of 81 and he lives about 7 mi from Lake Michigan based on his info.