Ask This Old House installs a Solar Star attic fan

[paldoline]

@GeraldineHillton

Me too! After building my own solar panel kit

that ive purchased online at the site:

GreenEnergyNow.info

Ive saved a lot of money. In fact of my lowest

electric bill was at $0.. Wouldnt believe me?

Try it yourself.. Im happy that could help some

one here..:)

[Rick007191]

Good video....

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Your Only Option is to Build Your own Solar Panels

There is a website that explains it All

To find the website go to Google and search for...

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[stephenhsweet]

Yes;

I hate it when the "pro" Tom Silva, assumes that the audience is comprised of people that do not have a clue. Clearly Tom does not know as much about proper attic venting as he should.

[pleasantonnow]

I love his other comment. 99.999999999% of new homes are using passive systems. Yeah pal, and guess what, they are HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT! Common sense alert indeed!

[pleasantonnow]

CFM on passive ventilation. Ok . When there is no wind, let's see how much CFM your passive system is creating. Zero. I have neighbors that have paid a fortune for these "ridge vent systems" that roofers are pushing. Guess what. Does squat. I stand by my Solar Star Attic fan. It did a great job getting us through this summer. My neighbors did the same & love it, so while this "dincharge" character thinks we wasted our money, let him think that. Not my problem.

[tony76ms]

"If you drive around an area where there is new construction look up at the roofers. If they are putting down asphalt shingles there is a good chance that they are not using roofing felt, commonly called tar paper. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that the manufacturers claim that it is not needed. And the second reason is that it slows down the roofing crews."

[dylan111291]

That's exactly how my attic looks ....no insulation what so ever haha.

[ohsnapitsme59]

I dunno, I think I 'll just use good old fashioned roof vents that I have. I'd rather add another of those than install all this new junk that lasts a few years.There is a reason my solid, 1926 bungalow is still standing!

[ohsnapitsme59]

OK, I'm not a contractor, but isn't there supposed to be tar paper or something under those roof tiles? And why didn't This Old House guy tell him? Why was this house used as an example?

[d1incharge]

Passive ventilation has a CFM rating. That is how much air they move. For much less money, you can install the same CFM of ventilation and never have to worry about the failure of a moving part. Common sense alert: 99.99999% of new homes use passive ventilation.

[pleasantonnow]

@dincharge . You have some agenda on this site. Its very apparent. All I can tell anyone who asks is what works. You, apparently, have had some bad experience. Anyone else who wants to know how the Solar Fans are working for me and my neighbor, give me a shout. By the way, 2 other neighbors are installing them so I guess like dincharge says..." we dont know jack shit" I beg to differ with that. We're a pretty successful/educated bunch here.

[d1incharge]

@pleasantonnow Yeah, you are proud of spending money with an in-ability to save it back before the fan dies, good job. My dad sells 25 new homes a year and most customers will tell him how good their bills are. I have about 300 customers/year and part of what I do is install attic ventilation if it is needed. The companies best at saving customers money that I run into (HVAC, Energy Auditors) all agree solar attic fans are a joke, maybe you can convince these licensed professionals otherwise.

[kingkyzr]

@d1incharge I just installed my 25-year 30-watt attic fan, dropped my attic 30 degrees..I don't know why you are so convinced they don't work....I have a pyramid shaped hip roof with only 2 ft of ridge...this solar attic fan works great and i didn't have to run any electrical..and i get to write off 30% of the fan and install on my taxes..

[d1incharge]

It's not that they don't work, they dont work long. How many times are you going to replace your fan through your warranty before you get sick of it?There is an amount of passive ventilation that will easily outperform your solar fan and have zero moving parts. Who do you think pays for the 30% in the end? We all do. I am a licensed and have a thermal camera and have seen a few attics with many types of ventilation, roof sheathing radiats heat onto the ceiling, far more important than air temp.

[kingkyzr]

@d1incharge I don't understand why people insist that a solar attic fan is only good when in sunlight. Just like you mentioned, passive ventilation does work well. When the solar fan isn't running it still acts as a passive vent with net free inches of air..Whether the solar panel moves 1500 cfm or 300 cfm...it is all in addition to whatever it would remove as a passive vent...Mine has a 19 inch opening which is much larger than standard box vents and I only have to put 1 hole in my roof.

[d1incharge]

@pleasantonnow Sad, even your roofer who could have easily profited by selling you solar attic fans recommended against them, yet you still think you can outsmart them. Take this advice, keep that roofer. Isn't that enough to convince you? What would make sense of a smart businessman to turn down easy money, contractors get those things half off or more of what you can, and can install them while they are there.......why?hmmmmmmmmm I am sure your fans work real well against the wind by the way

[d1incharge]

@pleasantonnow Wouldnt you have an agenda against them after say? I don't know, 20 customers tell you theirs broke and are concerned with replacing it? And mention that their highest e-bill happened to come after they installed it so it must not have really done much to pay back the hundreds it costs. I was chapped at 20, now I am just fed up with people selling these peices of shit, you just wait. I was taught in class, out of a book why they don't work, then I saw it in real life.

[kingkyzr]

@pleasantonnow I am very happy with my 30 watt solar fan as well, dropped my attic temp 30 degrees..

[AshburnSlumLord]

isnt the point of the attic fan to get the hot air out of the attic after the sun goes down.

that way, your AC does not continue to run as the radiant heat in the attic goes back into your top level.

[pleasantonnow]

@dincharge. Our neighbor across the street didnt put one in and has to run the AC constanty. We each put 2 gable units in. One pulls air in to the attic and one exhaust air out. Oh yeah, and "dincharge" says you only need passive vents. Try telling that to someone whose upper level is 95 degrees on a hot day in sunny CA. My roofer told me the same thing." Youre perfectly fine with passive vents" Ya know why? Answer. He doesnt "live" in the house. Knows roofs. Nothing else.

[d1incharge]

@pleasantonnow Building Performance Analyst #CAN06347 My neighbor this my neighbor that. Air temperature is conduction, a vast majority of the heat coming through your ceiling is radiation which your attic fans do jack shit for buddy. They move more air through a loose fill insulation lowering it's resistive value. I can calculate your savings and then calculate your costs after your third replacement fan in 10 years to prove your an idiot, but hey, you and your neighbor know whats best. LOL.

[d1incharge]

@pleasantonnow You should try buying a thermal camera and measuring the temperature of the top of your insulation. I have had customers that had broken 1000+cfm fans, and when they replaced them the attic temp did drop a bit, but the top of the insulation didnt really change because of RADIATION. I can send you thermal pictures of the temperature effect fans make on surfaces like your roof and insulation in attics.....sorry the lack thereof. Many people fool themselves into justifying purchases.

[pleasantonnow]

@dincharge. Continued from below. Our neighbor across the street didnt put one in and has to run the AC constanty. We each put 2 gable units in. One pulls air in to the attic and one exhaust air out. Oh yeah, and "dincharge" says you only need passive vents. Try telling that to someone whose upper level is 95 degrees on a hot day in sunny CA. Guess what..my roofer told me the same thing. Youre perfectly fine with passive vents. Sorry Sir. Roofers know roofs and that's about it.

[pleasantonnow]

@dincharge. Continued from below. Our neighbor across the street didnt put one in and has to run the AC constanty. We each put 2 gable units in. One pulls air in to the attic and one exhaust air out. Oh yeah, and "dincharge" says you only need passive vents. Try telling that to someone whose upper level is 95 degrees on a hot day in sunny CA. Guess what..my roofer told me the same thing. Youre perfectly fine with passive vents. NO I AM NOT. Roofers know roofs and that's about it.

[pleasantonnow]

@dincharge. Not really sure what products you have been looking at but both my neighbor and I have installed the brand in this video and we both experienced a noticeable difference in our attics. In fact, Iam one of those people that measure the outside temperature, my attic temperature and my house temperature. I have experienced a 23 degree drop in my attic temperature from prior to installing this fan. My upper level is noticeablly more comfortable by at least 5 degrees. Using less A/C.

[d1incharge]

@pleasantonnow I lowered my attic temp by 35 degrees, never toughed the ventilation, and the what I did it with will last longer than the home. When I plugged the test numbers into my cost return calculator (Remdesign) I found that it will pay itself off in just a few years in savings, and it was off, it was only two years. But I am sure your attic fans kick ass. Half or more of the heat your a/c fights that floats up in two story homes, is created within the home.

[d1incharge]

@pleasantonnow I don't keep track of products, I have about 5 customers a year tell me their solar fans only lasted 2-5 years. People with the wired type get 10-20 years out of theres. You can look up the research on the real lack of energy savings from any attic ventilation beyong required minimum passive ventilation. There are so many good places reduce btu load, or remove them more efficiently, even if any motorized attic fan worked, it should still be way way way down on the priority list

[d1incharge]

Why do people think the btus gained from a dark roof in the sun can be removed with a little fan blowing some hot air out! Anybody know anything about radiation? Snake oil energy product for doofuses. Ventilation is not of heat.....really just look it up people.

[AshburnSlumLord]

@d1incharge

Seems to work for all the BTUs stored up in your auto radiator.

[d1incharge]

@AshburnSlumLord For some reason my roof isn't aluminum finned and doesnt have a fan that is as big as it is. . So when your car runs at 120-140+ degrees you consider that cool? And a 3000sqft black roof in the sun creates how many more btu's than your 1 liter hundai that coincidentally has a fan rated for more cfm.......LOL figure that one our? That fan my take a 10x10 area of roof from 152 to 148, attic vents are not for heat people.

[hardrain65]

Good comments... several will say tar paper is to protect until shingles are in place. I prefer to always have tar paper, and 30lb on slopes 5/12 or sleeper.

Also safety is important, but I hate holes in a roof ! Personally, I use couch cushions to provide grip and protect shigles, esp. on a hot sunny day!

[MrEtodaG]

Where are your safety glasses when using the sawzall?

[oldtwins]

Hilarious roofing job there. Even my dog shed has better roofing than that.

[junkyardnut]

@oldtwins Naw, dat solar fan is not big enough for your dog house , this is really hilarious!! 15 watt ??? hahahah!!!!!! an attic requires 500-1200 watt solar attic fan system to really remove the @!#$@@ hot air out of the attic on a constant basis...

[junkyardnut]

@oldtwins ur dog will be eternally grateful to you for installing a solar fan over its humble house!! LOL!1

[derekstech]

ahhh you did that wrong!

[sigzor85]

I watch this guy on his show all the time and this job is not his best work. He didn't mention to the homeowner about not having roof paper under his shingles. And all those holes made on his roof so he can feel safe on a roof must all be filled and he might not get any future leaks. I'm all for safety, but this was ridiculous.

[mahshmant]

epicccc fix

[mahshmant]

silva's a fucking genius

[mirdo2]

It's not Kevin! It's tom silva! Tsk., Tsk., Tsk.

[a6km]

are you fukin serious that there is absolutely no insulation underneath the roof ?

[d1incharge]

I have actually tested this myself, the top of the insulation in my attic was 120 on a hot summer day, I added a big 2000cfm attic fan, the results...............the top of the insulation was 120.....................DON'T FALL FOR THIS SOLAR ATTIC FAN CRAP, JUST ANOTHER BUNCH OF COMPANIES TRYING TO RIDE THE "GREEN" GRAVY TRAIN.

[d1incharge]

There is a KU study done in Austin Tx that proves any venitlation beyond the standard 1sqft/300 passive does absolutely nothing so save energy. I love it when a homeowner tells me, my second floor is hot, I think it is because of the attic. HEY DMBSHIT HEAT RISES, GUESS WHERE IT WILL BE IN A TWO STORY!!!!! If there are comfort issues, the HVAC guy fcked up and didnt properly calculate the duct system(very common)

[pleasantonnow]

@d1incharge Its amazing how people who have no experience in either installting the product or using the product will condemn the product. I always advise my friends and neigbhors to consider the source when a contractor bad mouths a product. Obviously make their money off of ??? guess it guess it. LABOR They dont want to get paid 1 hour to install a $300 product. They'd rather get paid $300 to install a $50 product ( ie passive vents)! Also be wary of HVAC contractors.

[d1incharge]

@pleasantonnow Passive vents are all you need. Ventilation in an attic is for moisture, not cooling. Anybody that thinks a chincy little solar fan is going to cool the underside of a dark colored roof with sun shining on it is borderline retarded. Ventilation is not there for heat. Heat creates stack effect and is required for passive ventilation to remove moisture vapor that travels from w/in the home. Attic ventilation is really more important in the north where condesation may occur.

[d1incharge]

Very dissappointing TOH, solar attic fans last like 2 years, barely move any air while they are working, you just pissed away hundreds of dollars on NOTHING. Also, when the sun is shining, your attic will be 140, whether you ventilate it or not, your spitting a little air at a black roof in the sun thinking you are going to cool it off is such a stupid thought. Yeah it makes your skin feel cool, but pull your head out and use a thermometer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IDIOTS.

[TheMorbiousStone]

and what about when you have ceramic roof tile? lolz

[Servicetech571]

How much air do these move compared to a standard 120V model?

[micol018]

it was so full of bull you never instal power-vents so close to ridge-vent, it wil such air not from the attic out but from outdoor inside

[micol018]

yeah... attached to the roof and made some holes in it

[Gilbertoballesteros]

Gloves and safety glassies...

[red10dc]

Note -- If you watch other videos on this topic, Tom is the only one who cuts the shingles before. This takes longer than just sawing through the shingles. But as I found out when I did this, if you cut the shingles with a saw the blade will quickly dull, especially if there are two layers of shingles. (Meaning, when my roof was last replaced, the roofers shingled over the existing shingles.) Just an FYI.

[M1ST3RHYDE]

Do you have Temp of before & after? Im going to put in the same set-up in my folks garage & any/all info will help my ease of mind.

[rexexdesign]

Hi, I was wondering how one can install these with tile roofing? Thanks already!

[monkeyman1140]

A/C units gobble up a considerable amount of energy year round. If you demand comfort over efficiency they're fine. My personal preference is passive domes because they're cheap and you don't need very many. Solar domes are ridiculously expensive.

[bettersexweb]

Why do people think there was no tarpaper under the shingles? He cut it away when he cut the first circle - no?

[TheChavez1976]

@bettersexweb There should have been Ice and Water shield there is what they're a saying..

[xSeriox4]

At night is also hot. Can the ventilation run with a batterie also charger with the solar to save, and use it at night.

[nomoreremakes]

Wow, Kevin makes that look so easy, but I'm totally afraid of heights. lol

[NateTheGreat9018]

These Solar Powered Attic Fans are a cool idea, however like many of the people who have commented on this video, I myself was wondering just why there was no paper under the roof shingles. What I am used to for roofing is Ice and Water shield, then the shingles. The Soffit Vent, along with the Ridge vent, and maybe some of the insulation that goes between the roof rafters to help draw air from the soffit vent to the ridge vent to help the roof "breath" But the fan is still cool in a way.

[pluma25x]

ni papel tiene la casa

[freepress666]

You need to have one or the other not both, (ridge vent , fan) and when he put up the walk board all those holes must be filled.

Two here saw that no felt was under the shingles, guess what no thermal barrier, main reason he could not cool up stairs.

Also the insulation was stuff in between the rafters where the air from the soffit could not flow up to the ridge vent.

[wewantutopia]

@freepress666 The insulation is fine...  look at 1:24 and you'll see there are baffles in between the rafters.

[tripjet999]

An A/C-powered unit is much more efficient.

By the way, where the heck was the tarpaper lining under the shingles! Bad roofing job.

[hitachi088]

@tripjet999 <-- +1 for this guy, brand new house but badly built.(talking about the video)

[dalecalder2003]

@tripjet999 I had the same thought exactly.

[Connect2Homes]

Get job installing the fan but is it not placed to close to the ridge vent?

[monkeyman1140]

@Connect2Homes

I didn't think it was a good idea to mix ridge and dome vents.

[moneybelt22]

boy hes up their about 60 feet on roof

[moneybelt22]

i intalled my fan on my 1997 dodge neon

cheap all i do is roll down the window

[Durchbrechen]

I would also suggest an isolation under the roof. Here I have 10 cm (4 inches) of polystirol insulation panels. They work for both hot and cold.

[johndoe696]

Don't fall for the allure of the solar power just yet. Any vent manufacturer will tell you that if you have ridgevent you SHOULD NOT use an attic fan as well. Ridgevent is the best source of ventillation and this house is fully equipped. The attic fan and ridgevent will work against each other and the attic fan will pull the air in through the ridgevent out the attic fan instead of pulling the air from the soffit. Just because he installed it doesn't mean he's a professional.

[halfstring]

Just an update. Yesterday's high was 94 and interior attic max temp was 110.

[RicardoSabong]

Good Video, It even give me confidence to install it my self, I think i will use this video as a guide line to install my vent, why pay 500 bucks to have some nuckle head to install it. thank you very much. more videos please

[HookEmTexasHorns]

How about because a "nuckle head" would install it correctly vs. the few mistakes he made in this video?

& Wait until you're up there & realize that working on a 2 story slope isn't as easy as a 7 minute YouTube video. In reality, for a professional this is about a 1+ hour job with lugging tools, setting ladders, proper installation (no screws, where's the felt? cutting 2" lower into the shingles than what he's got & NOT putting in a fan where there's a ridge vent already there)

"nuckle head"?

[halfstring]

I recently installed this attic fan on my 1922 Cape Cod Bungalo. Today, the outside temperature was 85-90. The attic maxed out at 110 degrees. So this fan definitely rocks.

I picked it up at Natural Abode for $385.

[HookEmTexasHorns]

Personally, I like a fan that has an adjustable solar cell. Not every house has a true Southern alignment for the back slope & if you have the GAF units, you can actually detach the solar patch from the fan & reset it somewhere (& align / point it) towards a better Southern exposure.

[Baraquiel62]

awesome I wish i could get one of this greetings from Mexico City!

[Cheengow]

This guy's a pro!

[SanDiegoRunner]

This is great. I would love to have one installed in my house. It would make a HUGE difference.

[vbronte]

Woah, I've never actually seen this done before. It looks so easy! Anyone got a house that I can practice on? ;)

[nighthawk5556]

If you supply the fan, you can definitely try it on mine lol

[eggoblue]

It's starting to be about that season again where attics get hot and humid. Yuck.