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There are three reasons for which I put together this Whole House Fan ShutterCover Trim to Fit Review;
.I have always suggested that my clients purchase or “manufacture” a cover (box) that you can install over the whole house fan from the attic side. I still highly recommend this solution, but it sometimes requires a lot of effort, and for many home owners, it might not be even possible to implement.
Because of the size and/or location of the attic access hatch, transferring an assembled whole house fan box cover or assembling one in the attic is simply not an option. There are, of course, flexible/soft types of whole house vent covers, but you are still required to enter the attic before and after the cold season.
The whole house fan Shuttercover™ is a completely different story. It really can’t get any more simple than it already is. Let me just list some of its benefits:
Despite the fact that whole house fans use significantly smaller amounts of energy than air conditioners, the entire assembly provides very little insulating value. During the cold months, while you are heating your home, the whole house fan shutters allow the heated air to escape into the attic, which sometimes results in condensation and attic black mold growth. At the same time, cold air from the attic migrates into your home.
During the warmer months, whenever air conditioning is running, or even without the system operating, the whole house fan shutters become very hot. They either transfer the heat into the much cooler house or let the cool/conditioned air out (usually into the attic). Don’t believe it?
Touch the whole house fan shutter surface (assuming that there is no insulating cover installed in your attic) during the summer and during the winter.
Look at it this way – what’s going to happen when you open your window during the winter, or while operating an AC on a hot day? You’ll be dumping your money through that window, dollar after dollar.
An unprotected whole house fan shutter is the same as that – an open window into the attic. For every proud whole house fan homeowner, they are just increasing the energy usage and cost.
Let’s get into some Shuttercover™ Trim to Fit cover details:
A trimmed-to-fit Shuttercover™ section attaches to the whole house fan shutters frame with a self-adhesive Velcro tape. That allows you to easily remove the cover before turning on the fan and re-apply it after it has been turned OFF – no more duct tape, plastic foil or (the most convenient part) more trips to the attic…However, I’d still highly recommend to examine your attic periodically, or have someone do it for you.
Since I personally don’t have a whole house fan installed in my house, all that rambling above is based on observation of many attics, conditions that resulted from uninsulated fans / fans shutters, and information from the Shuttercover Trim to Fit manufacturer of this product.
I think, that you can’t really go wrong with such a simple “gadget”, and my Whole House Fan Shuttercover™ Fit to Trim review will help you a little, but let me know if you already have one and how is it performing.
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