Just passing through – properly using a window fan

It happens all spring and summer long. The heat of the day builds up inside your home (especially in two story homes) and you have to turn on your expensive air conditioning to keep the temperature down. Even in the evening, when the air outside feels comfortable, your air conditioner is still trying to keep up. Is there a better and less expensive way? We wouldn’t be writing this article if there wasn’t.

For many parts of the country, a whole house window fan might be the solution. A window fan will exhaust the hot air out of the home and bring the cooler, fresh air into the home. The key to a window fan is proper usage. The goal is to have a nice airflow throughout the home which means directing the air the way you want to. Lets take a typical two-story home for instance. The ideal location for the fan would be in an upstairs hallway with the air blowing out (exhausting) of the home. Now comes the critical part. You need to direct the airflow within the home. Opening a few of the downstairs windows a few inches allows the fresh air to come in and circulate thought the home. If possible, you also want to open each of the upstairs windows slightly and keep all of the room doors open. This allows for the least amount of air resistance and will cool the home with the outside air faster.

There are a few things to consider with a whole house window fan. If you are in a part of the country where the nighttime temperatures are still higher than your comfort level, all a window fan will do is bring more of that hot air into your home. If a comfortable temperature for you is 75 degrees F and that is what the outside temperature is, then a window fan might be a great option for you. Another consideration is that you will need a window fan capable of moving a lot of air. With that being said, whole house window fans generally have a higher sound level than typical room fans. This makes the location of the fan an important choice. Some people like the “white noise” these fans generate, but for others having them in a bedroom might not be the ideal situation.

Air King offers one of the most highly rated/reviewed window fans on the market today. To learn more about the Air King model 9166 whole house window fan, click here or visit www.airkinglimited.com.