Whole House Vent???

General Inspection Topics General Inspection Discussion
1

I was recently visiting some family in North Carolina (I’m from Louisiana) and I had never seen such a huge randomly placed vent. When the switch was turned on this vent the louvers would open and direct air into the attic.

Something to note was that the bathroom vents would blow warm attic air at a pretty high pressure when this exhaust system was active.

It seems that none of the exhaust vents are properly vented through the exterior of the home.

Have you ever seen anything like this? Is this a mess of ventilation?

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2

That is a whole house fan. They are popular here since it’s hot during the day but cools off allot at night. I wouldn’t be turning it on unless some windows are open since they draw allot of air. Often people here have winter insulated covers that they put over it in the attic.

3

Whole house fan. Popular in FL before modern air conditioning. Windows must be partially open to operate. The bathroom exhaust fans should not be backdrafting though…missing or defective flappers.

4

I see them from time to time here in Southern California.

I always tell people to make sure a window is open or else it will suck all the ash out of the fire place and create a huge mess.

5

And the bath exhaust vents should terminate at the Exterior of home, not in the attic.

6

I have one they are great ! but don’t turn it on if the wood stove is lit nd the doors are open …

7

I occasionally see them here. During the summer, I like to test them for about 5 minutes right before I do the attic inspection.