We moved about 3 weeks and have been having upstairs cooling issues. Had the a/c checked and unit is working. Tech said the attic vent fans are not working. Of course they aren't covered by the home warranty...
Who replaces attic vent fans? And does anyone know what I am looking at coat wise?
Are they gable end fans? I've installed a bunch of them. They are cheap to buy and easy to install, especially if you are replacing an existing fan. Do it in the morning though, while it's still cool up there.
They will help your a/c run more efficiently and make your roof last longer.
I've used them in Texas. They don't last for ever, but I found them worth it.
Existing fans need replaced.
I have no idea what kind. He said they when reached a certain temp they should kick on, but they weren't turning on.
Just got the write up, it says need to "replace attic vent and control". I take it the vent is the fan. But what is the control?
octavious wrote: Existing fans need to be replaced.
the control is just a thermostat.. goes on when the temps in the attic reach a certain temp
Alright I just got in the attic and looked around. There is a large fan attached to a thermostat in one corner of the house. The thermo stat is turned on and the temp is set at 60 but the fan is not spininng.
Should there be another fan at the other end of the house? Right now there is not. I have pics but I need to upload them. It may be tomorrow morning before I get the pics posted.
Yessssssss! I love Attic!
I have been a fan since before gable and basement were on the scene.
mad_machine wrote: the control is just a thermostat.. goes on when the temps in the attic reach a certain temp
Mine has a thermostat that is on the fan housing but it also has a switch for the power to it. That switch is located high on the wall in the closet area of the master bedroom. I thought ours was broken when we bought the house until I crawled up in the attic and followed the wiring.
octavious wrote: Alright I just got in the attic and looked around. There is a large fan attached to a thermostat in one corner of the house. The thermo stat is turned on and the temp is set at 60 but the fan is not spininng. Should there be another fan at the other end of the house? Right now there is not. I have pics but I need to upload them. It may be tomorrow morning before I get the pics posted.
I would invest in an inductive circuit tester.. at least that way you can find out of you have power to the fan itself or even to the thermostat. they are cheap and worth the money.
If you have to replace the fan motor, don't go for the heavy duty one like we did. I can hear that thing from the other end of the house. 
octavious wrote: Alright I just got in the attic and looked around. There is a large fan attached to a thermostat in one corner of the house. The thermo stat is turned on and the temp is set at 60 but the fan is not spininng. Should there be another fan at the other end of the house? Right now there is not. I have pics but I need to upload them. It may be tomorrow morning before I get the pics posted.
Usually the air pulls through from one end to the other, so only one fan is needed. Does the house have a sufficient amount of soffet vents? If not, those are easy to install: cut a hole and screw in vent. Just don't cut into rafters.
Keeping the hot air moving out of the attic will greatly extend the life of your roof too!
I have one. It helps. Like Hal said, mine has a switch high up the wall in a closet that has to be turned on before it will work, regardless of the thermostat.
I've wanted an attic fan for years. I hate going into the attic and only remember I want a fan when it is about 120 degrees up there. Never seem to remember when the attic is a cozy 70.
Do you have ridge and gable vents already? I know there was some discussion about attic fans actually making things worse by pulling cool air from your living space, which in turn cooled the attic.
In reply to octavious:
Attic vent fans can be found at Home Depot or Lowe's. Just make sure your check that your existing fan is getting power before you go through the trouble of replacing it. Attic fans for sale at Home Depot
Ok, here is a link someone else shared with me that I am looking at.
https://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/publications/pubdocs/DIY_Guide_May_2008.pdf?faba-0883
I have no rafter vents. There is insulation crammed down in the rafters covering the soffet vents. There is not a vent or intake at the opposite end of the house. I think there are ridge vents but I need to go back and check. Lights and fans from downstairs are not blocked off completely, but they are clear from insulation at this point. There are plywood boards in the attic the PO used for storage. The a/c ducts are above the attic and essentially sitting above the drywall and uncovered.
(I'm working with photobucket to get the pics uploaded now. Frick is it slow)
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Yessssssss! I love Attic! I have been a fan since before gable and basement were on the scene.
octavious wrote: Ok, here is a link someone else shared with me that I am looking at. https://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/publications/pubdocs/DIY_Guide_May_2008.pdf?faba-0883 I have no rafter vents. There is insulation crammed down in the rafters covering the soffet vents. There is not a vent or intake at the opposite end of the house. I think there are ridge vents but I need to go back and check. Lights and fans from downstairs are not blocked off completely, but they are clear from insulation at this point. There are plywood boards in the attic the PO used for storage. The a/c ducts are above the attic and essentially sitting above the drywall and uncovered. (I'm working with photobucket to get the pics uploaded now. Frick is it slow)
OK, but none of that matters until you get the fan working.
1st question- are you getting power to the fan?
If not, problem is not the fan.
As others have noted, switches are often in weird places.
After you get the fan working, then you can improve the ventilation and sealing.
Here are some crappy cell phone pics.
Oooh! Crappy cell phone pics!
Thread title- Attic fan, no fan in pics. 
Don't chase rabbits. Fix the fan first, then your soffit vent ventilation.
Then we can consider the rest of the insulation.
Oh- there's the fan!
Take the wire nuts off the bottom of that thermostat and use a tester to see if you have power.
If you do, the fan is bad.
If you don't, trace the romex wire and see where it goes. Probably to a switch.
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