Frequently Asked Questions
Whole House Fans
Any time the outside temperature is cooler than the inside temperature, you can run your Whole House Fan and turn off the air conditioning. As an alternative to air conditioning, this will immediately save you money. It is good to remember that Heating and AC systems recirculate indoor air while a Whole House Fan introduces fresh clean air to your home. These fans are sometimes known as attic fans, but they are designed to move air through the home into the attic and out through roof or gable vents.
The most common time to operate your Whole House Fan is when the outside temperature is 10-15 degrees cooler than inside your home. These fans are an alternative to air conditioning.
Whole House Fans can also be used to exchange the air in the home, helping to remove indoor pollutants, odors, moisture, and VOC's. This will improve your home environment while saving you money.
Our Whole House Fans are maintenance free. You will want to clean the intake grill on the ceiling with a vacuum cleaner brush attachment every so often.
The HV1000, the HV1600 and HV3400 (Ghost) all include an interior finished grille.
The HV1000RF, the HV1600 and the HV3400 all include 2 hand held remote controls.
Yes. Installing a Tamarack Whole House Fan is a great do-it-yourself project. It involves some measuring, cutting a hole in the ceiling, and setting the fan in place. For a skilled home owner, plan on 2-3 hours to get the job done. We recommend hiring an electrician for the electrical connections.
Yes, a line voltage manual crank timer can be used.
A thermostat cannot be used.
Tamarack Technologies recommends you hire a licensed electrician for wiring and installation.
Please consult with your electrician and local building codes.
Most of our Whole House Fans are operated using the remote that we provide. If you select a hard wired model or want your electrician to set it up as a hard wired unit that operates from a wall switch, you will need 1 standard switch - Single Pole, Single Throw (SPST) - if the fan is single speed and 2 SPST switches if it is 2 speed - one for on/off and one for high/low.
HV1000 - 1,150 cfm.
HV1600 - 1,600 cfm high/1,150 cfm on low.
HV3400 - 3,400 cfm high/1,900 cfm on low.
The optimal location for installing a Whole House Fan is in the ceiling of the highest level that is connected to your attic.
Having 4 feet of clearance will insure optimum performance of your Whole House Fan.
From the living space, you will see a low profile, slotted grille which is attached to the ceiling. The fan and housing are located in the attic out of sight.
Yes - they are separate items and serve different purposes. And you can run them together.
This is not recommended as there is a significant decrease in air flow when ducting is used to exhaust the fan.
Review the TC1000. Specifically designed for a 'through the roof' or wall application. The Infinity fan is also a good product if you do not have an attic.
No. Tamaracks' Whole House Fans need to be installed within the home, in the attic, protected from the outside. Because of the way they are installed and operate, some people think of our fans as attic fans, attic ventilators, or attic exhaust fans. They are Whole House Fans that pull air from the main house and exhaust it into the attic. The air then moves to the outside through ridge, soffit or gable vents.
Yes, both units can be mounted horizontally or vertically. Please inform customer service when ordering so the correct return air grille is included.
No. It is a large version of the HV1000 and 1600 and mounts on the attic floor drawing air through the house and up into the attic. Sometimes these are thought of as attic fans, but they are Whole House Fans and an alternative air conditioning.
No.
The warranty for the HV and TC models are 3 years. Warranties cover replacement parts due to manufacturing errors. They do not include labor associated with repairs.
Yes, please check local building codes and call us for recommendations as commercial installations may be challenging.
TC1000 Fans
The TC1000 are 1 speed units rated for 800 CFM.
The TC1000-T is designed to ventilate sunrooms. It is supplied with a white wall mounted thermostat to control the on-off function.
The TC1000-H is designed to ventilate a space that does not have an enclosed attic. It can be mounted on a roof or outside wall to directly vent the interior space.
The TC1000-T is designed to vent heat from sunrooms, pool areas, spas, greenhouses, etc. All spaces that can get very hot due to direct sun exposure. A skilled person can certainly install these fans themselves, but we do recommend that you hire a professional contractor with experience in sun rooms and similar spaces. The installation needs to be done carefully in order to avoid leaks and rot. Often these installations involve glass enclosures and proper gasketing and flashing need to be installed.
Chlorine is a corrosive chemical and over time will cause damage to fan blades, motors and electronics in the TC1000. We recommend the use of chemicals that are more benign - consult your pool or spa supplier for chemicals that are more environmentally friendly.
The TC will help keep condensation rates lower, however, most of the causes of water condensation are directly related to temperature differential. Extremely warm, moist air will condense on cooler solid surfaces. The closer the two are in temperature the less the condensation will occur. Proper ventilation in pools and spas is essential to building integrity.
Yes, provided the outside air is cooler than the inside air and you are pulling that outside air in through an open window.
Yes.
No. However, many customers prefer the look of a return air grille in the interior space to the look of the eggcrate grille which is attached to the lower housing and is visible.
TC’s can be controlled by any SPST wall switch, a line voltage thermostat, electro-mechanical crank pin timer, all types of mechanical closure timers, a line voltage thermostat, standard 2-wire humidity controls or a combination of most any type of line voltage control.
The wiring should be 14-3 or 12-3 depending on code. The third conductor is required in order for the cover of the fan to close when it is turned off.
Yes. It would be best if the TC were to be located under an overhang or some type of structure that will prevent water from entering the housing when the fan is in opening or closing mode. The TC can be oriented on either a horizontal or vertical plane.
Yes. If the roof is “flat” and there is the possibility of standing water or puddles of water a curbing should be built up.
The customer should contact the roofing manufacturer for instructions.
Delta Breez Bath Exhaust Fans
Delta Breez Exhaust Fans are primarily used to exhaust bathrooms or other small rooms in a home. They are one of the highest quality and best performing bath fans on the market. If you are looking for a great bathroom vent fan that will perform as advertised, Delta Breez is the way to go. They are truly the best bathroom exhaust fan available.
Delta Breez fans are available as a bathroom fan only or a bathroom fan light combo. Here are the links to order or get more information:
Yes. Delta Breez fans are available as a fan only or a fan/light combination. Most people want a bathroom vent fan with a light. They also have a night light built in that you may or may not hook up.
All the Delta Breez fans with lights feature energy efficient LED lights.
The installer can choose to install up to 3 separate switches. Fan, Light and Night Light. The fan and light can be combined on one switch if you so desire. Many people choose to use separate switches so the light does not come on every time the fan is turned on. Check with your local code officials as there may be rules as to how you are required to wire the fan and light.
All Delta Breez fans are Energy Star listed and HVI certified.
Energy Star is a DOE standards program that encourages manufacturers to build energy efficient products. If a product carries the Energy Star label, you can be assured that it will perform as best in class.
HVI is a testing body - the Home Ventilation Institute - that independently certifies the performance specifications of residential ventilation equipment.
Delta Breez fans are primarily used as a bathroom exhaust fan with light or simply a bathroom exhaust fan. The Energy Star logo and the HVI logo assure you that the noise level, the CFM exhaust rate, and the wattage usage are accurate as they are printed on the box or spec sheet.
Many people will replace old bathroom fans because they are noisy and do not move much air. Replacing your old bathroom exhaust fan can be one of the most satisfying home improvement projects you do. The Delta Breez fans are among the best bathroom exhaust fans available.
The simple rule of thumb that works most often is to measure the square footage of the room and multiply by 1.10 - increase by 10%. Then choose the closest size available.
Here is an example
Room size: 8 x 10
8 x 10 = 80 x 1.1 = 88. Purchase a 90 CFM fan.
This formula assumes that you have ~ 8' ceilings. If you have a cathedral ceiling, or a duct run longer than 20' to the outside, or a steam bath, go to the next size up - about 110 or 120 CFM.
What a great question. In order for a fan to move air out, the same amount of air needs to be able to come in. This is how ventilation works.
We sell two products that will solve this problem: The Perfect Balance installs in the door and allows air in when the fan is running and the door is closed. We also sell Return Air Pathways that get installed in the wall - often just above the door. These products also allow air to come in when the door is closed and the fan is running.
Both products feature an insert that absorbs sound and light so as not to compromise privacy. Check them out here:
Installing a bathroom fan is a great home improvement project. The process will involve some carpentry, some electrical work and some duct work. All of these details need to be done correctly in order for the fan to perform as advertised. We suggest hiring a professional contractor if you are unsure of any of these details. Local codes need to be followed for safety and building integrity.
The E Z Hatch
The E Z Hatch is a super insulated, pre-assembled scuttle. The standard unit is insulated to R-50. We offer an option to upgrade that insulation to R-80. The unit is easy to install and fits in standard framing. The E Z Hatch is designed to meet or exceed all codes related to attic insulation.
There have been many studies conducted by the Building Science experts that we know, proving that having an un-insulated attic stair or scuttle greatly reduces the overall insulation value of your attic. Even though the opening is small relative to the attic floor area, the impact on comfort and energy efficiency is enormous. Here is a great article to read if you are interested:
Most people understand the idea of a pull down attic stair. A scuttle is an access panel that requires the use of a step ladder to gain access to the attic. We call it the E Z Hatch because it arrives pre-assembled and features a finished frame and clean finished surface.
Sometimes these types of products get referred to as an access panel, or an attic access door, or simply an access door. Think of the E Z Hatch as an insulated attic door. While some folks call them ceiling access panels, they can also be used as a crawl space access door or wall access panel.
The E Z Hatch can be mounted vertically in a wall or horizontally in a ceiling. Go here to see images and more detail along with ordering information:
Return Air Pathways
Happy to do that. We will use the acronym RAP to refer to Return Air Pathways. We will refer to the heating and air conditioning system as an HVAC system.
The first thing to be aware of is that most HVAC systems recirculate indoor air while heating and cooling it. The air goes around your house over and over again.
Most of us have been in a home or office space where there are hot or cold rooms when the HVAC system is running. This condition typically becomes noticeable when doors are closed.
In many homes, the HVAC system is installed with a number of supply ports and a number of return ports on the ceiling or floor. If the supply and return ports are in the same room, you most likely will have even heating or cooling in that room.
It is more common to have supply ports in rooms and return ports in a central hallway. So when you close the door to that room, the supply air cannot get out. So the room gets too hot or too cold.
RAPs save the day. By installing a RAP in the wall between the room and the central hall, the supply air can easily circulate and find its way to the return port and start the journey through the system again.
Return Air Pathways - RAPs - are supplied with a special insert that will absorb sound and light. Even though you have created a pathway through your wall, you do not have an open hole.
Go to this page for a quick look at the structure:
Thanks for asking. In addition to the special insert to absorb sound and light, the metal frame that goes in the wall is specifically designed to make sure that no air or moisture travels into your walls. That is an important detail.
RAPs are a brilliant design and solution to hot and cold spots in a house. People will talk about return air vent covers or air registers or even return air filter grilles or simply return air grilles. The RAPs come with finished grilles that are slightly off white. When the job is done, you will not notice them - but they will do a lot to make you more comfortable and save on your energy bill by helping your HVAC system work more efficiently.
The Fireplace Plug
Absolutely. The Fireplace Plug - or FPP - is the perfect do-it-yourself type product that will immediately save you energy and make your home more comfortable. Think about the fact that your fireplace/chimney is the biggest hole in your house. There is a steady stream of air that flows out of your house through the chimney. Under certain conditions air can be flowing into your house from the chimney.
The flue - the closure mechanism that is used when the fireplace is not being used - most often does not seal very well. Air continues to flow through the flue even when it is closed.
The FPP is easily installed and used during both the heating season and the cooling season to save energy and increase comfort. When the time comes that you and your family want to use the fireplace, simply deflate the plug and set it aside.
Start saving energy and increase your comfort right away. Here is the link to The Fireplace Plug:
Cape Backdraft Dampers
The purpose of a backdraft damper is to help stop air from entering a building through a fan when the fan is turned off. The easiest example for most of us to understand would be a clothes dryer. When the dryer is running, it is blowing warm moist air out of the dryer and out of your house through a duct run. When the dryer is off, under certain conditions, air will drift back in through that duct run. This may be cold air in the winter or hot humid air in the summer.
A backdraft damper is put in the duct run to stop this from happening.
Backdraft dampers have been around since the invention of exhaust fans and have remained largely unchanged for decades. They often do not work well.
The Cape Back Draft Damper is a perfect example of an invention that is truly a 'better mouse trap'
A traditional backdraft damper is a metal ring with spring loaded flaps that open when air is blowing through in one direction and close down when the flow stops so that air does not come back in.
The challenge that this creates is that the fan has to push the flappers open in order to move air out. This causes resistance and diminishes the amount of air that the fan can move.
When the flappers are closed, they do not seal very well and they allow air to come back in when the fan is off.
Enter the Cape Damper. By using a very light but sturdy fabric in the metal ring, there is no resistance to flow in the outbound direction.
And then because of the way it is designed, when even the slightest amount of air tries to come back in, The Cape Damper closes down completely blocking air from coming in.
The Cape Damper is sized to fit into standard 4", 5" or 6" ducts.
The Cape Damper works so well that we will recommend that the installer of the new fan remove the bad performing damper that comes with the fan and just use the Cape Damper. The fan will perform better and move more air. Go to this page to see the Cape Damper and get ordering information: