I'm looking install a whole house fan but I've run into a few challenges installing it in my house's main attic.
I had a company come out to get a quote and the installer told me that based on the lack of available space in the attic relative to the locations in the hallway ceiling that had enough space for the opening I would either need to re-structure a couple of joists or move a few ducts.
Neither option is a choice I want to go with, however I was thinking in my connected garage I have an attic with enough space it install one. I'd leave the house windows open, the house door to the garage open and the main garage door closed; the fan would suck air through the house into the main garage and then through its attic.
I know this is not the idea location for it but would it accomplish the same thing with the exception of not cooling the attic in the house? Should I be concerned with pulling air from the house attic at all?
Best Answer
This really isn't a good idea. Whole house fans are designed to pull air from the hottest point in the house (the highest point in the living space), and replace it with cool air pulled in through the windows. Doing this through the garage would be very indirect, would likely leave stagnant hot air in some areas of the house, and would reduce the effectiveness of the fan due to all the passages the air would have to pass through.
In addition, as Ed pointed out, in some areas code won't allow venting a living space into the garage. Even leaving the door to the garage open may not be a good idea; it might let bugs into the house, and (if the fan were turned off) let garage fumes into the house.