Can You Install a Whole-House Fan in a Skylight?

Installation

• Where you install your whole-house fan depends ultimately on your home's layout. In most cases, whole-house fans are installed in the ceiling leading to the attic, where they can exchange the air from the home into the attic. In some homes, where vertical skylights extend upward to intersect the attic, the whole-house fan can be installed in the vertical section of the skylight. In other words, the fan will blow the air horizontally into the attic via its location in the vertical encasement that leads to the skylight itself.

Attic Venting

• If you plan on installing a whole-house fan to vent into the attic in this way, you'll also need to increase the number of vents to the outside from within the attic. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends you need to increase your vent space by two or by four times the amount of vent space you currently have. They also recommend having a qualified professional install the fan for you.

Cautions

• Installing a whole-house fan requires that you make some necessary preparations. For instance, during the winter months, you'll need a cover to seal the whole-house fan and keep warm air from leaving; if you don't ensure the cover is properly sealed, your heating bills will go up during the winter. Also, proper ventilation is needed throughout your house. All windows need to be open. Failure to do so may create uneven suction in the home and possibly backdrafts that can affect your furnace and release carbon monoxide into the home.

Negatives

• For the most part, whole-house fans have a tremendous upside in creating air flow and keeping the home freshly vented. However, noise created by these fans can be fairly loud, especially if you don't take the time to install the fan properly. The Department of Energy recommends larger high-capacity fans that can be run at lower speeds, because these are quieter than small fans that run at high speeds. The fans can also be installed with additional gaskets, used to cut down on noise.