Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• How does the system cool without cool air?

  Unlike air conditioning that works harder as your home gets hotter, our cooling system removes hot air before it builds up.

  Cooling fresh air moves over your skin causing moisture to evaporate to cool you naturally. Just like being outside on a breezy day. This sensation is called windchill and is the principle that all fans work on.

  With our system your home is always as cool as the night air, with the additional cooling that you feel with the gentle air movement on your skin to enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep.

• What about heatwave days?

  Even air conditioning struggles during heat wave conditions and we do not pretend that we can maintain comfort at these levels with the house open and the hot air being drawn through it.

  With the Cooling System you always start each day with a “bank” of beautifully cool air inside your home. It is recommended to close up windows and doors and shade windows on the hottest side of the house to conserve the cool air within.

  You can also switch the system on low speed and open windows on the shady side of the house as close to the shutter as possible. This will prevent the build-up of furnace-like heat in the roof which can be as high as 70 °C.

  Meanwhile, the air in the closed off rooms is undisturbed and once the outside air temperature has dropped, you can open up more windows, switch the fan on high and bring in the cooler air. If you have air conditioning already installed this is one of the times in summer you may need to use it, but only for a few hours instead of the whole summer.

• Why is the system such a healthy choice?

  Fresh air is drawn in and hot stale air, including many hundreds of pollutants are expelled. Whereas, with air conditioning the air is constantly recirculated.

  Indoor air carries toxic fumes and irritants from cleaning fluids, synthetic building materials, furnishings, dust mites, pet dander, cooking odours, moisture and mould spores which can trigger allergic conditions, such as asthma, a condition now affecting 1 in 9 Australians.

  Studies have shown that the air inside our homes can be more polluted than the air in our city streets. With our system all these pollutants are whisked away with the heat, before they build up to toxic levels.

• Why is the system so quiet?

  Our belt drive fans are constructed to be some of the quietest in the industry. Unlike direct drive fans, such as bathroom extractor fans which produce a constant hum, our motors are totally silent.

  The only noise you hear is the soft diffused sound of air moving through the fan blades. The majority of our fans are six bladed which produce far less air turbulence than a four-bladed fan. Also, each blade is uniquely sculptured with static balancing ensuring maximum air flow with minimum wind sound.

  For quieter operation the fan has sealed shaft bearings, a timber frame which is rubber mounted and elevated on a plenum high into the roof and the shutters are fitted with plastic pivot pins.

  The noise level of the fan is rated to 42 decibels being the sound level of soft background music, a level approved for environments such as classrooms and libraries.

• Why are ceiling fans and roof wind turbine far less effective?

  The secret to cooling by ventilation only is the air speed you can generate and no wind operated or even motorised roof space ventilator can match our Whole House Fan Cooling System. Our cooling system is designed to change the air 30 – 40 times an hour in living areas and 50 – 60 times an hour in the roof space.

  Ceiling fans recirculate the same hot, stale air. In fact, in summer they can help distribute the heat radiating down from the roof. If you have 3 ceiling fans you are using as much electricity as one Whole House Fan which cools the entire house!

  Some whirly bird suppliers install ceiling vents in rooms to “remove the heat from rooms”. In reality, wind turbines expel hot air from the roof too slowly to have any effect on the room below, particularly during the hottest hours of the day. In fact, hot air from the roof space may even enter the room below via the ceiling vent because the volume of air in the roof expands as it heats up.

• What does the Whole House Fan Cooling System consist of?

  A large, six bladed, belt driven, quiet in roof fan installed invisibly inside the roof space, the smallest 600 mm fan has 4 blades

  A single automatic ceiling shutter on the ceiling below – air actuated and sized to suit selected fan and the roof type

  A variable speed motor and wall mounted controller, the largest 1220 mm fan has a 3-speed motor and controller

  Under eave or gable end vents

• What are the advantages of an air actuated shutter and do you have a range of sizes?

  Our Shutters are uniquely designed to be air actuated so that they open and close automatically. The advantage of this is that they are fully closed off when not in use. Each of the fan sizes comes with its own shutter to allow maximum air flow.

  Unlike some systems on the market, which use an inlet grill that is open to the living area allowing dust and particles from the roof space to fall down when not in use. Also, the size of the grill used on some other systems is much smaller and far less efficient at expelling air.

• Why are your variable speed motors and controllers so energy efficient, quiet and reliable?

  Our Variable Speed Motors are of the highest quality, designed in Australia by the industry’s most respected supplier of fractional horsepower motors for more than a century.

  The Motors are extremely energy efficient, totally silent and they run on either a 250 or 415 Watt. Also, they easily controlled by an Australian made, cost saving variable speed controller, with an average running cost of only 10 cents an hour.

  They are extremely long lasting and virtually maintenance free and our exclusive patented automatic belt tensioning extends motor life and eliminates the need for manual belt adjusting.

• What is the history of this innovative cooling system?

  The Whole House Fan has been used extensively as a cooling method in the Southern States of America since the 1940’s with great success.

  We have always sourced our range of highest quality fans from one of the largest suppliers of ventilation products in the USA, who have been manufacturing the fans since the 1940’s.

  We have been proudly selling the Whole House Fan in Australia for over 30 years!

• Which fan size is best for my home and where should it be located?

  In most regions of Australia we aim to achieve 30 – 40 air changes per hour through a home. We have 5 different sizes of fans and will calculate the best one to suit your home. In the meantime if you would like to view our Sizing Table this will give you an idea of the fan size that you may require for you home.

  In a single storey home, the fan is positioned in the roof space on the ceiling joists usually over a hallway where rooms lead off. An air actuated ceiling shutter covers the ceiling opening just below the fan. A control switch is located on a nearby wall.

  In a double storey home, the fan is best placed over the landing area of the top floor again where rooms lead off.

  In a half cathedral roof ceiling or half cavity roof design the fan and an egg crate diffusor can be used instead of a shutter which are installed vertically in the wall.

• Can the system be installed with a flat roof or cathedral ceilings?

  In homes with flat roofs, cathedral or raked ceilings our cooling fan can be installed very successfully in roof mounted canopies with louvered sides. In this case eave vents are not required. The canopy is customised to suit each project in terms of size, shape and colour.

• Can the system be installed in larger buildings?

  Industrial buildings, schools, churches and community centres are all large spaces that accumulate hot air are prohibitively expensive to cool.

  Our natural cooling system is the answer to this problem and can provide more comfort for people, by removing hot air at a continuous and controllable rate with air movement to provide wind chill cooling on the skin.

  We have installed fans in many commercial projects and have had very positive feedback on the efficiency, cost saving and health benefits of the system.

• How much venting will I need?

  It is vitally important that there is sufficient free air to allow the action of the fan to exhaust the hot air out rapidly from the roof space. This is normally achieved with under eave vents which are supplied with your fan. Gable ends, roof top vents and wind turbines can also be used. Please refer to page 8 of the Installation and Operating Instructions Manual for requirements of minimum vent area for the roof space.

• Can I install the Whole House Fan myself?

  We usually organise the system to be installed by one of our experienced electricians but the system does come with a full set of Installation Instructions so you can install it yourself and organise an electrician to connect up the electricity and controller.

• What warranty is provided?

  3 years warranty is offered on the fan blades, metal mounting frame, timber plenum and ceiling shutter and 1 year warranty on the motor, fan belt and control switch, from the date of purchase. It should be noted that all the fan components are long lasting and seldom need any maintenance. Full warranty details are set out in the Installation and Operating Manual.

• How can I achieve energy efficient heating and cooling all year round?

  Beat the soaring electricity prices and save power by combining our Whole House Fan Cooling System with Radiant Heating for an energy efficient, healthy and environmentally friendly alternative to reverse cycle air conditioning. For further information about energy saving radiant heating options please visit www.lowenergyliving.com.au