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submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/homeimprovement

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General info: Looking to get current attic ventilator fan replaced. The attic is about 1400 sq. ft. Current attic ventilation fan is a foot from the ridge of the roof. Live in USA.

Handyman wants: To install two 1500 CFM fans. Two 120 volt 20amp dedicated circuits, one for each fan. He wants to install the second fan 4 feet away from the current fan. He stated that the attic ventilator fan would need to be replaced within 6 years.

My questions: Would two fans be better than one fan? Would I need two 120 volt circuits to run two fans? Is there an attic ventilator that has a user replaceable fan?

Thank you in advance for any help.

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[–] stands_while_poops 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

3000CFM is probably too much. Your exhaust needs to match your soffit intake in terms of how much air they move. You can't just exhaust air without replacing that air. Find a roofing contractor and not a handy man. If you're forcing 3000CFM out and your soffit vents combined allow for 1000CFM, there are still 2000CFM that need to come from somewhere and it could start coming from your conditioned space through air leaks from things like light fixtures and drywall gaps.

It sounds like you're wanting to vent the attic to cool the house? If so, insulation is your best bet. Yes it may also prevent you from gaining heat in the winter from the sun, but it will also keep the heat from your HVAC inside which is way more efficient than relying on an insignificant amount of heat from a winter sun. We recently increased our insulation to R50 and it has helped lower our bills and equal out the temperature of the house