AC type question

[tellyho]

I'm wondering where else you would put an air handler? I suppose if you were building a brand new house, you'd build an...HVAC room? I have an old house, so it's definitely in the attic. I do appreciate the heads up on keeping that drain clear...

[FastCanon]

Originally Posted by fourflys

as a bit of an aside, I have a friend here in Sonoma County that added a "whole house fan" in his attic.. he says it makes such a huge difference, even in the 100*+ weather we've been having the last month.. he hasn't had to use his AC near as much as he did before.. and, if I understand it correctly, it keeps his attic cooler as well I think..

Whole house fan is another nice option.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by tellyho

I'm wondering where else you would put an air handler? I suppose if you were building a brand new house, you'd build an...HVAC room? I have an old house, so it's definitely in the attic. I do appreciate the heads up on keeping that drain clear...

Yes, they are often in what is essentially a closet or in a basement either in its own closet/room or in a general utility space often shared with laundry, etc.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by fourflys

as a bit of an aside, I have a friend here in Sonoma County that added a "whole house fan" in his attic.. he says it makes such a huge difference, even in the 100*+ weather we've been having the last month.. he hasn't had to use his AC near as much as he did before.. and, if I understand it correctly, it keeps his attic cooler as well I think..

A whole house fan is very effective in an area where temps drop steeply late afternoon. I was a frequent guest at a home with a BIG one in Alabama and after a day with a mid-day high of 90F but about 75F by 6-7pm the huge attic fan sucking lots of cooler outside air through all the open windows brought the indoor temps very close to that of the exterior quickly. Of course the roar of that big fan was not something I would want to suffer all night.

[bigbill]

My air handler is above the garage and the intake filter is in the hallway. All I hear is blowing air, it's nice. I've had houses with the handler in the attic and the garage arrangement is much quieter.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by fourflys

as a bit of an aside, I have a friend here in Sonoma County that added a "whole house fan" in his attic.. he says it makes such a huge difference, even in the 100*+ weather we've been having the last month.. he hasn't had to use his AC near as much as he did before.. and, if I understand it correctly, it keeps his attic cooler as well I think..

He must like it hot in the house. It isn't going to cool the house down any lower than the outside air temp. I have an attic fan, whole house fan (seldom used anymore (it's noisy)), and a good a/c. I maintain 73-76 deg. in the house.

A whole house fan is good if it cools down in the pm and the inside temp is hotter. You open the windows, turn on the WH fan, and the large air flow cools the house down to the outside air temperature relatively quickly and inexpensively.

[unterhausen]

We have always had a whole house fan, but we haven't used it since we got minisplits. It does work pretty well even when it's pretty warm if you have no alternatives. I never did figure out why I have neighbors that burn wood when it's really hot out. There are lots of houses in Pennsylvania with no a/c, so it's sociopathic behavior. I once asked Santa for a pumper truck to put out the fires with, but he wisely didn't deliver.

Back yard neighbor used to burn wood when it was really hot. But the husband got swapped out for a new model and there have been lots of changes. One of which is no more wood burning.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by MikeD

He must like it hot in the house. It isn't going to cool the house down any lower than the outside air temp. I have an attic fan, whole house fan (seldom used anymore (it's noisy)), and a good a/c. I maintain 73-76 deg. in the house.

A whole house fan is good if it cools down in the pm and the inside temp is hotter. You open the windows, turn on the WH fan, and the large air flow cools the house down to the outside air temperature relatively quickly and inexpensively.

maybe he has an attic fan? He had a fan installed in his attic and, I believe, has some type of vent on the ceiling of his second floor.. I don't think he has another vents for it.. or I could be wrong.. I do know he had a fan installed in his attic that he says helps to cool his house..

[unterhausen]

If you have a multi-story house, the top story gets really hot. Even though it might not be the same as a/c, attics can be very, very hot. So pulling air from the outside is better than that. Thus the advantages of attic fans

Having the air handler in unconditioned space is bad. As has been mentioned, the condensate may leak. It's very likely. And you are probably heating/cooling unconditioned space. There are problems with mold buildup. It's worth figuring out how to put ducting and air handlers in conditioned space. There is no doubt that it's common to put it in the attic because it's easier and cheaper and uses a lot less space (which is money). As I said previously, shoddy. That's because the people doing it don't have to pay for the maintenance or the energy wasted. "Can't see it from my house" is the rule of the construction/residential hvac industry. It's worth it to find a builder that appreciates energy usage.

[FastCanon]

When our HVAC guy installed our AC/heater unit, it was under a galvanized drain pan and the unit has an outlet the goes to the washing machine drainpipe. So if it leaks, the drain pan will catch it. If that gets clogged, which is very unlikely because pan has a drainpipe that goes directly to the outside.