Airflow straightener installed

Airflow nozzles in place

Check back soon for a detailed look at the testing process and some discussion of the major the components that went into building our new test lab

A S&P CM Series Belt Driven Blower about to be installed.This giant fan provides incoming air and is capable of 500 to 8,000 CFM. We are also able to install a smaller less powerful fan to provide incoming air for fans that move less than 500 CFM.

Check back soon for more photos

A little background: We test all of our units to ensure that when we say it is 1710 CFM and 157 watts, that it is actually 1710 CFM and 157 watts. All of our Whole House Fans (WHF) are tested as you would install them in your home. Often the other guys will just test the fan itself and “forget” to test their WHF as a system (damper box, fan, duct, and grille). This kind of testing leads to misleading results, specifically greater CFM and lower watts than when installed as a system.

The old: This facility used a traverse method of testing airflow. We used a calibrated and certified hot wire anemometer to test air velocity. Soon after this picture was taken we straightened the silver tube, as we found the two bends were causing pressure waves affecting the testing.

Testing: A 1.7 WHF about to be tested as installed in the attic. We used a multimeter and a power meter, both calibrated and certified, to measure volts and watts.

The new: The new and improved test lab under construction at our warehouse in Medford, OR. Check back soon for more pictures of the construction process.

CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE

This is some candid feedback we recently received from a scrupulous customer who purchased and installed a 4.4e in his own home. He did all the necessary research, asked all the good questions, and was very careful with his purchase. That said, in the end he is quite happy with his fan. While other companies might cringe at the thought of inviting feedback from very particular customers, we encouraged it and we are happy he gave us permission to make it public here in our blog. This is just an example of one customer’s experience with us - from specification to follow-up – and stands as a reflection of the quality advice, support, and products that AirScape provides. When you call us you won’t speak to someone on commission, because our first priority is to recommend the best, most effective solution for your needs. We look forward to speaking with you!

And by the way, he called us after he had slept with it running, and his wife (the deciding factor) could not hear the fan at all. Another AirScape Win!

Hi guys, everything is installed and I attached some pictures. I used some 2×10′s to raise the box so I can eventually insulate more. Everything worked as discussed and the unit is very quiet compared to my old one. Haven’t tried to sleep with it though. You can’t tell it’s even running while watching tv and fan on low. HUGE, HUGE improvement. My wife kept asking me if it was running……success!

I felt everything was well built and nicely thought out. The parts fit together flawlessly and I’m impressed with the quality. Good job! As requested, here is some comments and constructive criticism…

1. Since I had a drill in the attic anyway, I drilled the rivet heads off the D rings not used and removed them…no noise possible and takes seconds per D ring (less time than taping)

2. I would throw in some extra screws and hardware. If you drop anything in blown in insulation it goes into never never land. It only cost 25 cents to add a few extra.

3. Don’t crimp the S rings on the eye bolts. Depending on the location, it was easier to shorten or lengthen the chain there and easier to unhook it off the eye bolt than the fan. Working by yourself, it’s easier to hook the eyebolt than hook the chain.

4. Drill a small hole in the electrical box of the damper box and install a grommet or bushing for the control wire. I did so and simply pushed the wire inside and tied a loose knot so it couldn’t come out. The knockout is simply too big for this.

5. I’m sure many people like me want a timer but your cover plate is for a single gang box. Perhaps just make some labels for the cover instead of printing? Your plate is really nice but useless for my installation.

6. I used the extra chain to support the duct. I used a 1/16 x 4″ x 24″ piece of ABS plastic between the chain and duct to spread the load and used the extra duct tape to keep the plastic bonded to the chain.

7. I found figure 7 a little confusing when I looked at the 45″ height since I could’t tell if you meant the top or bottom of the joist. A little math figured it out but I was hot and sweaty by then and normal patience was low. Perhaps a full side view and another looking straight at the fan?

8. I found it easier to first mount the box, then the fan per the drawing specs and then attach the ducting. Very easy that way and no risk of damaging the duct.

QUESTION…..I was thinking that removing the fan screen might cut noise and it’s there ONLY for safety but hey who’s in the attic? Is it needed for fan structural support? I would think not….

Anyway, thanks again for your great customer service. Andy was convincing and accurate on all details… Thanks!

Paul

Not in the LA area? Many other municipalities and utilities offer WHF rebates. Take a look at our blog covering the full list of rebates we have found so far:

http://blog.airscapefans.com/archives/new-whf-rebates

2. Program the remote transmitter by cycling the power to the WHF off and on (unplugging and plugging in the power cord) or by pressing remote reset button

- A red LED on the control board will begin to flash indicating that the control board is ready to mate with your remote transmitter

- Press any button on the hand held transmitter

- The red LED will blink off

- Your WHF is now ready to use

3. Repeat this process to program additional remote transmitters

(2) Wiring wall switch to auxiliary actuator terminal – Doing so will blow the AirScape circuit breaker and possibly damage the control board. Check out our blog “Correctly Wire Your Wall Switch”

(3) Switching the 110v power – So the AirScape plugs into an outlet …why not have that on a switch? First of all, doing so will not turn your unit on and off. All you will be doing is providing power to the actuator(s) and control board. By switching this power off you are eliminating the effect of having an automatic motorized damper door. This will cause you to lose the airtight seal that the closed door(s) create (one reason an AirScape is an AirScape) and allow conditioned air to escape to the attic.

(4) Installing the wall switch up side down – If the writing stamped on the metal is upside down, so is your switch.

(5) Installing the unit so the junction box is difficult to access – The more difficult it is to access your control board, the more challenging it will be to wire your wall switch.

The first challenging install in our series comes from Anker in California. We love this challenging install because of the way he overcame the low attic clearance and the collar beams you can see in the photos (Click photos to enlarge).

Anker’s challenge was to find a suitable damper box location that was free of electrical junction boxes but also did not have a collar beam above it. The next challenge was to find a location for the fan where the ductwork could be installed properly (90 degree bend and fully extended). In this attic the path of the duct and fan would have run into a collar beam. To overcome this Anker made a scale drawing of the attic and also laid out the ductwork on the ground to mock up the installation. His next step was to mount the damper box and then hang the fan. By hanging the fan before attaching the ductwork he was able to determine where it would fit best. The final step was to attach the ductwork to the damper box, feed it over a collar beam and attach it to the fan.

The advice Anker would give anyone doing this installation would be to:

Use a helper when hanging the fan (due to the weight)

Have an electrician wire the outlet

Pre-drill holes for attaching the duct to the fan collar



RELATED POSTS: Unique and Challenging Installs – introduction

All AirScape models, except the Kohilo 2.8, use low voltage controls (24 volt) to turn the unit on/off and switch between high and low speed. Never wire line voltage to your wall switch.

Run 18-22 gauge wire (x3) from the WHF to the wall switch location. Attach the 3 wires to the control board at the screw terminals COM RED, START BLK, and HI SPD BLU/WHT.

Connect the 3 wires to the wall switch (see below). We have pre-wired wire leads to the wall switch to indicate the wire locations. The wire leads correspond to the control board as follows: RED to COM RED, BLACK to START BLK, and WHITE to HI SPD BLU/WHT.

Related Posts: CORRECTLY WIRE YOUR WALL SWITCH