installation

IP address reservation

UPDATE: The controls referenced below are currently only available as an upgrade on Sierra units. For more information please call us at 866.448.4187.

This applies to our 2nd Generation controls (shipping with 3.5eWHF and 4.4eWHF models as of July 2012) that are connected to a home network (LAN).

Every device that communicates with an IP (internet protocol) network will have an IP address (local area network addresses will often be something like 192.168.xxx.xxx) and a MAC address. MAC addresses are the serial numbers of the internet and are registered with the IEEE (institute of electrical and electronics engineers). AirScape has a block of MAC addresses that will always be of the form 60:CB:FB:xx:xx:xx . This makes it very easy to find and identify your AirScape whole house fan when it’s on your network.

The AirScape control board gets its IP address from your router through a process called DHCP (dynamic host control protocol).  When your router senses that a new device is connected, it assigns an IP address to that device. (It know that the device is ‘new” by its MAC address – every MAC address is different).

Now, here is the whole point of the IP address reservation. A DHCP assigned IP address can and will change, but we want a fixed address.  The IP address reservation provides the best of both worlds. There is no IP address configuration at the device. The router will recognize that device by its MAC address and then assign it the same IP address each time.

The following example and screenshots are of a D-link DIR-825 router.

Note the AirScape MAC address

It’s marked on the electrical box cover and in this case, it’s 60:CB:FB:00:00:17

Add DHCP Reservation

We can pick any IP address within the LAN range (192.168.0.1 to 192.168.10.255) with the exception of already used addresses. In this case, we are selecting 192.168.0.13

Confirm DHCP Reservation

 Confirm Web Server Operation

Enter the IP address ( 192.168.0.13) into your browser – computer or smartphone.

How to Install and Program an AirScape LCF Remote Control

***** NOTE: THIS POST ONLY APPLIES TO THE LCF VERSION OF THE REMOTE CONTROL ******

1. Plug the remote antenna into the control board 4-pin connection

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

TOP 5 – Common Installation Errors

(1) Forgetting your attic gets hot in the summer – Buy and install your unit in the fall, winter, or spring when your attic isn’t 150 degrees

(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.

Unique and Challenging Installs – #1

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

How to Wire the Wall Switch

NOTE: This post does not apply to the Kohilo 2.8

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

TOP 5 – Things to consider before installing your WHF

(1) Sizing – Size is important when it comes to a whole house fan since air movement is what will be cooling your home. You want to move just enough cool air to grab heat as it radiates out of the building materials. If you don’t move enough air the heat will radiate faster than it can be removed. Check out our Sizing Calculator to determine which WHF is right for your home

(2) Attic venting – The whole house fan will be forcing air into the attic….. it needs a way to escape. If you don’t have enough attic venting the performance of your WHF will be reduced. This is because the majority of its work will be put towards pushing air out of the attic instead of pulling fresh air in through your open windows. Each AirScape model has a certain amount of venting required so it can operate optimally. Use our Attic Venting Calculator to determine how much venting you have.

(3) Location – Is important. Ideally you would install the WHF at the center of the house at the highest point. If your home was a two-story square building with equal window distribution you would mount the unit in center of the attic floor, enabling you to open all windows equally to achieve even cooling. Offsetting the unit one direction or another will change how you open windows. This is not an exact science and will take some trial and error to determine how best to open windows to optimize the cooling in your home.

(4) Attic clearance – Not all attics are created equally. It is a good idea to determine the amount of attic clearance before purchasing an AirScape. All of our models have different clearance requirement. Check out the installation manuals for exact install dimensions.

(5) Power – Is there power in your attic? Every AirScape model comes with a ten foot power cord which we recommend plugging into an outlet instead of hard wiring. You should also take into consideration the amp requirements for the AirScape you are installing.