Attic Fan Won't Stop Running

Of course, I wanted to let you know I love your show! You have taught me a lot and I have stopped the leaking in my basement with slope and drainage 🙂 I bought my first home December 2009, I don’t think the attic fan has stopped running yet. I went in the attic adjusted the temp to 110 (it was at 60), but this fan also has a humidity control, what should this setting be? I turned it up to withstand a higher level, but it’s still running. Should I be concerned my attic is that humid, or should I completely turn off the humidity setting because it’s not really needed? Thank you for your time, Francesca Yakima, wa

Our Answer

Francesca, First, thanks for the kind words and I'm glad you enjoy our show. As for your attic fan, my advice is to disconnect it! Here's why, attic fans are seldom the most efficient way to vent an attic. The problem is that they will pull air not only from the attic, but also from your house, where they'll steal air conditioned or, in your case, even heated air making it most costly to heat or cool your living space. Read more about why attic fans are a bad idea in my post on attic ventilation.
Plus, I can’t imagine why the fan has a humidity control. It’s not like you can effectively pull humidity out of the house that way. And this could also be dangerous. If that fan came on during the heating season (think cold, DAMP day) it could depressurize the house and drawn combustion gas from the furnace into the house instead of letting it go up the chimney.
The best solution is to add a continuous ridge and soffit ventilation system. Installed correctly, this will vent heat in the summer and moisture in the winter, delivering a truly 24/7/365 solution to all your attic ventilation issues.