solar attic fan Help
 

We recently are in process of selling our home and the inspection showed the attic solar fan needed to be replaced or fixed it was purchased by previous owner so not sure where they got it We are being told it would be anywhere from 400 to 600 to replace I am wondering would those fans be under warranty and any idea how we could get it fixed at a much more reasonable cost Thanks any help or recommendations would be appreciated

Since you aren't the original owner there would likely be no warranty unless you have the original receipt that says it is. Don't know if it would be "fixable" and you probably just need to have it replaced. Solar-Guys did ours and their warranty states "LIFETIME WARRANTY FOR LEAKS TO ORIGINAL OWNER". Doesn't seem to say what the actual fan warranty is but there are a number of exclusions most notable "original owner." Give 'em a call. You never know (assuming it is their fan they should have records by address).

Such a small item in the scheme of things for a six figure sale. Sell As-Is.

exactly

Just because the buyer's home inspector called it out doesn't mean that you have to fix it.

if the buyer makes a huge issue out of it and that craters the deal, they were looking for a way out

if they get hung up on it, knock a couple hundred off the price, as a concession, that's short money

If it doesn't work, you have to fix it. I would have a handyman see if it is something simple to fix. If not, I would try to negotiate a credit to the buyer, before replacing the fan. But, I wouldn't spend any money unless I had a firm sales contract in place. Home inspectors will always find something that needs to be fixed in a house.

Typically repairs found upon inspection that are 1 1/2% of the total purchase price must be repaired.

So, the question is who can repair the fan. Repairs in that location are not practical, just buy a new one.

That said the problem is a bad motor.

Thanks I found the number and showed them a picture and it is not one of theirs

I tried to do some biz with Solar Guys and when discussion turned to exactly what some of the terminology meant in the warranty the dancing started. I felt either they didn’t understand their own statements.

I would remove the fan entirely and leave it passive.

Studies have shown that attic fans do indeed reduce the temperature in the attic. They do this by pulling air conditioned air out of the conditioned space and in so doing, increase your energy bill, unless it's a solar fan that fail two years later.

A properly vented attic will work just fine without a powered fan.

If a buyer likes and is truly interested in buying your home then I doubt a small item like a attic fan is going to stop them.

Get a second opinion, we had a inspector telling us the same thing.
 

However it worked fine. Half of these inspectors do not know what they are doing.

The typical sales contract will require the seller to repair or replace the fan. So, removing it or doing nothing are not viable options. I think the best option is to negotiate a credit to the buyer, if that can be done. However, when listing a house for sale, the seller should identify, in the listing, any mechanical or electrical equipment that is non-functional, and any other defects that the seller is not willing to repair. A good real estate agent will ask the seller for this information when preparing the listing offer.

If these Solar Guys are as great as some people say they are, why can't they send someone over and recommend a solution with a written cost proposal?

I have a solar fan that I used less than a year. If you are interested, I will sell it to you for $150 but you will need to have someone install.

Agree. We had two installed and find they are actually counterproductive. Or get a quote from Solar Guys for replacement or removal and then offer a credit for half the cost.