[village dreamer]

is it worth it to have a solar fan installed? will it cool off my garage a little? how long will it last.

[retiredguy123]

I think an attic fan will ventilate and help to lower the temperature in your attic, and may slightly reduce your electric bill. But, I don't think you will notice any difference in the garage temperature.

[Altavia]

Not solar but this works well for exchanging air in the garage

GF-14 Garage Fan Cooling And Ventilation System

[retiredguy123]

I don't understand how exchanging air in the garage will reduce the temperature. I have a neighbor who installed garage door vents and an exhaust fan. He told me that it didn't do anything, so he just turned it off. I would want a temperature reduction guarantee before paying someone to install this type of system.

[Altavia]

True, it can't drop the temperature lower than outside air. I ran it at night but shut it off in the morning.

Also best to pull the intake air from a shaded area, not off the concrete drive on the south and west side.

Probably more important to have a reflective barrier and insulation above in the attic.

[graciegirl]

No. I haven't EVER heard that a solar fan cools the garage.

[Toymeister]

In terms of air movement, you are better off with an electric fan vice solar.

I have technology in my smart home which collects data on when the fans run and for how long. The common myths are electric fans are expensive or ineffective..

If you need factual details, I can provide those, such as run times, cost of power, the difference between different models, etcetera.

[billethkid]

We have ceiling fans in every room in the house including the garage....they all run 24/7.

Does not reduce garage temperature...maybe hinders how warm it does get. During hottest part of the day the garage is usually between 85-90.

The key is what temp is the air moved into/out of the garage.

[vintageogauge]

We have the attic fan and garage door vents, made only a little difference in the garage during the day but it does pull the hot air out in the evening replacing it with cooler air. I also put the Owens Corning insulation kits on the garage doors, that made a noticeable difference and also eliminated the noise when opening the garage doors.

[Tom C]

We too have an insulated garage door, garage door vents and an exhaust fan that is on a timer (like a bathroom exhaust fan). These were in the house when we purchased. I assumed it was to address the heat generated by cars being operated, then parked in the garage when you get home? Or.. the prior owner had two Teslas, so I thought that the heat generated when charging of those cars may need some ventilation (one dedicated charging circuit is 220V 50 A and the second is 220V 80 A - I’l bet that made the meter spin!).

The idea of running the exhaust fan makes sense to me in the evening, but only if I am going to be out there, otherwise it cools off by morning on it’s own.

[Altavia]

Toymeister, I'd be interested to learn more from you once I'm transplanted.

I use one a WiFi smart plug to control my vented fan. With the app, you can set it to turn on at sundown and off at sunrise. Or of course control it anytime via the app. There are many options, wired or plug-in, I use this one.

Kasa Smart WiFi Plug Lite by TP-Link (2-Pack) -10 Amp & Reliable Wifi Connection, Compact Design, No Hub Required, Works With Alexa Echo & Google Assistant (HS103P2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B8W2KHZ..._6zBqDbDCE498X

You need a decent wifi signal at that location for it to work.

These are great for things like Xmas lights also.

[Toymeister]

Originally Posted by Robbie0723

Toymeister, I'd be interested to learn more from you once I'm transplanted.

I'll give you the answer now in three parts:

The hours and time the fans run

The cost of operation and how the fan choice impacts the operate cost

How you can use this data relative to solar fans

I operate the fan by remote bulb thermostat. On at 120 degrees off at 117.

It operated 49 hours in July
34 June
59 May
April to November no operation
30 October
28 September
60 August

The attic temp has a delayed effect. It gets hot after solar noon and cools rapidly with any rainfall. The typical start time is 1:00 pm and runs 3-4 hours, the fan cools it fairly quickly.

[Toymeister]

There are several types of motors, some are efficent, others are not. They vary in cost to manufacture. As you guessed the cheap motors use more electricity. The attic can at Lowe's or the garage fan already mentioned use 372 watts while this fan is designed to be efficient at 110 watts https://www.amazon.com/QuietCool-QC-...gateway&sr=8-3

The cost difference annually is 7.47 vs. 11.97 current SECO rates, if you operate it as I do.

[Toymeister]

How does this apply to solar?

First, it runs six months that you don't need it.

Second, solar panels which operate the fan, 100% speed (air movement) at 100% Sun but less than 80%at 80% sun or any other sunlight percentage/air movement ratio. So as the peak solar generation hours pass you need your fan but it isn't operating at 100%

Third. solar fans are more expensive

Fourth. Electric fans are cheap to operate

Fitth, Solar fans inflate how much air the move. Think about it solar fan firms claim that a solar fan driven by 20 watts moves as much of more than the most efficient electric fan at five times the wattage.

[village dreamer]

Originally Posted by Toymeister

How does this apply to solar?

First, it runs six months that you don't need it.

Second, solar panels which operate the fan, 100% speed (air movement) at 100% Sun but less than 80%at 80% sun or any other percentage/wife movement ratio. So as the peak solar generation hours pass you need your can but it isn't operating at 100%

Third. solar fans are more expensive

Fourth. Electric fans are cheap to operate

Fitth, Solar fans inflate how much air the move. Think about it solar fan firms claim that a solar fan driven by 20 watts moves as much of more than the most efficient electric fan at five times the wattage.

so , as far as a solar fan goes. its not worth it. that was what I was thinking.