ATTIC FAN INSTALLATION

It is easy to install solar attic fans if all you are doing is replacing old passive ventilation or obsolete electric fans. You just drop the new fan in the existing opening in your roof and you’re done. On the other hand, if you want to add additional ventilation, you might benefit from a quick and easy how to guide for the project. You’re going to find a list of tools and step by step instructions on how to install your new solar attic fans in this article.

First the tools list: claw hammer, pry bar to remove shingles, utility knife, reciprocating saw, drill/driver, and a caulk gun. You may want to pick up some decking screws and some roofing nails to finish the job.

Installing solar attic fans is easy even if you are starting from scratch. There are 12 easy steps. The first one may take you an hour to install, but each fan will get easier and quicker to do. Here are the steps:

- Crawl into your attic and mark the location for the fan between two rafters.
- Drive a nail through the exact center of the location for the fan. The nail is so you can find it from on top of the roof.
- Divide the diameter of the fan in half. Now cut a piece of string ½ longer than that number. Tie one end to the nail and the other to a piece of chalk. Now draw a circle on the roof and you will have the size hole you will need to clear free of shingle to cut your hole.
- Cut around your chalk outline with a utility knife.
- Pull the shingles and nails from within the area you just cut.
- Use your string and chalk again to mark the hole onto the wood of the roof once it is fully exposed.
- Use the reciprocating saw to cut the hole in your roof.
- Remove the shingles in the area of the hole to make room for the flashing on the fan.
- Put down a continuous bead of the roofing sealant provided with the fan. If none is included with the solar attic fan, then be sure to buy a tri-polymer roof cement so that you can be sure your roof will not leak around the new fan.
- Put the new fan in place over the opening and screw the flashing to the roof with the decking screws.
- Put a continuous bead of roof sealant around the flashing of the fan. This seals the area around it and keeps you from having a slow leak that will rot the wood around the new fan.
- The last step is to replace the shingles around the fan. This is where you need the roofing nails. Snug up as tight as possible. Use more sealant around the diameter of the new fan if you want.

Simple enough job for the do-it-yourself type. The most difficult thing is figuring out which Solar Attic Fans to buy. You can find the best quality solar products on http://www.SolarLightingPlanet.com. With warmer weather just around the corner, the time to install new attic fans is now.

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