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I strongly disagree on the setup with only one fan. Having only an exhaust fan in the room will draw nasty air in through cracks in the house's structure, possi

I strongly disagree on the setup with only one fan. Having only an exhaust fan in the room will draw nasty air in through cracks in the house's structure, possibly stuff with e.g. mold spores. My wife could never remember which way was which for our window fan; I could tell by smell when she had left it exhausting for more than an hour. If you have only one, set it to intake and leave another window open a bit (maybe like half the fan size). You can confirm that air is exiting that way by hanging some strips of tissue paper in it. Positive pressure (blowing in, from outdoors) is also the right thing to do if you are trying to keep smells from other rooms at bay. Whereas negative pressure (blowing out, to outdoors) is best to keep a smell confined to one room (e.g. this is how bathroom fans work).

m0rose 8y ago
Agreed. In my own experience, it's much more effective when cooling a room to pull the cool air in than to try to exhaust the hot air from the entire house so that cool air will eventually trickle into the room you're trying to cool. Changing from pushing the air out to pulling it in directly was an epiphany for me when I was younger and lead to many nights of better sleep. Even better, now that I own my own house, is a high powered fan in one window pushing the air out and another (lower-powered) fan in a different room pulling the air in with an additional window open. You can stand in front of the open window and feel the additional cool air streaming in. It's a beautiful thing.
- spdustin 8y ago
  In some zones, whole-house ventilation fans (which are installed in the ceiling below the attic) are excellent and efficient ways to cool and/or ventilate a house quickly—by exhausting the air in the living area of the house up and out through the passive vents in the attic. Open some windows, turn on the whole-house fan, and the air in the house is fully exchanged with fresh air from outside very quickly. It helps to reduce stale odors, bring in fresh air, reduce indoor allergens...also handy when you accidentally burn something in the oven. :)
  - mark212 8y ago
    I think the key there is to open the windows at a time when it’s cooler outside. Without sufficient openings to pull air in, the pressure differential is inefficient

m0rose 8y ago

Agreed. In my own experience, it's much more effective when cooling a room to pull the cool air in than to try to exhaust the hot air from the entire house so that cool air will eventually trickle into the room you're trying to cool. Changing from pushing the air out to pulling it in directly was an epiphany for me when I was younger and lead to many nights of better sleep. Even better, now that I own my own house, is a high powered fan in one window pushing the air out and another (lower-powered) fan in a different room pulling the air in with an additional window open. You can stand in front of the open window and feel the additional cool air streaming in. It's a beautiful thing.

spdustin 8y ago
In some zones, whole-house ventilation fans (which are installed in the ceiling below the attic) are excellent and efficient ways to cool and/or ventilate a house quickly—by exhausting the air in the living area of the house up and out through the passive vents in the attic. Open some windows, turn on the whole-house fan, and the air in the house is fully exchanged with fresh air from outside very quickly. It helps to reduce stale odors, bring in fresh air, reduce indoor allergens...also handy when you accidentally burn something in the oven. :)
- mark212 8y ago
  I think the key there is to open the windows at a time when it’s cooler outside. Without sufficient openings to pull air in, the pressure differential is inefficient