FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

While other whole house fan companies typically build their products from the same cheap generic parts available to anyone, we make it a point to be uniquely better. To do that, we spent years researching and testing all types of fan motors. We ultimately found that the German Engineered and Manufactured fans significantly out performed any other whole house fan motor on the market. Although these German made fans are more expensive, the performance and quality is far superior than any other fan available.

To help you better understand what a whole house fan is and how it works we’ve created this short video.

As long the joists in your attic are typical of most homes (16″ or 24″on-center) there is no framing required. You simply cut a hole in the ceiling (or vertical wall), install the mounting brackets, damper box and ceiling diffuser with a few screws. Then connect the ductwork and support the fan assembly to the rafters in the attic. Finally, plug the whole house fan into a standard electrical outlet and it’s installed! Installation is typically completed in about 90 minutes if theirs an electrical outlet near by.

The German engineered and manufactured fans that we use in our whole house fans are acoustically designed and precision balanced which makes for an exceptionally quiet and smooth operation. However, we took it one step further. Rather than use standard air conditioning ductwork with plastic lining, we use the more expensive sound absorbing acoustical ductwork, which absorbs both sound and vibration better than standard ductwork.

One of the unique benefits of a CentricAir whole house fan is the fact that we designed the receiver for the remote control, to be separate from the whole house fan. As a result, the whole house fan plugs into the receiver and the receiver plugs into a standard electrical outlet. Unlike other whole house fan companies that build their receiver into the whole house fan because it’s less expensive, we wanted to make sure that it was easy for our customers to replace the remote control incase there was ever a need.

Centric Air warrants the whole house fan and motor for 20 years from the original date of purchase against defects in material and workmanship under use as instructed by the user’s manual. All other components have a one year warranty. Customer satisfaction is our first priority. Although problems are extremely rare, we will do whatever is necessary to make sure the customer is happy with the product.

We have found websites that claim to provide whole house fan reviews and/or whole house fan ratings; however, they are typically assoicated with the company that makes the whole house fan they are reviewing.

As little as $0.02 to $0.04 per hour to operate, depending on where you live. Also, depending on the outside temperature, you may only need to operate the fan a few hours during the evening or at night to cool the entire home and allow you a great night’s sleep.

A whole house fan is a primary cooling device that can significantly reduce or even eliminate the need for air conditioning. Attic Fans are smaller fans mounted on the roof or gable of your home. They work on a thermostat and help hot air escape from the attic but have no direct impact on your living environment.

Most jobs are completed in approximately 90 minutes as long as you have an electrical outlet within the vicinity of the whole house fan.

We recommend customers consider purchasing the largest whole house fan that their home has the attic ventilation for. The larger the system the quicker the home will cool down. All or our whole house fans specify the required amount of attic ventilation. Feel free to contact us and we will gladly explain how you can determine how much attic ventilation you have. Our expert advice is always free.

The outstanding features of the German Engineered axial fan motors, which are manufactured by ebm-papst and are used in CentricAir whole house fans, are their low noise level and outstanding efficiency. Combined with GreenTech, the future-oriented EC Technology from ebm-papst, the axial fans become intelligent “energy-saving wonders.”

Opening two or more windows half way or more is recommended. Basically you should make it easy for the fan to pull in air. As for which windows to open, for general cooling you want to open windows far away from the fan to provide airflow to the whole house. Or, you can open windows in the areas you want cooled. For example, if the upstairs bedrooms are the warmest, then open the windows in those rooms only and close the down stairs windows.

We accept Visa, Discover and Master Card.

This can vary widely depending on what part of the country you are in. In our experience, most installers charge about 4 to 5 hours which includes travel to the home and installation

Extremely hot air gets trapped in your attic during hot summer days. Through the late afternoon and evening, air conditioning has the chore of battling this heat that is radiating into the home. Because hot air within the home rises to the highest levels and cool air sinks to the lowest levels, air conditioning is fighting a losing battle. Customers relying on A/C alone find that they end up with an extremely hot upper level and extremely cold lower level.

A whole house ventilation system is designed for areas of the country with cool evening temperatures. The whole house fan is mounted in the ceiling, which draws fresh and cool outside air in through open windows while forcing the hot indoor and attic air out through the roof vents. This cycle quickly creates a comfortable indoor environment, and most importantly, the whole house fan steadily draws heat out of the structure so you start the next day with a cool house; delaying or eliminating the need to run air conditioning.

From been in the industry for years, I have heard the same account from hundreds of people prior to installing a whole house ventilation system. It usually goes something like this, “In the evening I walk outside and find it’s cool and comfortable, but it’s still incredibly hot in my home.” Imagine replacing the hot, stagnant air that gets trapped in your home and attic with the cool air from outside. Whole home ventilation systems are designed specifically for this purpose in regions with cool evening temperatures and relatively low humidity. In addition, whole house fans do the job of cooling your home and keeping it comfortable for a fraction of the cost of air conditioning.

We do not recommend using a whole house fan thermostat. In order for the whole house fan to work properly the windows in the home must be open. If your fan turns on automatically without the windows being opened, it can pull air from your fireplace for example causing soot to stain your carpet or furniture. Since the cooling happens immediately, there is really no reason to run the whole house fan when you aren’t home.

A typical home has between two and six square feet of total attic ventilation, but each home is different. Contact us and we will gladly explain how you can determine how many feet of attic ventilation you have. Our expert advice is always free.