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Exhaust fan ideas

scoob8000

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Sep 18, 2014
Messages
146
Location
Western PA
So I've finally got my heater all hooked up but now I'm thinking ahead to summer. :)

I thought about doing a shutter type exhaust fan on the back wall to serve two purposes. Help cool down in the summer, or to **** and fumes from welding, grinding, painting, etc out.

But are any of those shutter type fans weather resistant? I also can't see most of the ones I've seen being very asthetic against my tan vinyl siding.


I don't have any windows, another thought was to add a window in which I could put a powerful fan in when needed.
 
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Ainsley

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Joined
Jun 12, 2014
Messages
557
Location
Ontario, Canada
You can see my exhaust fan in the back corner here:
wys1TIOl.jpg

It is a direct drive squirrel cage fan.

This is my ventilation control system:
3ChXIFnl.jpg

and the innards:
akGLRWul.jpg
 

soj

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Joined
Dec 3, 2007
Messages
729
Location
North Georgia
Interesting idea. Gonna have to do some more reading on that. Makes perfect sense, positive ventilation.

Still lost of ideas on what do to for louvers on the outside. Are most weather-proof?

The fan that I have has louvers. When installed as designed (blowing out) the louvers overlap when closed, so they shed water. I never had a problem with water getting in. When I pulled the fan out to turn it around, the dust in the fan showed no sign of ever being wet.

When I reversed the fan, I removed the shutters and mounted them on the intake side of the fan (now outside). But in this setup, the louvers overlap to the inside, so water will run inside even when the shutters are closed. I added a sheet metal hood over and down each side of the louvers to protect them from rain. With the hood, the shutters are not really necessary, but I kept them to keep out wasps and mud daubers.
jp
 

pseudorealityx

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Nov 10, 2009
Messages
999
Location
USA
If you get the shutters on the fan, it's "weather resistant", but that doesn't mean it's water tight in a storm or anything. Another option is a "weather hood", but that's not any prettier.

Another option would be to use an inline fan, and duct that to an exterior louver on exterior. Those can be had an a variety of finishes, or could be painted.
 
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DTE

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Jul 13, 2013
Messages
996
Location
North Carolina
I put on of these in my shop http://www.jdmfg.com/all-products/exhaust-fans/es-shutter-fan . From the ones I looked at " you get what you pay for " I bought the 24 inch model for about 250 and am pleased with what I got. The shutters are by no means air or weather tight . Bugs coming in will be a problem also. Mine is in a block wall so it is recessed and putting a screen and a weather tight door over the opening will solve the problems for my shop. From what I researched just a really good set of shutters would be over 300 so for 250 I was happy. They make a fan they call the Twister, I would have bought it except I had left a square opening . The Twister looks like it would seal real well.
 

finn

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Joined
Mar 27, 2005
Messages
16,227
Location
The UP, God's country
Funny this thread came out while I was at my shop sealing up the louvers on the ~21'X21" exhaust fan on my shop wall for the winter.

The overlapping louvres are relatively water resistant, but seem pretty inefficient at keeping warm air inside the shop.

Last February I could see light shining in through the fan on one of those -20 degree days. Not good for energy use.

I cut a piece of 2" thick foamboard to seal it up today.

Should help the heating bill at least a little.
 

DTE

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Joined
Jul 13, 2013
Messages
996
Location
North Carolina
Funny this thread came out while I was at my shop sealing up the louvers on the ~21'X21" exhaust fan on my shop wall for the winter.

The overlapping louvres are relatively water resistant, but seem pretty inefficient at keeping warm air inside the shop.

Last February I could see light shining in through the fan on one of those -20 degree days. Not good for energy use.

I cut a piece of 2" thick foamboard to seal it up today.

Should help the heating bill at least a little.

Mine is the same, without some type of covering it is just a huge air leak.
 
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S

scoob8000

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Sep 18, 2014
Messages
146
Location
Western PA
Kinda what I had figured for the mostpart about water resistance.

I'm seriously toying with the idea of adding a window or two. I originally didn't have any windows put in for privacy. Wasn't crazy about the idea of neighbors even knowing when I'm in there working at night.

But then I could put in a powerful window fan as needed. Plus a little natural light shining in during the day couldn't be a bad thing I guess.
 

volaredon

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Oct 7, 2012
Messages
1,618
Location
IL
I have 2 windows in my 30x36 garage,
one on west wall, which stands only 10 feet from my house and one on the north wall, at one time I had fans in both, have a fan in neither right now/ as I took them down so I could finish insulating and OSB sheating the walls. gonna leave them out for the winter.
The fan in the north wall I took down a couple years ago, the one on the west side had been in there for about 8 years and is a reversible one so I can swap flow direction depending on whether I want fresh air in or to vent fumes out.

As I was doing the insulation and sheating, I was noticing how weathered and deteriorated the bottom 2X4 (part of the wall framing for window opening) is getting.
Not yet "rotten" by any means, but definitely gray and you can tell it has been wet a bunch. I'm definitely gonna have to paint those and seal them up good so they don't deteriorate any farther. I tend to leave these windows open most of the time it is "T shirt weather" and only close them for winter.
I have a 3rd window opening framed out also on the north wall (my overhead doors are on the south end) but I cut what was left of this 3rd window frame, with my Sawzall and covered the hole with OSB, because of an in-shop "oops" that broke the glass.
When I built the garage I went with a cheaper single hung vinyl framed window being "just a garage" looking back and seeing that the glass could not very well be replaced separately (hence the complete removal, and replacement by the single piece of OSB) I wish now that I had bought better windows if only so I would not have to replace the whole unit just to replace the glass should it ever be needed again in the future.

I have a replacement double hung window here for that opening, just have not gotten around to popping it in. I found a deal on a closeout (mis ordered for another customer) on this double hung, a lot more expensive window, but I got it cheaper than I paid originally for the "cheap" windows that I originally put in there when I built it.
The east wall is solid, no doors/windows as I wasn't getting along with the neighbors over there when I built the garage so I figured that they didn't need to see anything I may be doing out there....
But with the 1 window and man-door on the west wall and even currently the 1 window on the north wall, ventilation seems plenty when working out there with the overhead doors shut. As things are now the windows are in diagonal opposite corners. I can turn on the reversible fan and open that other window and have plenty of ventilation. When I get that other window put back in the hole it will be that much better once again.

Look at garage sales, auctions etc for old school fans, mine have adjustable sliders and mount right to the garage framing over the windows. I got mine for no more than a couple of bucks a piece and still going strong after several years. one looks like 50s/60s the other one looks like it was probably made in the 70s, not the cheap Chinese junk the stores all have today.
I have a 3rd one of these laying in the attic that will go up over that 3rd window once I get around to replacing it.
 
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