DON'T Use Electric Attic Fans! Do This Instead To Cool Your Attic. NEW 2023 

I installed 2700 sq ft of perforated atticfoil over 5years ago and only took half a day to install it. All you need is a hand stapler and box cutter. I also installed an attic fan after that and loving that my AC goes on sometime after 2pm even if 100+ outside.

The reason I support this is what I did in a simple mobile home years ago,, I was poor and decided to put aluminum foil over cardboard and put in almost all windows , the foil rejected the sunlight's heat and the cardboard was insulation , it was like a ice box in there and reduced electric bill substantially

I just spent 1.5M completely restoring my MCM architecture childhood home. After putting on new decking, a used a product called Polarium, under the black architectural shingles. I happen to have (on both attics) a massive architectural soffit, that mimic the roofline. I foamed the entire house and put in low E 366 double pained, Argon filled windows. My attics were still hotter than I liked them to be. So yesterday, I put in the Remington solar fans with power adapters. I kid you not, they used to be unbearable to go into and humid, ( just one problem with living in the South). I just went up to see how they felt and it was night and day difference. I’m ordering the Wifi sensors, so I can check on both the heat and humidity. All I can say is, WOW, what a difference and for 1k for two fans, two power adapters and install. I can tell you, it was worth every penny. I would recommend this set up to everyone. It isn’t about the money but how much better the spaces feel.

I leave the attic door open in the garage and the garage door open a crack. Then it creates a nice draft into attic and comes out the vents

I have mid-roof vents and 2 solar fans. Just installed radiant barrier from you guys, of course leaving the vents open. Next step is bringing insulation up to snuff then my attic will be perfect.

You confirmed what my roofing contractor said. I was thinking fans and he suggested ridge vents.

I put in two wind turbines in the roof over the living area and one in the roof of the garage when I had my roof redone. They work great, especially the garage which used to get up to 120F in the summer. Yes I do keep my soffit vents clean, I have the old screen-style ones made of heavy-duty wire that are easy to clean with a soft bristle brush. I wouldn't use a radiant barrier as I have antennas in the attic and all that foil will block the signals and screw up the reception.

In regards to what you said about lack of air flow through the soffit vents causing excessive load on the attic fans, you are incorrect. A fan has less load when it is under a vacuum, because there is less air density for the blades to grab. That is why when you clog up the hose on a vacuum cleaner, you hear the motor speed increase. You may overheat the motor from lack of available airflow for cooling, but not because of increased load.

I like the attic foil idea. I'm putting in a gable fan in the 1914 Craftsman bungalo on th east side. There's a window with screen on the west side and a louvered vent in the peak on the north side. I have a great deal of large Oak and Catulpa providing good shade except for the middle of he day. Sunny days with no wind need some help too pull that hot air out. The foil will be interesting to see about knocking down the radiant heat. One convcern would be reflecting that radiant heat back up to the underside of the plywood decking, underlayment and shingles and causing excess heating of the roofing materials.

I bet those shingles will get super heated with attic foil installed and then shingles will have to be replaced. Shingles must be cooled as well

Very true about those soffit vent holes being cut too small. A subcontractor tried to do that to me. I complained and the contractor made them do it right. If you bought a house with soffit vents, check to see if the holes are cut correctly.

How does attic foil affect the shingled roof? I would think it would cause the the shingles to heat up further because the radient heat is being reflected back at them.

It would seem to me that the attic foil is not an insulator and the fact that it’s inside the attic seems worthless. The heat is already in the shingled and conducting into the attic area. The foil is not an insulator but a reflector and as such won’t do much in the attic away from the sun. Finally look at all the work you need to do in the attic. It’s a nightmare to work around the roof trusses. I’d love to see some real comparison data before I’d try this.

attic foil is great but youre moving in alot of moisture when you move in air! make sure you have enough exhaust so it can breathe

I have Gable Vents and plan to install soffit vents and baffles. I think with the Gable Vents, the electric fan will work well in my case as those do not get clogs really. Ideally, I'd do more but this foil stuff is kinda expensive for the area I'd need to cover...

Wow 😮 very informative

My attic fan keeps my attick a steady 95 degrees. It starts around 11 am and shots off 9 pm most days. Im in sw Florida

What about an inline fan with an inlet from the bathroom and an open inlet in the attic exhausting out an existing vent. Its quiet and you can have it on a timer or automation. This helps exchange inside air as well as cool the attic.

I have gable vents (very large vents) at both ends of my attic a attic fan will just move the air through my attic

Most houses have vents from the rear of the house to the front like above the garage. A fan pulls the cooler air for the rear and vents it out the front or vise versa. This means the attic is cooler, the A/C works a little less because the ducting is cooler.

I have a finished attic that is too hot in the summer. Do any of you have any suggestions for what I could do for a finished attic? (Two bedrooms, hallway, and small bathroom) I have central air, but no return vents in top floor. Any suggestions are appreciated.

1:13 is exactly how my roof looks but attic has no ventilation because turbines are too close to ridge vents, basically one becomes intake and the other exhaust, so it’s a loop at top of roof but little air actually gets pulled through soffits. My understanding is you should only use one or the other but not both at the same time

Seems this foil could also trap moisture from humidity(?).

I have a cold attic, so need a fan because my crappy insulation is letting hot air meet the cold air and it looks like someone took a garden hose to my attic ceiling.

How much do you charge per sq.feet of attic foil. My home is 2, 200 sq Ft.

I wish I had an attic but it doesn't exist in a mobile home. My next big project is going over the existing composition roof and get an air barrier and then insulation and finally a metal roof. We have to do something because we have been running 10 F above average temperatures. Just a few days ago I experimented with some old bubble wrap I had and screwed a sheet on the inside of my storage shed and I felt the difference. I am not recommending bubble wrap but just wanted to experiment and I could feel the difference. Working out the logistics of my big project for a DIY project is going to be put to a cooler time of the year. First we got flooded this winter and now we are baking in this hottest world heat wave on record. Wow, what a combination. By the way thank you for the information on the roof fan. Unfortunately I installed a small solar panel fan from Costco about 8 years ago and really haven't seen a difference. The section of the house where the solar fan is often is 10 degrees warmer and the side of the house that has the old fashioned roof fan is cooler by 10 degrees. I am not sure what exactly is happening but I have thermometers throughout the house and it is evident that the difference in the house temperatures are seen and felt.

We bought a home with a roof built over the original roof in Texas. How would I go about deciding on a vent system?

My south Florida roof is over 50 squares with standing room overhead height in the attic, and with a new architectural shingle roof. But this past summer the heat buildup was extraordinary. When I did the new roof I had the two electric fans taken out and had three passive goose neck exhausts put in, so I’m not sure if the increase in attic heat was due to the new exhaust system, the switch from cement tile to shingle, or that the world was burning up under a huge heat wave last summer. Now I’m not sure what I’m going to do because if next summer is anything like this past one I’m gonna be toast.

I live on the gulf coast. My house is Fortified Gold certified. My roof is sealed so it is not vented. No soffit and no peak vent. Will Radiant Foil still work in my situation?

How do you think your product would work on a garage door vs typical panel foam insularion?

Doesn't fresh air come in through open windows?

I can embrace the foil idea and see how it could be better than a fan. But will it keep heat in in the winter? (I'm thinking in terms of my small work shed -- 100 sq ft.)

I appreciate this advice.

Does this void warranty on new roof

Does Attic Foil cause an increase in roof temperature and humidity due to the lack of air flow?

Do you have a rep / installer in Phoenix AZ? What ought to be a fair price for materials and labour for a 1200 sq ft. house? Does the raidant barrier have to be totally sealed or does it still work "pretty good" if I do a sloppy install myself?

I have a home built with pre-made roof trusses.....when I get up into the attic it looks like a jungle-gym of beams and trusses that get in the way of any personal movement. Plus, my interior uses a lot of raised, peaked ceilings that also cause hard access to the attic area above these areas. So the question becomes.....how can you do this radiant foil barrier....especially if you are considering DIY ?

At my old house or my older sister of two lives are attic fan for some reason just stopped working when I was living there, maybe this is why

Looks like this will make it a lot easier to spot roof leaks inside the attic 😂

Won't it "burn" the roof, i.e. cause damage?

What about whole house fans?

I'm considering installing your product! I've checked and made sure that my eve vents are clear of debris. In my attic, which has a tall roof line of 15 feet, I have two electric fans installed at the top. I use the attic space, which is quite large, as a wood shop and storage area. There are cross members positioned at 12 feet high, extending from one side of the roof to the other. This is where the two fans are installed, placed above the cross members. I'm wondering if it would be better to put the foil on the cross members to keep the fans "inside" the area of air movement. Would this be the preferred setup? In this configuration, the fans would be pulling air from "inside" the roof/foil barrier. If keeping the fans in place is wise, would it make sense to have a couple of holes below the fans to allow air in the interior of the attic to be pulled out too? I can take pictures if that would help you understand better!

I had a ridge vent installed when I had my roof replaced. Does this mean I can have the electric fan removed? The roofer didn’t say anything about it. Thanks.

Can I just use attic foil in my attic without fiberglass insulation on the attic floor to keep the living room cooler?

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I live in a 1962 house and it has a huge attic fan in the hallway. When I use it, it seems like its so powerful it sucks the smell right of the the drain pipes. yuk. I had my roof recently replaced and those old school round spinning vents were removed. Now there's a narrow-- thingy-- running along the middle of the roof life that is suppose to be a new venting system? Sorry, I don't know the correct terminology. I want to install insulation soon but a big chunk of the ranch style attic has hardly any insulation and the conservation map for Texas says I should use R30-R49 but Home Depot didn't even have that. They had the R-19 but the map said that was for walls. Am I better off just getting radiant barrier? I live in SA TX. help.

I can understand the benefit for helping cool in the summer. Wouldn’t it also cause you to lose heating efficiency in the winter?

Would attic foil work with a whole house Fan blowing air into the attic

It makes problems with sweating ducts thr attic foil

Instead of nailing the problem let’s figure out a solution. Attic fans are essential.

You could fry eggs in my attic

This is not true, you are trying to sell your business in a inaccurate way, firs, reflecting material dos not reflect anything isf is not directly expose to the sun, you are under a roof, is not reflecting anything, insulation is 100 time better then that crap that you are selling, attic fan physically remove hot air that is continually created in the attic and the grill are rarely clogged, 99 per cent they are always clear and open, your stuff does not recirculating air is just there creating an incredible hot layer of heat in between you foil and the roof, so lets be honest your stuff does not work as well as a fan

You clearly dont live in texas... I would NEVER use a roof fan, I have a rectangular sized home and bought two wall attic fans and put one pulling air in and the one on the other end pushing air out. It gets to be like 150 + degrees in my attic in the Texas summers. I disagree with your opinion.

I mean you sell the attic foil so there’s that

Dont do it. The foil heats up the shingles and you will need to replace your roof. You’ve been warned

My house doesn't have ridge vents, but has gable vents. The roof is made of concrete tiles. Will the gable vents be enough to draw are from the attic?

I don't know if I agree with anything this guys says. Wind trubins. work except for when you need them on a hot no wind day. I would use a combination of a wind turbine and either power or solar venting. Putting foil in your attic seems like a bad idea for me. If your shingles is get up to 160 degrees on the top then the heat will go down and hit the foil and reflect back up onto your roof decking. Causing what us roofers called a double bake, thus it will dry out your roofing decking causing the roof deck to delimiate and dry rot.