I started bright and early on installation of our new solar attic fan. I wanted to get it done before the heat of the day set in.
The first thing I had to do was remove the cover of the old fan. While I do not have any pictures of it, it entailed removing some shingles and prying it off the roof.
I then had to replace those shingles I had to remove to prepare the hole for the fan.
As you can see, the top half of the hole has been removed completely of shingles and roofing felt. I then used my reciprocating saw and pry bar to loosen and remove any nails in the vicinity of where the flashing of the unit goes (underneath the shingles).
Now it was time for some test fitting.
As you can see, the bottom half of the flashing is above the singles. This is how the instructions said to install. It took a few times, but we finally got it. The major pain was the fact that the fan is so close to the peak of the roof.
I then applied some roofing sealant, some call it tar to the underside of the flashing from the 9 o’clock to the 3 o’clock positions. I ran 2 beads of it for an extra layer of protection. I then slid it right back to the same spot.
I then nailed the unit in place as the installation instructions recommended. Then I applied roofing sealant to the areas where I nailed the fan into place.
That’s it! It was running before I even had it fully installed.
I was very surprised that it only took me about 2 and a half hours to fully install this fan. I dread any work on a roof, but this went as smooth as can be.
Many thanks goes to my dad for helping me with this one. It’s much easier to pass things from ground level to a roof with another person.
Now hopefully our attic will stay cooler, our energy bills will be lower, and we will have no leaks.
The next solar project we are discussing is water heating. It’s hard to decide on what type of system to decide on.