Cool Attic CX1500 Gable Mount Power Attic Ventilator with 2.6-Amp 60-Hz Motor and 14-Inch Blade

It seems like most of the other reviews are pretty fair and accurate. I installed the fan without incident, and it worked fine. I can hear it turning on and off through the day, so the temp setting is working correctly. I haven't taken any precise measurements to be able to say how big a difference it's making, but it turns off and on through the day with it set to 100. In Florida in August that would tell me it's working pretty well! When I went up to check on it and make sure I didn't have any water stains from leaks, it was ALOT cooler than when I was installing it. It is true that the blades hit the housing pretty easily. The housing is just a steel tube, so it makes sense there is a bit of flex. When you mount it, take care to pull it into a shape that allows clearance all around. It's not that hard to do. The mounting brackets are slotted, so it's very easy to attach it loosely then make adjustments as needed. I don't find it loud at all. Maybe folks that are in a part of the country that doesn't require central A/C would not be used to the noise? Not sure! I can hear it running, but it's not even half as loud as my A/C's air handler when it's on, so I think it's reasonably quiet. That being said, it's not a precision balanced motor, so there definitely is some noise and vibration, I just think it's perfectly acceptable and within reason. If this lasts a while, then I'll be very pleased. I'm giving it 4 stars out of 5 because I think there is enough vibration that it won't last more than a year or two. (and I don't look forward to going into the attic to replace it!) If it proves me wrong, I'll raise it to 5 stars. Follow up 12/26/2012: Running just fine. No problems at all. Follow up 1/27/2015: Still running fine!

I’m very pleased with the fan. It seems very well built. It’s quiet and the thermostat works well. We’ve yet to see it perform in summer months but I’m assuming all will go as advertised. Out of the box I immediately noticed I would need to buy a suitable power supply cord to complete installation. The listing says “corded” which I interpreted as plug in ready. Not the case. The “cord” provided is 18” long metal cased. Containing the wires from the fan to the thermostat box. You are on your own to purchase a power supply cord. And to wire it in the thermostat box as well. Seems tricky. But not so much. I had never done anything like that before and I did it, so you can too. I also purchased a knock out box washer ring. I’m making that term up because I don’t know the technical name. But it’s a connecting metal washer set up that is placed in the thermostat box with pressure to prevent the power cord (you installed) from slipping out of the box and the wires disconnecting. You will also need to purchase a package of twist on wire connectors for safe wire to power cord connection. All said and done. It took about 30 minutes of doing and 2 trips to Ace Hardware. I spent about $20 in necessary extras. An electrician quoted me $200 to install, but she also encouraged me to watch a YouTube video and give it a shot. Which I did, but it is pretty straightforward. You may want to add a few screws for additional fan stability into the metal arms of the fan box. You’ll see what I mean once it’s installed and you test it. In addition to what comes in the box. You will need a power cord, 3 wire connectors and 2 small screws to attach the thermostat box to a stable (stud) location. You may also want to purchase the knock out box ring for peace of mind. Bottom line, it’s not as simple as advertised but still well worth the time, effort and extras. And if you’re a novice like me, you’ll feel great about yourself once it’s completed and working. It’s a good choice and good value.

I have had this attic fan in and working for about one month now. Overall, I would say it is a good quality fan that works well. I live in Southern California and do not have AC. I got this fan because my master bedroom faces West and on a warm day the bedroom gets really hot in the afternoon (80-85F) and stays hot (upper 70's) well past bedtime. I have the fan set to come on when the attic is 95F, and shut off when the attic cools to about 80F. So far it comes on early afternoon and shuts off early evening. We had a record cool July so it has been hard to say if this fan has helped. When we had a couple of hot days around 90-95F, the bedroom still got over 80F. But it seemed to cool off faster in the evening. So I think the fan helped get the retained heat out of the attic quicker, thus allowing the master bedroom to cool faster. Based on this, I am very happy I put this in. Installation was not bad. It's just a pain getting in the attic and getting everything set up to install the fan. The gable vent in my attic was undersized, so I had to rip that out and put in a larger one. That was probably the hardest thing to do. The installation of the fan was not bad. I had to mount one 2x4 under the fan to hold it at the correct height, and I had to bend one mounting bracket to make it a little smaller to fit in the gable space I was working with. Those were the only modifications that I had to do. But I had inspected my attic closely before hand, measured everything, and was sure what I had to do before I even ordered the fan. The instructions advise making a frame and using a cutout of masonite or plywood around the fan. I did not do that. The fan fit perfectly between two studs, the slanted roof frame, and the 2x4 I installed underneath the fan to hold it. Then I filled in the space around the fan housing and the studs and building wall gaps with expanding foam. So far, no problems with the installation. I rate this fan 4 out of 5. The only issue is you will definitely hear the fan run. The fan is mounted above my cathedral ceiling, just above one window in my master bedroom. You can hear it in the bedroom, especially if the window is open, but I do not find the noise to be objectionable like some of the other reviewers. It is not a quiet fan, but it does do the job, and is a good value.

First off, I'm a woman, and I was able to do most of this project myself. I live in a "Tri-level" home and the master bedroom faces west and never seems to cool down in the summer. I could have the AC set to 60 and my room would still be a pressure cooker. For the past 10 years I've tried several techniques to cool the upstairs without freezing out the 2 lower levels: Runing a swamp cooler, using box fans to push cool air upstairs, leaving the A/C fan set to "On" position, running ceiling fans all day, etc. Some of my neighors installed "turtles" in their attic, but didn't notice much difference. So I finally decided to install an attic fan and after doing lots of research, settled on this model. I have an 800 square foot attic that is probably around 2500 cubic feet. I mounted the fan on an old piece of chip board and screwed it to the inside of the gable, over my kids bedrooms, so that I wouldn't hear the noise if there were any. My friend ran the power, tapping into the line for the smoke detectors. He installed a switch so that I can override the fan without climbing into the attic and he also installed an attic light at the same time (I store my Christmas stuff up there). I ended up wiring the thermostat incorrectly so the fan was running continuously. I took a picture of my wiring job and emailed it to Alan at Ventamatic who quickly diagnosed my problem. In a few minutes I had it wired correctly and now the thermostat works perfectly. It makes a quiet hum when it's running, which I don't find annoying at all (and I'm really sensitive to noises). The day we got the fan running, the attic was 147 degrees (I put my oven thermometer up there and left the display hanging down from the access panel so I could monitor the temp throughout the day). Now the attic doesn't get much above 120 degrees on a 105 degree day. It stayed in the low 100s on a recent cloudy day. Before the fan, the ceiling in my bedroom would be warm to the touch. When I'd turn on the ceiling fan, I'd feel hot air blowing down on me. Now the ceiling is cool and the ceiling fan actually blows cool air! I can really notice the difference. The entire cost of the job (without the sweat equity) was under $100, including wiring, switches, etc. I should make that up in AC costs the first year. My experience with Alan in the customer service department was outstanding. I highly recommend this fan and this home improvement project for anyone who has oven-like attic space.

UPDATE 2023: Coming up on my 10th year of flawless operation so I bumped my rating from 4 to 5 stars. The price is currently nearly double what I paid back in 2013 but would still buy again if needed. Original 2013 review: I just needed a basic low capacity fan to replace the orig that finally died after 30 yrs and this seems to be pretty good for about 50 bucks. It is a bit loud but if you isolate the fan or the board you're likely mounting it on it decreases dramatically. Even though I don't notice it in the house you can still hear it outside, but since it only turns on during the day that isn't a problem for me. I only gave 4 stars but it can earn that 5th star by not failing for at least several years. After two weeks of use it turns on/off as expected and its certainly a lot cooler in that attic space and in the garage underneath it. Installation was straightforward and I didn't have a problem with the provided bolts as others have. If you look at the stock photo you will see the mounting tabs with the short side bolted to the lower holes right where the blades are. I mounted mine with the long part of the mounting tabs up the side of the fan and used the upper holes above the fan blades. The fan is just as sturdy and, frankly, the tabs would've extended beyond my mounting board had I done it like in the photo. To fit the existing gable opening my mounting board (1" scrap plywood) needed to be 26" x 26" but I chose to cut two 26" x 13" boards. I placed the fan over them butted together, traced the hole, then clamped the two halves together and cut a single half circle with a jig saw. The halves lined up perfectly and handling a half board at a time was easier than trying to mount a single large board. While we rarely access the area where this fan is I am concerned about not having a guard over the inside/intake side and so I'll be looking to build an inexpensive solution (something like ASIN: B00B5CNCV6) to provide that extra safety. Due to my other hobbies I usually have plenty misc nuts/bolts/wire/wood/etc around and they came in handy for this task. You will need (at minimum) small wire nuts, mounting screws for the thermostat box, screws to attach the fan to the mounting board, and screws to hang the mounting board. And don't forget to consider how you may want to isolate the unit. That could be as simple as weather stripping or purchase mounting isolators. You can always go back later to modify/improve the isolation as long as you have easy access to the unit as I do. I also chose to run a new wire from the junction box to the fan location and put an on/off switch by the entrance to the area to easily override the fan when needed.

Easy set up , moves air well and once mounted and thermostat attached, works on its own. If you dont want it running continuously at night and day , set temp on included thermostat higher then normally you would think. As attics are generally well above outside temps in summer. Overall working well A+++

I bought this unit in Spring 2009 and it is now in its 5th season. It rattled a little from the start and this has not changed, but is not audible once I close the attic entrance. I have never oiled it and could find no indication of how to lubricate it either in the instructions or on the unit itself. Still going strong and does the job nicely, cycling on and off and keeping attic temps to about 120 deg F. UPDATE. My wife noticed that the rattling was in fact louder this year, and audible from the backyard. Therefore I ordered a new identical unit and installed it in place of the old one. This took about an hour, unscrewing, unwiring the old unit and installing the new one. I noticed an oily substance on the old unit so perhaps it had begun leaking lubricant. The new unit doesn't rattle at all, just a "whoosh" from the air through the shutters. So I got 4 years of use out of the first unit, not bad at under $15/year. I don't know how this compares to other fans. UPADATE #2. After 2 years, the second unit froze up. I ordered a 3rd unit and installed it last week. It is working fine now, reasonably quiet as long as you follow the suggestions and add a layer of padding to avoid transmitting vibrations to the walls. I'm downgrading the star rating because this 3rd unit was a pain (literally) to install. The fan motor was mounted crookedly in the cylinder, so the blades brushed against one of the supports. I loosened the set screws and straightened the assembly, but there was no position that prevented contact between the fan blades and the supports. I had to use pliers to bend the blades a little so the fan could spin freely. I also got a nice cut on my hand from handling the sharp steel cylinder. If this 3rd unit only lasts 2 years again, then I will replace it with a different model.

I found this power gable vent fan on Amazon for the best price. It was very easy to install. I bought a 24" square piece of plywood at Home Depot and also ordered sound isolation washers to mount the fan to the plywood. I built a 22 1/2" frame with 2x4's to mount over the Gable vent, this frame allows the fan to stand about 2" from the vent and not touch the vent. I cut a hole in the plywood to match the diameter of the fan housing. Then with 1/4" x 2" bolts, washers and lock washers mounted the fan to the plywood. The sound isolation washers are between the plywood and the metal mounting brackets on the fan. I assembled all this in my basement and mounted the Thermostat box to the plywood as well. I mounted the 2x4 frame (using 3" drywall screws") to existing supports in attic, basically framing the existing gable vent. then I mounted the plywood/fan assembly to the frame. I ran an electrical line to a junction box that already existed in the attic. Additional materials that are needed: one 8' 2x4 for framing, one 24" square 1/2" plywood, 8 isolation washers, four 1/4" x 2" long bolts with nuts, 8 washers, 4 lock washers, 50' of electrical wire, wire restraint for the thermostat box. It's cold in Michigan so I have no way to test my installation until the attic heats up. My only concern is the instructions with the fan says to oil the motor occasionally and that there are ports on each side of the motor to add oil. There are a lot of holes in the motor housing but nothing that looks like a "port" and nothing is labeled. I will update when the weather gets warmer which seems like never... Updates 10/23/2013 well we survived a very hot summer and the fan works great I would say it helped reduce our cooling bill by 19% which is huge, so I am bumping my rating to 5 stars. You do need to be handy to install this thing but it is well worth it in my book.

if you need to pull air, this will do it. Too bad it doesn't come with a humidistat as well, that would be handy for winter/humid environments 2018 - 2023 update: Unit is finally showing signs of failing after constant use for 5 years. Started grinding and making loud noises, looks like the motor is failing. Added a humidistat back in 2019, haven’t had to touch it since, attic has zero moisture issues even with the rainforest surroundings we have. Will be purchasing again and doing direct replacement.

Works great, easy to install, good price, came quickly.

Efficient and quiet— my upstairs is liveable

Quality is mid-range, moves fair amount of air, but is noisy even with rubber mounts.

excellent product