I thought popping in a solar attic fan would be a quick win, but I learned the hard way about those gaps you mentioned. I didn’t even realize my attic hatch was basically a wind tunnel until last summer—felt like my AC was just cooling the neighborhood. Ended up crawling around with a caulk gun and some foam, sweating buckets. The fan does help now, but yeah, if you skip the sealing part, it’s just money out the window... literally.
- Seen this a lot—folks think the fan alone will fix attic heat, but air sealing is just as important.
- If you’ve got gaps around the hatch, light fixtures, or even old plumbing penetrations, that fan’s just pulling your cooled air right out.
- Quick checklist I use before any attic fan install:
- Weatherstrip the hatch (those foam strips are cheap and work)
- Hit every visible gap with caulk or spray foam—especially around wires and pipes
- Check for insulation gaps while you’re up there; sometimes it’s just pushed aside
- Noticed in older homes, especially pre-90s builds, the attic access is almost always leaky. Newer ones sometimes have a gasket already, but I still double-check.
- One thing I’ll add: if you’re in a humid area, watch out for moisture issues after sealing everything up tight. Sometimes you need to add a vapor barrier or check your soffit vents are clear so you don’t trap humidity.
- Had a client last year who skipped the sealing step—summer bills barely budged after installing two solar fans. Once we sealed up the attic hatch and a few can lights, their AC finally kept up and bills dropped noticeably.
- Not saying the fans aren’t worth it—they definitely help—but only if you treat the attic like part of your building envelope. Otherwise, yeah... might as well leave a window open all summer.
If anyone’s debating whether to DIY or hire out, honestly, sealing is usually more tedious than technical. Just takes patience and a willingness to get itchy from insulation dust...
I hear you on the air sealing, but I’ve seen plenty of folks go overboard and end up with a stuffy attic that starts sweating like it’s in a sauna. Sometimes, especially in older houses, you gotta let the space breathe a little or you’re just trading heat for mold. I’m all for plugging the big leaks—nobody wants to cool the neighborhood—but I’d still say a solar fan can make a noticeable dent even if your sealing job isn’t perfect. Just don’t block off every last vent chasing that “perfect envelope” or you might be calling me back for roof rot down the road...
