Belt Drive Vs Direct Drive Whole House Fans

Unlike belt driven fans there s less energy loss because there s a reduced amount of friction as the fan operates.

Belt drive vs direct drive whole house fans.

Direct drive fans require fewer parts and thus usually less maintenance. Direct drive fans should be designed for acceptable bearing life. Summer is over and i am planning for the next summer. Is it better to get a directive or a belt driven whole house fan.

Unlike the belt driven fans in case of a direct drive fan there is lesser energy loss. Belt drive fans have two additional bearings. Direct drive models are the most do it yourself friendly because for most no attic joists need to be cut. The two bearings on direct drive fan motors which are 7 horsepower and larger are typically regreaseable.

In a direct drive configuration the fan motor that controls the movement of the fan blades is connected either to a shaft or fan axle. Belt drive whole house fans that use an integrated pulley system take longer to install but a belt drive unit provides for a smoother and quieter operation. Sponsored links 2 10 08 15 06 56 pm g. Thus the fan blades will rotate at the same speed as the motor rotates.

With a belt drive the fan speed can be easily raised or lowered but there is belt and bearing maintenance to consider with a belt drive there are 2 additional bearings. Greater efficiency is the biggest pro of direct drive fan configurations. That would be quiet but would look like a mess from outdoors. Where on a belt drive fan the fan motor shaft has a pulley connected by a belt to a second pulley.

This is because of the fact that the amount of friction is greatly reduced in case of this fan when the fan is operating. Belt drive fans are quieter than direct but still noisy. However a belt drive fan has power transmission loss due to the friction between the belt and sheaves and due to the drive shaft bearings. Direct drive fans have no power transmission loss since the propeller is directly connected to the motor shaft.

The second pulley is connected to a shaft that drives the fan propeller. On both direct drive and belt drive fans the motor has two bearings. When compared to belt drive fans which require belts sheaves and bushings direct drive is just plain simpler and maintenance folks tend to lean toward direct drive for daily maintenance. Direct drive vs belt.

Most whole house fans are relatively easy to install. It s not as powerful as some of the others we ve talked about but it s still a suitable choice if you re primarily concerned with. Basically the difference between this whole house fan version and some of the others on this list is that with the tpi belt drive whole house fan you re getting a much more compact portable unit. 4 296 received 2.

I fantasized building a small shack outside my house and setting the attic fan in the shack and running a duct up to the attic and through the same vent as an attic fan.