If humidity inside your home is making it unbearable, you can improve your situation and make life more comfortable while reducing the temperature — without needing to rely on a ducted HVAC system. Whether your home has central cooling or not, a whole house window fan is a smart choice if it’s often nicer outside your home than inside.
Plus, these simple and effective units are easy to install, easy to remove if necessary and come with an affordable price tag that’s surely within any homeowner’s budget.
On some days, running my whole house window fan is all that’s necessary to make my home comfortable — and sometimes it’s a great supplement to my other air conditioners and fans. No matter the temperature outside, when the humidity is high it feels better inside when I use this unit to clear out that staleness and stickiness.
Air King 9166 Whole House Window Fan Review
In fact, the one I installed in my home has been working great for years.
These kinds of units work very simply: they pull out hot, humid air and pull in dry, cool air. Of course, if the air outside is warmer or more humid than what’s already inside, this won’t do you any good. But during the times of the year when the mornings and evenings are cool in your area, one of these can be a true money saver. It can increase the comfort you feel inside your home while not using very much electricity.
You won’t need to run window units or your central system during milder weather when you have a good whole house window fan like this one.
The Air King 9166 isn’t a small machine by any means. It’s a big window exhaust fan that can powerfully pull out the hot air and bring in the cooler air. It gets a bit noisy at the highest speeds, but that’s just proof that it’s moving lots of air. At slower speeds, it still does a good job and is quiet enough to use while watching television or during a quiet dinner.
This particular model is more powerful than some other brands. In fact, the one I had before from another maker had to run most of the time. But when this one is running on high, you might not have to run it constantly. It can quickly exchange the air in your home, and that cuts down on your power usage.
Some of the older Air King whole house window fans had blades made of plastic, and, of course, those warped or even broke over time. The Air King 9166 is all metal, and that means better performance as well as a longer lifespan.
Like I said, mine has been running fine for years.
At the highest setting, there’s a bit of vibration, but putting in some weather-stripping and padding can cut down the noise if it bothers you. That worked for me.
I’ll admit that there are less expensive whole house exhaust fans on the market, but most of those have weaker motors and smaller blades, meaning you get less air exchange for every minute the device is on. There are also much more expensive and much more powerful models, but I’ve seen one of those installed in a friend’s shop and they’re just too powerful. In addition to requiring professional installation, they can even create a bit of a vacuum that’s unpleasant to live with.
That means this unit isn’t just a compromise in price. It’s genuinely the best out there, in my opinion. It’s better than my previous unit, easy to put in and works great. What more could you want?
Closing Comments
If you have a two story home, installation on the top floor may work best since hot air rises. Otherwise, install where there’s unrestricted air flow between the location and the rest of your home for maximum benefit. You don’t want to install in a room that’s often closed off or where cross-ventilation isn’t possible.
Getting the hot, humid air from your home is a smart idea whether you actually have an air conditioning system or not. A whole house window fan can replace an air conditioning system in mild weather and help supplement it by pulling out hot air before the system is engaged, effectively reducing the workload of the HVAC units.
Please don’t toss and turn in a hot bedroom or bake in a humid workshop when a window exhaust fan unit can make your whole house or a single crucial room more comfortable in a matter of minutes.
Mine works for me, and I think you’ll like the results you get too.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This site also participates in and links to other affiliate and advertising programs. When you click a link on this page or make a purchase after clicking a link, I may make some money.