There is a rule of thumb that works well on most homes. For example, on a single story home we would recommend that one QC-1500 be installed per 500 square feet of living space. On a 2- story home, normally a QC-1500 for each bedroom, loft, den, or game room upstairs would be sufficient.

The size and type of your home determines how much air should be moved through it to provide the necessary air exchanges to cool in a timely manner. In other words, the larger your home is, the more air you need to replace, per minute, to cool and ventilate effectively.

The minimum square footage of attic venting, required by building codes, will usually permit these volumes of air to exchange efficiently.

Although one QC-1500 would make a difference in any home, the more air that is circulated per minute increases the cooling effect.

Each QC-1500 has to be installed in a location that has vented attic space directly above or immediately adjacent to it.

When a QC-1500 is installed in a room, it can still cool other areas of your home. When the door to the room is open, air can be circulated through any section of your home you desire. At the same time, the system is cooling the attic significantly. A cool attic means a cooler house.

Keeping these facts in mind, we usually recommend that the QC-1500’s be installed in bedrooms whenever possible. Bedroom doors are normally open until bedtime. This enables each QC-1500 to draw air through any other specific area of your home. You simply open windows where you want the most airflow at the time.

If you wish to close your door at bedtime, you will still enjoy a cool breeze while maintaining your privacy. You merely do this by opening the bedroom window. This can not be done with any other type whole house fan.

When choosing a bedroom, your goal is to create a draft across the occupants at bedtime. Therefore, you would want the bed in the room to be between the window and the QC-1500 whenever possible. Just inside the entry door of the bedroom is often a very good location.

If your master bedroom suite is downstairs, in a multi- level home, and there is no attic access available in that area, a QC-1500 could be installed upstairs in a hallway. This will allow you to cool the master suite, even if all the doors get closed upstairs. You could simply leave the master door open or ajar and the master bedroom window open, which would allow air to be drawn through it.

Now that you have determined in which areas you would like to install your QC-1500’s, it’s time to go into your attic to mark the exact location for each install from above.

You will need to take the cutout template, an awl or small screwdriver, and a light to see your way. Remember, only the framing members will support your weight, the ceiling material will not!

Before going up, get your bearings. Get a feel for where your chosen locations are in relation to the attic access, lights, vents, smoke detectors, etc.. This will help you find the correct locations faster. It is also helpful to have someone help you from below. They can help by tapping, or talking to you as you get to each location.

When you find a location, move the insulation away to get a clear view. Make sure the template fits between the framing, and there are no other obstructions in your chosen location. If there is a reason you can not use the exact spot, find a location in the area that does work. Place the template on the spot and mark it by making a hole through the center of the template through the drywall or plaster with your awl, or screwdriver.

(Repeat these steps at each location)
Once all locations are marked, move the insulation away and return below to the house. It’s now time to cut the holes at each air intake location.

Place the cutout template at each location making sure you have 2 inches of clearance all the way around it. The air grill that will be installed later is larger than the template. While holding the template in place, mark around it with a pencil. Using a keyhole saw, or similar device, cut out the hole.

(Repeat these steps at each location)
Once all the holes are cut, it’s time to get the system in the attic. Open and unpack each QC-1500. Make sure all parts are present. Most of the system comes pre-assembled. If your attic is spacious, you may wish to complete the assembly of each QC-1500 before taking them up. If your attic is shallow, or tight, you may wish to take the various parts to each location separately, and complete the assembly in the attic.

You will need to attach one end of the ducting to the motor head assembly.

It’s now time to hang the motor heads from the rafters. Your goal is to hang the motor head as far from the hole in the ceiling as possible, while making sure the other end of the duct will easily reach the hole.

Using the metal strapping attached to the motor head assembly, and the gray deck screws provided, hang the motor head from the rafters. Make sure the motor head is fairly level side to side. Again, make sure the ducting will reach the ceiling cut out with a little slack. You will need to secure the ducting from below later in these instructions.

Very important!
Remove the shipping tape and shipping blocks from the back draft dampers. Make sure the dampers will open and close easily and without obstruction. Also, make sure the fan blade spins freely. This is very important to system operation.

(Repeat these steps at each location)
Once all of the QC-1500’s are hung, it’s time to go below and install the ceiling grills at each intake location.

Look through the hole and make sure there are no kinks or twists in the ducting. Insert a ceiling box through the hole in the ceiling. While holding it in place, install the 4 black 13/8" drywall screws through the plaster ground flange. This will secure the box to the opening.

Remove ceiling grill and screws from it’s packaging. Center the grill over the ceiling box, install the white screws through the mounting holes in the grill at a slight angle into the plaster ground flange of the ceiling box. It might be easier to first pre-drill the holes in the flange with an 1/8" drill using the ceiling grill as a template. Be careful not to over-tighten. Carefully snug the edge of the grill to the drywall. Some ceiling surfaces are uneven and may cause a small gap to be present. This can easily be caulked later if excessive.

(Repeat these steps at each location)
Return to the attic and go to each location. Using the nylon straps and the pan head screws provided, support the duct to the framing. Make sure the motor head is still level and the dampers still close naturally. This will stabilize the entire assembly. Replace any insulation that was removed.

In this section we will discuss the various ways of controlling your QC-1500 system.

Every QC-1500 comes with a six foot long standard household three prong utility cord attached. You will need to have an electrical receptacle within six feet of each QC-1500 in your attic. These receptacles can be controlled in various ways.

Your controls can be as basic as standard household switches, or to multiple stacked switches and timers, or to wireless remote controls.

Our standard control package comes with a timer and a stacked switch array. This enables you to time and control which fans you want to run.

The standard system does require wiring to be installed in a wall below your attic. If you choose standard controls, you may need to have an electrician do the wiring for you.

In this section we will discuss the best way to operate your new cooling and ventilating system.

Although the QC-1500 system can be used to ventilate your home at any time of year, we’ll first discuss summertime cooling.

At anytime of day that it ‘s cooler outside than inside your home, the system will work effectively. In the summer, this normally happens between 5pm and 7pm

We recommend you start by cooling the area where you’re going to spend the most time when the system is initially turned on. In other words, create the coolest breeze where you are going to be. For example, in most family situations, the early evening is spent in the kitchen / family room area. Assuming this to be true, this is where you would start.

Begin by opening a window or two, in the area you are going to be spending your time. Then turn on your system. The cool outside air will immediately begin flowing from the window you have opened all the way through the house to the QC-1500’s. Go back to the windows you just opened. Adjust the amount you have them opened until you feel a strong breeze through each window. You will feel the air instantly begin to cool and freshen the area. The faster the air is rushing into the house, the more it will circulate, and the more it will be felt in the area. Opening a window too wide, or opening too many windows at one time will lessen the cooling breeze that you feel.

The air will flow through the house to where the QC-1500’s are located in each room. The cool breeze created by the system will be felt in the entire path, and will begin to cool the entire home, At the same time, it will be flushing out all the hot air in the attic, greatly reducing the temperature of the attic. An attic gets very hot during the day, and stays hot well into the night. This is the reason that your home stays warm in the evening and night, even after it cools down outside.

The air that is drawn in will then be circulated in your attic, cooling it dramatically. The hot air in the attic will be forced out through the venting, as discussed earlier. The combination of these two actions will make a significant difference in the temperature in your home, and the cost of cooling it.

As it gets later in the evening, and even cooler outside, you can begin to open windows in other areas. At bedtime, you can close all of the windows except the bedroom windows. This will provide each bedroom with a cool draft for as long as needed. If you installed a QC-1500 in the bedrooms as we recommended earlier, you can enjoy both the cool draft, and your privacy with the door closed.

We should also stress the values of ventilating. Many private and government studies show that the air in our homes is more polluted than the air outside. The QC-1500 system can greatly reduce this problem by removing the poor quality air, and replacing it with fresh, dryer air from outside. In the cooler months, you can provide ventilation without significantly cooling your home by using only one QC-1500 at a time. The QC-1500 system can also be used to eliminate pet odors, burned food smells, and smoke. Every home will benefit from using the QC-1500 system for cooling and ventilating all year round!!