Originally posted by: alien42
1 box fan blowing out a window at one end or side of the house and an open window on the other side (where you are) will cycle air through the entire space between the open windows and worker wonders like an attic fan
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
you shoulda gotten a cheap window fan. they wedge nicely in a partially opened window and have baffles to close off any extra space. then u can set either of the two fans to exhaust or intake.. works great for nights when the air gets cool. suck cool air straight into rooms. about 20 dollars. normal fans that don't fit into windows..bleh, inefficient, mostly blowing around hot air.
These are on the right track. Any air being drawn in, has to be able to go out somewhere. That's assuming you're using a fan in a window, rather than the "circular Vornado fan" you bought. That thing is just blowing hot air around.
I used to capture the cool air at night, then shut the windows when the outside air started to get hot. If your house is directly in the sun, that won't last too long. Best you can do after the house starts to heat up, is bring the inside temperature down to the same as the outdoor temp. You can do it with a
Whole House Window Fan mounted in an upstairs window. Close all the windows in the house, but that one and the casement windows in the basement. Open the door to the basement staircase as well. This will draw air into the basement, which will keep it fresh & dry. The cool air from the basement will travel up through the rest of the house, cooling it. The hot air in the upstairs will eventually be replaced by this cooler air. This fan can be controlled by a thermostat, so it's not constantly on. They do draw a lot of power, which is why it's best to only use one.
If you don't have a basement and/or upstairs, just put the fan on one end of the house, and open one window or two on the far end. That will circulate air through the entire house, not just the area where the fan is.