Belt Driven Vs Direct Drive Whole House Fan

That would be quiet but would look like a mess from outdoors.

Belt driven vs direct drive whole house fan.

It s balance or lack of balance actually which causes most of the noise. You have a fan a motor and maybe a coupling. Direct drive fans require fewer parts and thus usually less maintenance. Where on a belt drive fan the fan motor shaft has a pulley connected by a belt to a second pulley.

On a direct drive fan as implied by the name the fan propeller is connected directly to the shaft of the motor. On both direct drive and belt drive fans the motor has two bearings. Unlike the belt driven fans in case of a direct drive fan there is lesser energy loss. Direct drive fans have no power transmission loss since the propeller is directly connected to the motor shaft.

Belt drive fans have two additional bearings. The two bearings on direct drive fan motors which are 7 horsepower and larger are typically regreaseable. Unlike belt driven fans there s less energy loss because there s a reduced amount of friction as the fan operates. Direct drive fans should be designed for acceptable bearing life.

Direct drive models are the most do it yourself friendly because for most no attic joists need to be cut. Belt drive fans are quieter than direct but still noisy. 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. The second pulley is connected to a shaft that drives the fan propeller.

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. Greater efficiency is the biggest pro of direct drive fan configurations. Directive drive are louder but i think that will be the way to go for my mom s house basing on the information that you shared. This is because of the fact that the amount of friction is greatly reduced in case of this fan when the fan is operating.

It s incredibly hard to balance a belt and pulley system. Sizing a whole house fan. More often than not the maintenance cost of this kind of fan is also comparatively lower. Most whole house fans are relatively easy to install.

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. A well balanced direct drive is far quieter than belt.