Basement Window Exhaust Fan

Looking for a fast, inexpensive way to improve the air quality in your basement shop? Then we think you'll like this idea. Our setup allows you easy access to the sliding window in front of the fan, and it doesn't block light like a fan with a plywood support would.

To build the support, we used hardware-store 5/8" aluminum U-channel screwed to our existing metal basement window frame. We pop-riveted the 12" guard-mounted exhaust fan (available from Miller Hardware, Des Moines, IA 515/283-1724) to two strips of 1/8x3/4" aluminum that in turn were riveted to the U-channel. The size of the fan will depend upon your window size. Our 12" fan with 1/30 horsepower delivers 700 cfm and has a totally enclosed motor suitable for dusty environments.

WARNING: Do not use the exhaust fan in an area where pushing air out of the workshop room can reverse the flow of the chimney for the furnace and possibly bring exhaust gases into the house. The structure we used the fan in was warmed with electric heat and didn't require such a precaution.