Is this a physics question? I don't know. [View all]

Though I recently told friends in another group that I'm dimming the lights for summer, my busiest season, something has come up that I need to ask about.

My whole-house attic fan just died. I count on it to delay the need for actual air conditioning, but it would cost me more to have an electrician replace the motor than it would to buy a new unit, which would also cost precious $.

As an, uh... uncommonly thrifty person, I've been thinking about buying one of those extra powerful barrel-type tornado floor fans, cutting out the need for an installer, but there's a question as to best placement. My house is 2-story with wide overhangs, so there's no problem about leaving all the upstairs windows open. Since I live alone except for 2 dogs and even sleep downstairs for various good reasons, a large fan on the floor would not be an undue inconvenience.

BUT the question arises, would it work better in the upstairs hallway, pointed in the same direction(s) or would it suck more air up from downstairs if I put it on the midway landing - pointed upstairs - where the stairs make a sharp right? And should I keep all the upstairs windows open but leave only one open downstairs? Would that create a stronger draft since no air will be going into the attic anymore?