You made no mention of converting the attic space into livable space, so that does not make sense to add it there. But if you have no intake, where is the ridge vent going to draw the air from? The attic runs hot. You will reverse the wires to make the fan blow INTO the attic as your intake. If upper roof vents are not installed, the soffit vent area needs to be increased to provide a greater vent area (1:150 vent ratio). What would you recommend? Worse yet, inadequate insulation is almost surely allowing moisture-laden air into your attic. Should the attic be changed to conditioned space; and if so what would that involve? If you have plenty of intake into the attic (usually via soffit vents), then your ridge vent should work well. This ventilation system is one that is typically used for those attics that really refuse to comply with more passive methods, so use this as a back up if you need a little push for something that is already existing. The attic ventilation system should also have exhaust vents located near the peak of the roof. A novice DIYer who learns about home ventilation. There are no soffit vents, so Im not sure what the intake design was; air seemed to just pass through from end to end. If you suspect asbestos, be sure to leave it and get it tested before deciding to go forward with the removal. If this is the case. We used to have a shrub in front of the gable so it could be from that. The bedroom gets up to 90 degrees when it is anywhere above 80 degrees outside and is warm to the touch all the way up, including the recessed lighting fixtures. Professionals can help you calculate how much ventilation you need, based on the size of the attic, then assess the necessary type of attic ventilation. I would start by adding soffits and letting it all completely dry out. On a small shed that size, a ridge vent wont make a difference compared to the existing gable vents. With a venting drip edge, you will likely only have to remove about an inch off the part of your roof that covers the rafters on your roof. If you go this route, you will need additional vents to allow the air to get OUT (I recommend you use static vents for this purpose). Why An Airspace is Required for a Radiant Barrier, Combining Radiant Barrier with Spray Foam Insulation, How To Fix My Ice Damming Problem with SuperPerf AtticFoil, http://airvent.com/stageit/images/installation_the_edge_vent.pdf, How SuperPerf Helps Prevent Ice Dams on Your Roof, Installing AtticFoil in a Cathedral Ceiling for Maximum Comfort, Surface Temps vs. Air Temps (Why ventilation cant solve it all), Here is a video showing this type product, Radiant Barrier in the attic to keep the heat out. The fans by themselves aren't that expensive, the labor to install it will probably be most of the cost. As the wind blows across the roof of your house, it sort of swoops up at the ridge and the ridge depressurizes and the air that's in the attic sort of gets sucked out at the ridge. Photos 1 - 6 show how it's done. Ridge vents work their best in combination with soffit vents. https://www.radiantbarrierguru.com/attic-ventilation-basic-tips/. The Code requires "cross ventilation". Even better, if you live in an area that is prone to lots of snow and ice, these are great options since they are protected by the shingle and are not directly exposed to the elements. Attic Fan: What Are the Pros and Cons of Installing One? These vents allow hot air to escape the attic as it rises to the peak of the roof. Without a continuous flow of outside air, the attic heat in the winter will melt ice and snow at the top of the roof, which will flow down and refreeze when it reaches the cooler bottom of the roof. Thanks. This is something you may have thought standard with most homes, but how can you ventilate without soffits? What is the best way to apply the radiant barrier and fanfold board to the rafters (which goes first against the rafters, radiant barrier or fanfold board), so that there is still circulation and no issues with moisture? This method is called positive pressure ventilation and should only be used as a last resort. After this, get the measurements for your attic and get to buying. You want to see which of these is going to work best for your attics particular personality and then move forward with purchasing. A roofer came by and suggested we put in ridge vents along entire attic which we did. Get help with your home improvement projects. . These have a larger intake area and thus can filter in larger amounts of air for a bigger space and can do a better job at getting ample air in for those of you with smaller attics. Then, add more insulation on the floor and cover it up with our SuperPerf AtticFoil. I had not heard of the single fan before as a solution. Virtually ALL houses can benefit from increased attic ventilation. Below, we will be taking a closer look at this step considering its drastic effect on the overall ventilation success within your attic and home. Since you are using asphalt shingles, you will have a new deck. See, here's how ridge and soffit vents work together. More info here: Basics of Attic Ventilation. So now the remaining attic only has a single gable vent with no intake. Attic fans generally range in the $100 to $400 range, depending on the quality and brand. Even new homes often don't have adequate ventilation!! I would discourage you from adding a fan to the section with the gable (never a good plan to mix passive and active vents in the same space) maybe just add another small vent in the same area. Greatly appreciate any thoughts. Take a look at this article I wrote about the basics of attic venting and see if that doesnt clear up some of the confusion: Attic Ventilation 101. Gable vents are great, but as far as construction goes, they can be a big undertaking. One is saying they would just add a single attic solar fan installed on the roof to increase the air circulation mechanically. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. Should I force external air in one and try to suck it out the other end? Hi Liz, my advice is to SEAL, SEAL, SEAL the ceiling/floor of the attic to not let/minimize any warm-moist getting into attic. I am getting mixed signals from those in the home building industry and the internet, some telling me not to install both gable vents and maxi roof vents as they conflict with each other in getting hot air out, some telling me just gable vents or just maxi roof vents. Attic ventilation helps draw hot air outside during the warmer months of the year, and reduces ice sheeting and ice dam build-up during the winter months. Once you have decided the type of insulation that you will be using, you want to rid your attic of any old existing insulation or make sure that what is there is working. In order to understand why attic ventilation is important to the safety and continued function of your home, it's necessary to grasp the basics of attic ventilation. An ice dam is a large mass of ice that builds on the edge of a roof. I dive into this topic more on this page: Surface Temps vs. Air Temps (Why ventilation cant solve it all). Move the flex tubing (from bathroom fan) to exit via a new hole a few feet below the existing gable vent. The only problem is there's no soffits in this house. ft. of ventilation area at the soffits. Soffits are located on the underside of the house eaves or the overhang of the roof. We waited another year and then added insulation from R7 to R38. I have a vaulted ceiling in a bedroom that terminates at the wall where the attic is. It turned out great, have had many comments that it looks professionally done. This is a huge energy waster that I discuss more in this article: Comfort and Energy Efficiency Tips. A dry, well-ventilated attic prevents mold from developing both inside the attic and in the living areas below. As far as I can tell, there are no soffit or other intake vents. Yes!!! This will allow air to come in under the edge of the shingles, and then enter the attic via a small slot/cut that is about 8 from the edge. Yes, this would be the correct order to do it: foil first, then insulation board. Rafter vents or insulation baffles, are typically installed in the spacing between rafters, creating a narrow gap that allows outside air to flow in from the soffit vents. Does this make sense and do you have any suggestions that would help? In a nutshell, yes, soffit vents prevent moisture from doing bad things to your home. Adding attic vents is a simple matter of cutting holes and installing vents. Ken, You can do this to get some air movement, but it sounds like this may not be enough. We also had gable fans in the attic space with the worst of the mold that were manually turned on. Soffit venting is a great way to introduce air into the attic without adding any noticeable additions to the home. If this is happening, your ventilation systems will then be working against you as they will pull all that warm air straight out of the attic and into the winter air. Let me spare you the headache, if you dont have soffits, dont install a ridge vent. Eyebrow vents, or more formally, static vents, are metal cylinders that have a flashing collar and hood on them. With the right wind speed, they do a fantastic job getting fresh air in and letting warm air out. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Learn more here. We also have a furnace and ductwork in our attic. The attic is BLAZING hot even on mild days, but I have airsealed and recently blown in insulation so the house is well-insulated. Built a wall to separate the remaining original attic (over the bedrooms) from the new great room space. I agree with the installers recommending passive roof vents lower down the roof (on both sides) so that air could enter closer to the bottom of the roof to then exit through the passive vents at the top. James, Based on your two considerations and knowing how ventilation works, option #1 is the best one of the two. Or. Is this a good plan? What is the fix for this heat? Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 13 years. Im wondering what to do? Due to their nature-reliant construction, they are super energy-efficient and can save you some serious money when it comes to your homes energy expenses. So with ridge vents you need 1/300th the area, or 800 / 300 = 2.67 square feet of vents. On inspection, there are 3 or 4 rectangular intake soffits feeding the vaulted ceiling from the outside, but the roof does not appear to have an exhaust (the two eyebrows on this roof feed from the attic that was sealed off). ft. of attic about living space. soffit vents and gable vents are able to . Your input would be appreciated. The key is having plenty of INTAKE air coming in lower, typically via the soffits. The vents are intended to allow cold air into the attic, reducing the temperature of the roof. They may seem like an eye-sore, but modern technology has afforded homeowners some very aesthetically pleasing options that wont distract from the beauty of your home, can blend in with your siding or brick, and work well to keep the attic ventilated. If I were to open them back up and install windows in similar locations would that work? No machinery is required for installation and it can be done quickly and easily without too much fuss. Injecting insulation into the drywall? Original (?) They work much like a box fan placed in a window on a hot summer day. We do have a few spots of mold on the ceiling above the door and above one of the windows, but it wipes right off the painted surface. By adding adequate ventilation, a homeowner can control the humidity under their roof, and the perforations in a soffit vent are perfect for this purpose. Here is a video showing this type product. Long term solution? Beware of adding a ridge vent without soffit vents (the worst) or soffit vents without a ridge vent (bad) or only gable-end vents (usually bad). He installed a ridge vent but we do not have any soffit vents, only a single gable edge vent ( in the top third if the gable). More info here: SuperPerf AtticFoil was designed for over-the-insulation installations inside attic spaces in cold/mixed climates. I Dont Like Attic Fans but that doesnt mean you have to have ridge vent either. We have 3 roof vents, 2 gable vents, a roof fan and a ridge vent. I am getting two suggestions from contractors for ways to add better air intake and I need your advice. I own an older home that does not have eaves ventilation and would be very difficult to have this ventilation added. Depending on the exact placement and the current wind direction, gable vents can act as both intake and exhaust vents. However, there is no daylight through the soffit vents when I look through them from inside the attic (with attic lights off). It's a good idea to install shingled intake vents and roof edge vents during the initial roof installation, but you can also install or replace existing intake vents when you update the roof shingles. Good idea or bad? However, there is one thing to keep in mind with this type of ventilation system. When the attic or roof heats up, the ice or snow on the roof melts. We are about to redo the roof, and I wanted to know if having gable vents alone would be sufficient for ventilation or should we add ridge vents and/or edge vents? Intake vents are typically positioned on the lowest parts of the roof, under the eaves, though your home may also have shingled intake vents installed on a lower part of the roof, or even gable vents installed high on the sides of the home. I have a cross-gable roof. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Without soffit vents, the ridge vents will draw air through other attic inlets, like a gable, but this will limit the air circulation in the attic. If a gable vent seems like too big of a commitment or undertaking, consider smaller eyebrow vents that are mounted low on the roof slow so they can act as intake vents. With this power though, comes a lot of electricity use, so keep this in mind when your electric bill increases. There are two gable vents but they are obstructed by a chimney. Five Common Causes of Poor Attic Venting. Attic ventilation not only keep you house cooler in the summer but keeps the shingles from reach those high temperatures that can cause early failures. You can even add it on top of an old shingled roof, so its easy to install and durable to work with. You can see an install here: How to Install AtticFoil in a Shed. Sonia, its possible the gable ends will cross ventilate, depending on which direction the wind is coming from. You have discovered that your attic needs a bit more ventilation, but you have run into a small problem: it does not even have any existing soffits. Id still recommend leaving a gap at the bottom of the install and at the peak of the roof, but even without ventilation, you will see a measurable drop in surface temps. from the roof's peak. You'd have to extend or actually reshingle the bottom layer of shingles at the edge. They can effectively pull the hot air out, but come with a tradeoff of higher electricity costs. Just keep an eye on things and try to crack the door open when possible. Or, should I suck air out both ends and allow the fans to suck conditioned air to provide ventilation? All are good alternatives if you cannot install soffit vents; however, a very important factor for good ventilation is good insulation. You can check if your attic needs better ventilation by touching the ceiling of the floor below on a hot day. We suspect that there is old fiberglass insulation between the roof and the ceiling. The low slope prevents me from using an edge vent. Thank you. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links. However, if the wind is a regularity, then this can be a highly effective solution. Ventilation is important and can help keep an attic dry and lower air temperatures, but not having any ventilation isnt the worst case scenario. Problem 2: Aluminum or vinyl soffits (eaves) installed over plywood soffits that don't have venting holes. Tom can help.. I believe the attic used to extend into the bedroom but was vaulted and the attic sealed off in a remodel. You do not see them and they work like a charm double points for you! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJZrJLiP3Pc, Install low gable vents located above the top level of the attic ceiling insulation. Ventilating attic spaces can help regulate temperatures in your living spaces. Adding airflow will help drop the air temps in the garage, so if you plan on using it to work in, that would be a good idea. We live in Philadelphia suburbs in a typical builder home built in 1983 of 2314 sq ft. We changed our roof 18 years ago when moving in and its time to replace it again with better performing shingles. They ended up using batts to insulate my rafters. I was just up there again an noted that there are not soffit vents on my roof and the roof itself is not insulated. We currently have two gable vents that are too high to create any airflow from the bottom up and strangely, we have a ridge vent even though we dont have soffits. Soffit vents are roof ventilation devices installed underneath the eaves of a roof that extend past the warm wall line. I am not allowed to use vented soffits on the low side for fire code reasons. They work great in the summers, but should not be used alone in the wintertime because they are not great with removing moisture- something that will dramatically change the overall effect of ventilation. However, I have to ask why youre adding r-value board to the rafters? Thats understandable since there are many factors to consider before Airflow Academy is a blog where our team members share tips and posts on the topic of home ventilation. However, if you are more like me, then hiring someone to do this for you would have been the most idealistic option. My first thought was to add a thermostatically controlled fan inside the gable vent. I have FOUR dormers mid-level of the attic, and a large fan, not used, with about a 3 ft by 2 ft area at end of attic that is positioned to move air out of the home. Use a passive system and you wont have issues with sucking air out of your home (or chimney). Since you are installing a new roof, your timing is perfect. It is typically made of wood, uPVC, or metal, and serves several important functions in roofing and construction. Id look at using some type of shingle over intake vent. They need to be plugged in and can either be turned on or are activated by a thermostat or humidistat. Can you increase the size of the gables so they can have more free area for the air to come in/go out? Thank you. For example, you can use ridge vents, mushroom cap vents, upper gable end vents/fans, high mounted attic fans, etc. The attic floor is also insulated. Evaluate Your Homes Target R-Value and Begin the Insulation Process. This characteristic also makes it extra great for attics that are difficult to get around in or in attics that have lots of gaps to be filled on top of existing insulation. Intake air is critical to maintaining a proper flow of air throughout the attic space. Remember, you want more entry points at the perimeter (bottom) edge of the roof than you want at the exit points at the top of the roof. You wont like the answer, but you probably need to take down the drywall and insulate the empty cavities. The upper portion is defined as: "Upper ventilation shall not be lower than 3' below the ridge or highest point of the roof. HomeShowRadio 7.29K subscribers Subscribe 38 Share 7.4K views 2 years ago Get help with your home improvement projects. Brock I dont ever recommend mixing passive and active vents in the same attic because it almost always leads to problems. Fully insulating conditioned sheds or buildings. Our attic had a big mold problem that was just remediated. Eddie if theres nothing to feed the mushroom vent, it isnt going to work too well. Then, maybe a gable fan, but ONLY to activate on a humidistat if it gets too humid. If youre willing to commit to this, this page shows you the best and easiest way to do it right: Insulating a cathedral ceiling for maximum comfort year-round. I had these and had to by plywood cut to close opening and seal it. Paul. If the home has soffit intake vents, then they will typically be individual vents that are spaced with one every few feet, or the home may have a continuous perforated soffit that runs the entire length of the eave. What is the best way to improve attic ventilation in my gable roof? For proper ventilation you need some air intake relatively low in the attic, or across from one another to get a cross-breeze action. Thanks! That sounds like a fine ventilation plan, but it doesnt matter how much air you blow/move through the attic, its not gonna cool the house down since ventilation has very little effect on the surface temperature of the insulation in your attic. Gable vents are not as horrifying as they sound. ft. of ventilation area Convert sq. 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