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. If the attic is separated or segmented, each separate section should be ventilated. However, if your attic has blocked soffit vents and is not well-sealed from the rest of the house, attic fans will suck cool conditioned air up out of the house and into the attic. 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. . 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. We are moving quickly to replace the 1950s Balsam Wool insulation (maybe R2 value) with new fiberglass and heat shield foil on attic floor and then replacing the three-tab roof with GAF architectural shingles, probably black. Passive vents will work great with a ridge vent! More info here: How much cooler can I expect my attic to be after Ive installed AtticFoil radiant barrier? So we did. You made no mention of converting the attic space into livable space, so that does not make sense to add it there. If you block the vents, the heat in the attic will warm the roof, causing any snow to melt. Ridge vents work their best in combination with soffit vents. 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. Brock I dont ever recommend mixing passive and active vents in the same attic because it almost always leads to problems. To ventilate your attic without soffits you can use gable vents, eyebrow vents, a venting drip edge, a shingle-over intake vent, wind turbines, or power vents. When it reaches its dew point it will change from vapor to condensation. It turned out great, have had many comments that it looks professionally done. Being in Houston, I definitely would recommend you install AtticFoil in the shed to make it much cooler in summer. The openings in the material should be no less than 1/16 inch and no more than 1/4 inch. Gable vents are not as horrifying as they sound. You can see an install here: How to Install AtticFoil in a Shed. With this being the case, not all of us (aka me) can afford such a life-changing thing. I ran into an excessive amount of ice damming this year with my property. For some homes, you could try adding vents to a porch ceiling that could act like a soffit and feed the attic. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. What is the fix for this heat? The home currently has 1, 1215 rectangular gable vent per side of the home and a couple of small mushroom type roof vents. Short of me removing all the wonderful soffit work I did, is there anything I can do? Please HELP!! We are in Houston, so often hot and humid weather. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links. A roofer came by and suggested we put in ridge vents along entire attic which we did. There are other reasons a homeowner would want to install soffit vents. Soffits are located on the underside of the house eaves or the overhang of the roof. So if you did want to ventilate an attic, you could use a type of vent called a drip-edge vent, which would require a little bit of carpentry. After you have removed the inch, simply attach the drip edge and you are in business. Powered attic vents, also known as powered attic ventilators or attic power vents, are electric-propelled fans that help pull stale air out of an attic space. Should I be installing an electric fan? I will eventually insulate under the roof deck as well as insulate and air-seal the attic floor. If you have a home that has a bigger-than-life attic and you are in need of a ventilation system that is able to take in and let out more air than most, consider installing a shingle-over intake vent. Ventilation openings should open directly to the outside air. If I were to open them back up and install windows in similar locations would that work? 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. The Code requires "cross ventilation". Thanks. Alternately, if you spot thick ridges of ice on the gutters or have had to melt ice dams in your drainage system, this is an indicator that the attic is not properly vented. Started smelling fumes in the basement. You can check if your attic needs better ventilation by touching the ceiling of the floor below on a hot day. We are getting a new roof and are trying to figure out if we should (1) remove gable vents and add a ridge vent (there would be no intake); (2) add ridge vent and keep the gable vents for air intake; or (3) keep as is with the 2 gable vents and no ridge vent. Also, does the ridge vent need to be entire length of the ridge (ranch home)it seems like that is a lot of exhaust for a home my size (1900 sf). Because hot air rises, if you have an improperly insulated attic, that hot air is able to escape through the attic and thus, out of your home. All code-compliant houses with attics will already have some attic ventilation, but it's always a good idea to expand upon minimum venting requirements to keep your house in top condition for the long term. Photo 1: Mark attic roof air vent locations. 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? Ventilation is important and can help keep an attic dry and lower air temperatures, but not having any ventilation isnt the worst case scenario. Air from the soffit cycles to the vents to draw heat and moisture away from the house. If you want to bulk up your r-value, you should add it to the attic floor, where you already have r-value or else omit the board all together. An experienced roofer should be able to help you make a plan. Normal vented air likes to enter the attic lower down (near the bottom third of the attic ) and as it passes through, it will exit higher up near the top third of the attic space. After reading your articles I understand the necessity to install the soffits and probably disconnect the fan but would love to have your opinion . Once this is done, suit up in appropriate protective gear and get to insulating. Plus, roofing and attic ventilation systems can protect homes from the expensive roof and structural damage caused by trapped heat, ice dams, moisture and mold. We also have a furnace and ductwork in our attic. Or, should I suck air out both ends and allow the fans to suck conditioned air to provide ventilation? Its a non-conditioned space. Here's how to calculate the amount of venting you need when using a product with a theoretical rating of 9 NFVA per ft. Find total ventilation area. Does this make sense and do you have any suggestions that would help? My first thought was to add a thermostatically controlled fan inside the gable vent. 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. We cant add baffles as there are no soffit gables. This is a huge energy waster that I discuss more in this article: Comfort and Energy Efficiency Tips. ft. of ventilation area at the soffits. There are no soffits and no way to add soffit vents. Some historic homes were built without soffit vents and roof vents and could still achieve the proper attic ventilation using gable vents at opposing sides of the house where fresh air could enter one side and exit the other. Intake air is critical to maintaining a proper flow of air throughout the attic space. Were trying to decide what to do with the gable fans. 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. The fascia is a horizontal board that is fixed to the ends of roof rafters or trusses at the eaves of a building. Currently thinking it would be a ridge vent with eyebrow vents along the lower roofline? More info on this here: Attic Ventilation Dont Mess It Up. I have a vaulted ceiling in a bedroom that terminates at the wall where the attic is. Even better, this type of ventilation system is going to save you big bucks when it comes to effectiveness versus costs and there is nothing better than saving a little cash on a project! From this position, air enters the attic through the intake vents. How to Troubleshoot and Repair a Leaking Ceiling, How to Prevent Ice Dams With Insulation Baffles. A passive ventilation system should have air inlets at the base of the roof, usually in the soffits, and outlets in the peak or gables. These vents are sneaky little boogers- but in a good way. Roof vents need to conform to International Residential Code (IRC)R802.7, which specifies the size and type of the openings. Ed, I have a 45 year old cedar shake roof that I will be replacing soon. It cut our bill by maybe 5%. I live in a single level townhouse with 4 of us in a square. There are several reasons for this, but the Youre probably thinking about switching to variable-speed air handlers, but you arent sure its the right move for you. Without a fascia board, water could enter the roof space and cause rot, mold, and other types of damage. I wonder, would putting a fan on the interior side of that space work? link to Why Ceiling Fan Light Bulbs Keep Burning Out: 8 Reasons, link to Variable Speed Air Handler Pros and Cons, How Attic Insulation can Affect Ventilation, How to Insulate Your Attic to Ensure Effective Attic Ventilation, 4. However, I am worried as they just installed the insulation directly without baffles. The low slope prevents me from using an edge vent. I cover how AtticFoil can help with ice damming on this page: How SuperPerf Helps Prevent Ice Dams on Your Roof Hope those resources are helpful to you! However, soffit vents are often blocked by inexperienced DIYers when insulating the attic. Although this may be a place of storage for you, it is the first step to stopping air from escaping. After this, get the measurements for your attic and get to buying. Loose insulation is used for those really pesky areas that are hard to cover. 2018 international residential code (Irc) | icc digital codes. Our electric bill was cut about 40% the year after vs the year before! We have a 1940s Mansard roof with NO soffits. If the attic will be vented with soffit vents (with or without upper attic vents), consider designing and constructing the soffit assembly to provide "two-stage" air pressure control using a continuous . Basically, it terminates? Get daily tips and tricks for making your best home. After all, if your home is not well insulated, then the measures mentioned above will not have a lasting effect- something disappointing both for your spirit and budget. yikes. I am not allowed to use vented soffits on the low side for fire code reasons. 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. Previous owners covered up three of them and now there is only one (albeit very large) louvered gable vent. No one wants to have to pack on layer after layer throughout the cold winter months in their home. 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. The guideline drops to 1 ft for every 300 ft with a vapor barrier. If you dont have soffit vents, we recommend you add some other vents in the lower part of the attic that can function like soffits. BEST FOR GABLE . Either way you go you need soffit/eave venting to feed your exhaust vents. Also, leave the ridge vent exposed and leave about a foot uncovered (no barrier or board) the whole length of the roof where the roof meets the soffit so air can circulate between the rafters. These vents are positioned well for drawing air into the air and they are easy to keep clear of ice and snow. This is done through the proper insulation of the area and is something that is a quick and very effective fix. As for baffles, you dont necessarily need more, you just need to have air flow from the soffits into the roof that is unobstructed. From escaping experienced roofer should be no less than 1/16 inch and no way to add it there in. I will be replacing soon to Troubleshoot and Repair a Leaking ceiling, to... Vents, the attic ventilation without soffits in the attic is fascia is a horizontal board that is fixed to the vents draw. Work great with a vapor barrier I can do the material should be less! 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