Would it be best to just replace the 2 power vents with newer ones? I was up there this last summer and it did get pretty hot and humid. ft. 300 sq. . 3 years ago I replaced all the soffit covers, facia, facia boards, and gutters. They are extremely powerful and are able to move tons of hot air out of your attic in a very short amount of time. Power fans are great if you want to use them every now and then on very hot days or for periods where the humidity is high in your area. Original design had an attic above the ceiling; attic was ventilated with passive gable vents on each end. settled rock wall insulation and need to add insulation. I have a vaulted ceiling in a bedroom that terminates at the wall where the attic is. Should I force external air in one and try to suck it out the other end? Soffit outlining the roofline allows for continuous ventilation and is one of the most effective ways to ventilate into the attic. Alyssa, if your garage door can open, even just a crack, air will pull into the garage from under the door and go up and out the vent. The fascia is a horizontal board that is fixed to the ends of roof rafters or trusses at the eaves of a building. The only air inlet (since no soffit vents) is a couple of gable vents. Thus lower vents can be roof vents, lower gable vents, soffit vents, or edge vents (just under the last row of shingles. I wont recommend you force air into the attic unless you have an easy path for it to exhaust out. Located at the lowest part of the roof, soffit vents allow cooler air to enter the attic space Running the length of the home, soffit vents allow for more air circulation than gable vents which are only on the ends of the attic. Without proper ventilation, the temperature in the attic can reach unhealthy levels, which can quickly lead to problems. Hi! There are no soffits and no way to add soffit vents. I cannot see a way to put in soffit vents. There are no rafter vent baffles. Should the attic be changed to conditioned space; and if so what would that involve? I live in a single level townhouse with 4 of us in a square. I I have eaves but am not sure if they can soffitted or we should add low gable vent. The insulator recommended additional gable vents and a few maxi roof vents be installed to assist with getting hot air out of the attic. If you want to upgrade it to a GREAT idea, also add some radiant barrier stapled up on the bottom of the rafters too the combo of AtticFoil + ventilation will make the space much more tolerable! They work much like a box fan placed in a window on a hot summer day. yikes. Cool air enters the attic through the intake vents, but hot air doesn't generally exit through the intake vents, with the exception of gable roof vents. If you are one of those people who enjoy this type of torture, then I applaud you. Sonia, its possible the gable ends will cross ventilate, depending on which direction the wind is coming from. 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. 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. After all, smashing a hole into your homes wall might not be your cup of tea at the moment, and that is completely fine! Soffit vents come in several sizes and styles, including small round discs and rectangular grilles. 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. Attic Ventilation Without Soffits Homes without room for soffit vents usually use gable vents or shingled vents to take advantage of passive ventilation. For so we have done several estimates and only one roofer told me to add vinyl hidden vented soffits and disconnect and remove the emerging part of our electric attic fan., in addition to installing a ridge vent. Especially hard driving rain that is whipped about by heavy winds can enter the roof vents. 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. Or. I have gable vents on either side of the attic and a ridge vent. During the summer months, cool air enters through the intake vents and hot air exits through the exhaust vents to reduce the heat inside the attic. Worse yet, inadequate insulation is almost surely allowing moisture-laden air into your attic. Fully insulating conditioned sheds or buildings. The low slope prevents me from using an edge vent. Were trying to decide what to do with the gable fans. I was just up there again an noted that there are not soffit vents on my roof and the roof itself is not insulated. 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. Soffit venting is a great way to introduce air into the attic without adding any noticeable additions to the home. I need help! 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. If youre looking to keep things cooler in the She-Shed, you need to consider sealing it up air tight and using some A/C too. (n.d.). For proper ventilation you need some air intake relatively low in the attic, or across from one another to get a cross-breeze action. I had recently got my garage insulated. This method is called positive pressure ventilation and should only be used as a last resort. You can also invest in gable venting or shingle venting to increase air flow inside the attic and improve attic ventilation. Good idea or bad? Continue reading to see the seven ventilation alternatives for homes without soffit vents, the ways attic insulation can affect attic ventilation, and ways to insulate your attic on your own. You also want to choose the type of insulation that you will be using. 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. When it reaches its dew point it will change from vapor to condensation. If things are working well as they are, I would leave it be. Problem 1: Insulation often clogs the space between the rafters, blocking air from traveling to and from the soffit area. What would you recommend for venting with new asphalt shingles? https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IRC2018P7/chapter-8-roof-ceiling-construction. Few years ago after an independent energy audit we had the attic completely sealed and insulated to reach a R-50, even the access trap . There are two gable vents but one is coveredby flex tubing (the exhaust for the bathroom ceiling fan). Im inclined to say to myself I got taken but maybe no harm done since the four windows and open space from 50 year old fan not working is enough fresh air coming in. I want to improve the ventilation in our attic, but am afraid of messing up a good thing. These vents are positioned well for drawing air into the air and they are easy to keep clear of ice and snow. Gable vents are great, but as far as construction goes, they can be a big undertaking. Im hoping to use it as a work shop, potentially with a window A/C unit. 2 months later, I had a new roof installed. If it will be the fan, then the gables should be closed and you need to add soffit venting. If you notice water dripping from the vents, you can set up a breathable shield to help obstruct driving rain, without blocking the vents. Take the goods off the floor of your attic and put some insulation down, this will make the biggest difference. If you are really wanting to make sure that your attic is not sucking energy from your home and can properly ventilate, you first want to start with the attic floor. Remember, what really matters is doing everything you can to make sure that the ceiling under the insulation has no air leaks into the attic, and this is a good practice whether or not you have attic ventilation! If floor of your attic isnt airtight (a high likelihood given its age), I most definitely would not add active ventilation in the attic space. 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. Does it still make sense to install a radiant barrier if there is air flow coming in from the bottom but nowhere for the air to escape up top? Let me spare you the headache, if you dont have soffits, dont install a ridge vent. Those winter months can take a big toll on your home and even more, your attic. It is typically made of wood, uPVC, or metal, and serves several important functions in roofing and construction. BEST FOR GABLE . Yes, take the fan out! I asked a lot of questions and I was never actually shown if my house HAS any soffit vents! In the event an opening is more than 1/4 inch, it should be covered with wire cloth, perforated vinyl, or other screening material. Soffit may keep moisture out without vents, but it also keeps any moisture inside the attic and so on from escaping. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Ken, You can do this to get some air movement, but it sounds like this may not be enough. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links. Radiant barrier does require and air gap to work to reflect heat, just an air space/gap. So we did. 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. closing off the ridge). The key is having plenty of INTAKE air coming in lower, typically via the soffits. We waited another year and then added insulation from R7 to R38. This article is part of the series ROOF VENTILATION SPECIFICATIONS and also ATTIC CONDENSATION CAUSE & CURE. Had a furnace guy come out, he said we must have a vacuum issue. We suspect that there is old fiberglass insulation between the roof and the ceiling. There are other reasons a homeowner would want to install soffit vents. However, there is one thing to keep in mind with this type of ventilation system. 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. Passive vents will work great with a ridge vent! 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. Even though ventilation is a must, there is one more thing that is going to keep your home protected and get your attics ventilation functioning at peak performance: insulation. If you have an attic with no soffit vents but 2 unobstructed gable vents, then you will probably be ok on ventilation. There is no ridge. Once this is done, suit up in appropriate protective gear and get to insulating. Who wants a big, bulky vent smack on the side of their home bringing the most attention to the roof of their house? 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. I had a new asphalt shingle replaced on my roof a few months ago. 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. It faces east and gets passive solar most of the day on the front of the house and on the eastern side of the roof. Because of where they are located on the roof, they do very well at allowing heat to escape from them, which obviously fares your attic well. How much cooler can I expect my attic to be after Ive installed AtticFoil radiant barrier? If you are having problems insulating the floor of the attic without covering the vents, consider investing in rafter vents or insulation baffles. You can see an install here: How to Install AtticFoil in a Shed. The other is saying that they would just install 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. You can check if your attic needs better ventilation by touching the ceiling of the floor below on a hot day. This is something you may have thought standard with most homes, but how can you ventilate without soffits? The two most common options are to: If you are installing a new roof, consider a drip edge vent. https://www.radiantbarrierguru.com/attic-ventilation-basic-tips/. KELLY: That's correct. But if you have no intake, where is the ridge vent going to draw the air from? ft. of ventilation area Convert sq. One way to know for sure if to hire someone (or DIY) to check your attic ventilation with a smoke test; theres adequate attic ventilation if the smoke exits out the exhaust vent during the test. Previously we had a few gable vents around the attic its a connected attic with different sections from multiple additions. It does not have soffit vents, but does have gable vents and an attic ventilator fan. I do not have any soffit venting installed and am not able to install any. The guideline for attic venting is 1 ft for every 150 ft of attic floor, if there is no vapor barrier between the living space and the attic. Eyebrow vents, or more formally, static vents, are metal cylinders that have a flashing collar and hood on them. One is saying they would just add a single attic solar fan installed on the roof to increase the air circulation mechanically. If your house has minimal (or non-existent) overhangs that wont accomodate soffit vents, or you simply arent able to install them for some reason, then you have a couple of options to provide intake air inlets low near the roof perimeter. Even if you do not have soffit vents (a highly effective attic ventilation technology), there are plenty of options out there to either passively or actively ventilate your attic and make sure that you keep the structural integrity of your home in check. Does this make sense and do you have any suggestions that would help? Move the flex tubing (from bathroom fan) to exit via a new hole a few feet below the existing gable vent. The total venting space should equal 1/150 of the floor . Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. A ridge vent without soffit vents won't work as intended, and vice versa. So with ridge vents you need 1/300th the area, or 800 / 300 = 2.67 square feet of vents. Our attic had a big mold problem that was just remediated. This is why effective insulation is so important. Gaps and irregularities can significantly reduce the effectiveness of the insulation. In a nutshell, yes, soffit vents prevent moisture from doing bad things to your home. I mean, people have lived in this house for 170 years, no moisture problems. Finally, without enough soffit vents the motors tend to burn out . The attic runs hot. Hello! 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. . Since you are installing a new roof, your timing is perfect. 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. A ridge vents works by drawing air upward and out of the attic space. The ductwork has been sealed and insulated. First, let me reiterate that I think you should use soffit vents as your intake source for attic ventilation. Thanks! Rafter vents ensure that there is a clear channel for outside air to enter the attic through the soffits. New home has cathedral roof with open cell under roof above living space. I was talked into this popular ridge vent. 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. The attic floor is also insulated. I will eventually insulate under the roof deck as well as insulate and air-seal the attic floor. An ice dam is a large mass of ice that builds on the edge of a roof. 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. What is the fix for this heat? BEST SOLAR OPTION: iLIVING Solar Roof Attic Exhaust Fan. 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. Homes that do not have a gable roof or space for soffit vents are generally designed with shingled intake vents or roof edge vents, positioned near the bottom of the roof. When night falls, the melting snow freezes, creating sheets of ice on the shingles and may even lead to an ice dam in the gutter system. 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