Roof Ventilation Products:

  Dormer Vents (for pitch roofs)

  Solar Powered Attic Fans, Solar Roof Vents & Accessories

  Aura Roof Ventilator Data Sheet

  Roof Ventilation Diagrams

Roof Vent Installation Guides, Do it Yourself:

• During the summer, when the outside temperature is typically much higher than the inside temperature, attic ventilation serves to help cool your house. An unfinished attic builds up a tremendous amount of heat, and if that heated air has no place to escape, it can make the inside of the house much warmer or cause an air conditioning system to work much harder to cool the house.
   
• There are a wide variety of sources of moisture in a home, from the building materials themselves to normal everyday activities. For example cooking, bathing and washing clothes all release gallons of water vapor into the air.
   
• That vapor isn't a problem inside the average home because the temperature inside the home is warmer than outside for much of the year. Warm air holds more moisture–in the form of water vapor–than cool air.
   
• The problem is that vapor gradually works its way out of the living area and into the structure. As warm, moist air cools, the vapor begins to condense into water droplets. If that happens inside an unfinished attic, for example, it can get insulation and framing materials wet. That not only reduces the value of your insulation but can cause mold, mildew and rot.
   
• Building codes specify the minimum amount of attic ventilation needed in a new home to prevent winter moisture buildup, but your summer needs are much greater. Also, older homes were often built with inadequate attic ventilation–at least by today's standards–and may need to be retrofitted with proper attic ventilation.
  
• A good attic ventilation system is designed for summer needs and moisture. It includes two types of vents: intake vents are placed along the soffit to allow fresh air into the attic, and exhaust vents are installed in the upper third of the roof to allow attic air to escape. The object is to create a continuous "wash" of air along the underside of the roof sheathing. The rule of thumb for summer months is that you should provide enough ventilation to completely change the air in your attic every six minutes.
   
• There are several types of intake vents:
   
  • Gable Vents can provided in most any shape to compliment house architecture. Gable vents are installed in a gable wall just below the peak of the roof. These vents are cost effective yet provide a lot of net free vent area. They can function as both intake and exhaust vents, depending on the roof design.
     
  • Soffit Vents, Under-eave vents are made usually with a screen to keep insects out and of an aluminum panel with louvers punched into the face to allow air flow.

• Exhaust vents fall into two basic categories. Static vents simply allow air to escape while power ventilators actively suck air out of the attic. Within each category there are a number of types:
   
  • Gable vents can provided in most any shape to compliment house architecture. Gable vents are installed in a gable wall just below the peak of the roof. These vents are cost effective yet provide a lot of net free vent area. They can function as both intake and exhaust vents, depending on the roof design.
   
  
  • Ridge vents are installed along the peak of the roof and replace the ridge singles. More advanced ridge vents, such as VariVents, offer superior performance together with excellent rain resistance.
   
   
  • Wind Powered Ventilators are turbine vents or Aura vents. They are installed like roof line vents along the face of the roof. When the wind blows, it spins the turbine, which in turn draws air up out of the attic, or in the case of Aura vents, the wind creates negative pressure pulling the air from the attic. Their effectiveness, largely depends on whether the wind is blowing or not.
   
  • Fan-driven ventilators or Powered Vents are powered by electricity and usually controlled by a thermostat in the attic. They are very effective, but since they are motor-driven, the extra cost of running them partially offsets the energy they conserve, and motors can have some maintenance issues.
     
• The number of vents you'll need depends on the type, size and effectiveness of the vents. Vents are rated according to their square inches of net "free vent area" (FVA)–in other words, the net size of the flow through opening. You can't just measure the size of the vent to find the FVA because the open space is reduced by louvers and by the screen mesh that covers the opening.
   
• Most manufacturers provide both net FVA ratings and ventilation recommendations for their products. In order to estimate, you'll need to know the total square footage of your attic (not including eaves) and possibly the slope of your roof.

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