Discount Solar Vent Fans / Solar Powered Attic Fan Products

• Rectangular Soffit Vents are cost effective and designed to fit the space between rafters and roof. They can provide a lot of intake air with 55 to 78 sq.in. of net free area. They perform best when used together with vent tubes (to prevent attic insulation from blocking intake). Standard sizes are 22.25" wide x 3.5" or 5.0" high and designed to fit standard 24" rafters.  They are sold 50 per bundle. They are relatively easy to install. Simply cut rectangular holes in the soffit and screwing the vent over the hole.

 
• Circular Soffit vents range from 1" to 8" in diameter. They are installed by drilling holes in the soffit and pressing the vent into the hole. Generally, these do not provide anywhere near sufficient intake and suffer from blockage by attic insultation.

• Static vents, also known as roof line or eyebrow vents, consist of a sheet metal cylinder with a flashing collar and a metal hood to keep rain out. They are installed in rows along the face of the roof by cutting holes in the roof, nailing the flashing collars to the roof sheathing and shingling around the vents. Their effectiveness depends on how many are installed; probably their greatest disadvantage is that like any roof penetration, they may leak.

• 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 Flex Ridge, offer superior performance 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 Solar Powered or Powered Vents are powered by electricity or solar power and usually controlled by a thermostat in the attic. They are very effective and built quite for long term performance.
    
    
• 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.