Attic Ventilation

Attic ventilation gives you complete home repair instructions so you can easily repair or install roof vents.

When you think about attic ventilation it is important to know why ventilation is important, the different types of vents and how they should be mounted as well as how many may be needed to properly ventilate your attic.

Why is Attic Ventilation Important?

Ventilating the attic is extremely important because without proper ventilation, the air and high levels of moisture would be trapped and do damage. In summer months, the temperature in a common attic can be 40 - 50 degress higher than the outside air. This makes your HVAC system work much harder which costs more money to operate and makes the interior of your house uncomfortable.

Every time you take a shower or cook, humidity is produced and most of it goes upward. When humidity is trapped in an attic with no ventilation, mold is likely to form. Mold is a real problem once it is allowed to form in quantity. Ventilating the attic helps remove the excess moisture and therefore greatly reduces the chance of mold forming. Result is your home is much healthier.

Types of Attic Vents

Common types of attic vents include, roof vents, gable vents, ridge vents, soffit vents and power roof vents.

Ridge vents are used at the highest point of the attic. These vents are especially efficient because hot air in the attic wants to rise and exit. Normally, these vents run the entire length of the house and provide the quantity of square feet necessary to properly ventilate the attic, therefore, no other attic vents are required except soffit vents which allow the air to enter the attic in the first place.

Power vents need to be wired to a 110 volt source inside the attic. They only require one round hole in the roof and should be mounted just below the ridge of the roof on the back side of the house. These have a fan inside and suck the air all the way from the soffit vents.

Soffit vents are necesary for incoming air. Without sufficient air entering the attic, pour attic ventilation will result which eventually can cause mold, higher energy bills and unhealthy conditions.

Gable vents are another poplar ventilation source for an attic. These come in many different shapes including circles, triangles or rectangles to mention a few. All are mounted near the top of the roof line on an exterior wall and allow air to enter into the attic. These can be used in conjunction with roof vents or just by themselves as air will pass into the attic on one side of the house and then vacate through another gable vent on the other side of the house.

Roof vents are probably the most common type of attic vent. Sometimes these are called "mushroom vents" because they kind of pop out of the roof just below the ridge line. These should be mounted approximately 6 - 8 feet apart on back half of the house so they aren't seen from the front.

Solar Powered vents are just like Power roof vents except they are powered by the sun. No wiring is required. Obviously these are simpler to install and cost nothing to operate.

How to Know if a Roof Vent Needs to be Fixed

If you don't hear a Power roof vent or a Solar vent running when it is hot outside, then it probably needs to be fixed. Examine the electrical hookup if it is a Power vent. Clean the solar panel of a Solar vent. For either of these vents test to see if the blade turns freely.

If a Roof vent is dented from hail, or if the top portionhas blown off in a high windstorm, you need to replace it with another one of likeness so that rain doesn't enter the attic. A hail damaged roof vent can reduce the amount of air moving through it.

Sometimes insects or birds build nests in Gable vents. Clean these things out so that air can move through freely.

Ridge vents stay good usually, however, they can get damaged in high winds. If you see a dip in the ridge line, you need to investigate. You may lost part of the vent. Replace asap keeping rain out.

Soffit vents sometimes need new screening or just replace the whole unit. Keep insects out of the attic by re-screening asap.

Instructions for Repairing a Roof Vent

How to Know If You Need Additional Vents

If your home is hard to cool, you may need to remove more hot air from the attic faster.

Enter the attic and take a temperature reading on a hot day. If over 30 degrees hotter than the exterior temperature, you may need more ventilation.

Examne the attic. If you see any signs of mold, even small areas on the sheating of the roof, more attic ventilation is needed.

Instructions for Installing a New Roof Vent

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