Is it better to have a fan or ridge vent?
If proper ridge ventilation is possible for your roof then that is recommended over attic fans. Attic fans consume energy, and they have some downsides. If you can achieve proper attic ventilation passively by just using the vents in the attic, that is always better.
Should I install an attic fan on my roof?
Instead of installing an attic fan, Carter recommends using ridge vents on your roof. After installing a ridge vent, a homeowner might feel a temperature change, says Jerry Alonzy, a handyman working in Canton, Connecticut. The prevailing winds and the amount of shade your house gets will also affect your results.
What is an attic ridge vent fan used for?
Ridge vents act as exhaust ports for hot air. However, if you install a powered attic exhaust fan near the ridge vents, the fan will disrupt the natural flow of air and draw outside air through these vents.
Should I install a ridge vent on my roof?
A roofer installs a ridge vent. Purchasing an electric or solar attic fan may not provide the savings that homeowners expect. Installing roof ridge vents and more attic insulation are better options, experts say. Adding roof ridge vents can reduce summer air conditioning costs, prevent roof mildew and rot and keep your roof in better shape longer.
Are ridge vents better than fans?
If you had to choose just one—and your attic has a great need for ventilation—an attic fan is your best bet. Attic fans in the $300 to $400 range can move upwards of 5,000 CFM. For lower capacity ventilation at a steep cost savings, a ridge vent might be your best choice.
Is ridge vent enough attic ventilation?
Ridge Vents Alone Won't Do the Job We see many older homes with no attic ventilation and some that have recently had ridge vents installed. While this provides an outlet for air flow, it does not provide an inlet to complete the convection cycle needed for proper ventilation.
Do I need an attic fan if I have roof vents?
An attic fan isn't recommended if you have ridge vents. In this scenario, the attic fan will draw cool, conditioned air out of your house and raise your A/C bill. It could also stop hot air from exiting through the ridge vent and pull in rainwater during a storm, which can eventually make your attic leaky or moldy.
Do ridge vents keep house cooler?
This air flow out of the roof peak keeps it cooler during summer and much colder during winter to minimize condensation and ice dam formation.
Do you need roof vents if you have a ridge vent?
Some types of air ventilation systems rely on other pieces of equipment to work properly. While roof ridge vents can work alongside box vents or soffit vents, they also do not need these other vents to operate. Ridge vents effectively release moisture from your home, greatly reducing the risk of mold or mildew.
How much ventilation do ridge vents provide?
Types of Ridge Vents and Net Free Venting Area per Linear FootRoof Ridge Outlet Ventilation Product ExamplesSq.In. of net free ventilationGAF Cobra® rigid Ridge Vent-2, Ridge Vent 3, & Snow Country ridge vent products18 sq.in. per linear foot, covered by cap shingles9 more rows
Do roofers install attic fans?
Attic fans are installed by roofers, carpenters, electricians, handymen, and HVAC contractors. Installation may require more than one expert, depending on the fan type, location, and site conditions. Hire a roofer if installing a roof-mounted attic fan. Hire a licensed electrician if new wiring is needed.
Are ridge vents worth the cost?
The truth is, most experts agree that though other roof vents allow some ventilation (which is better than none), ridge vents are the most efficient and cost-effective roof ventilation system around. Our recommendation is yes. Especially if you are installing a new roof, you want to extend its life as long as possible.
Will a ridge vent make my house cold in winter?
Roof vents allow air to circulate through your attic and exit your home. In the winter the vents cause the attic to become cold, but this should not damage your home or increase the energy use of your home, so covering the roof vents is not necessary.
How do ridge vents work in winter?
Ridge vents without baffles at times will allow outside air to blow into the roof cavity. Baffled ridge vents are also a lot less likely to let rain or snow into the roof cavity, and they are less likely than unbaffled vents to become covered by fallen snow.
How do I know if my ridge vent is working?
Turning on the attic light or placing a strong flashlight in the roof, where your rafter is, should shine a visible light from the side of the home. If you look up from the side of the house into the area where the ridge vent is, you should see the light. It can indicate the ridge vent is working.
How much venting does an attic need?
Most codes use the 1/300 rule for minimum residential attic ventilation recommendations. This means that for every 300 square feet of enclosed attic space, 1 square foot of ventilation is required – with half at the upper portion (exhaust vents) and half in the lower portion (intake vents).
Will a ridge vent work without soffit vents?
If there is no soffit venting, the ridge vent has no option but to pull air from the other side of the ridge vent.
How can I improve my attic ventilation?
The best way to ventilate a finished attic is rafter venting. Rafter vents, or insulation baffles, are installed in an attic's rafter space and create narrow gaps that direct fresh air from the soffit vents to the roof's peak.
How much air does an attic fan move?
This fan moves 1,000 or more cubic feet of air per minute , creating low pressure in your attic. Electric attic fans, however, often increase energy consumption and cancel out any savings, unless the attic is not insulated at all. Advertisement.
How to reduce humidity in attic?
To reduce humidity, the center recommends checking the building's duct system and air pressure when some doors are closed, replacing an inefficient air conditioner and turning off an attic exhaust fan. Turning off the exhaust fan reduces building pressure, causing a large decrease in the ventilation rate and indoor relative humidity, the center says. Some homeowners are attracted to solar fans because they can operate for 50 years without needing repairs. They don't use electricity and are easier to install, but can be expensive. Prices start at $500 for a 1,200 square foot home, not including installation. When the Solar Energy Center tested solar fans, however, it reported that if your attic is already well-insulated, the cost reduction is only about 6 percent, or 460 kilowatt hours each year. Since most older homes have only 3 to 6 inches of insulation, beefing up the attic's insulation might be the best solution.#N#The federal Department of Energy recommends up to R-49, or about 16 inches of fiberglass insulation, for most attics.
Why turn off exhaust fan?
Turning off the exhaust fan reduces building pressure, causing a large decrease in the ventilation rate and indoor relative humidity, the center says. Some homeowners are attracted to solar fans because they can operate for 50 years without needing repairs.
Can you use a ridge vent on a roof?
Instead of installing an attic fan, Carter recommends using ridge vents on your roof. After installing a ridge vent, a homeowner might feel a temperature change, says Jerry Alonzy, a handyman working in Canton, Connecticut. The prevailing winds and the amount of shade your house gets will also affect your results. A ridge vent installed in a very hot attic will have more effect than in a slightly cooler one. Ventilation decreases moisture year round, reducing roof mildew and rot, Alonzy says.
Can a roof vent suck air?
Air leaks. By installing more roof vents, such as a ridge vent, you increase the possibility that most attic air will come from outside, says Tim Carter, a residential contractor in Cincinnati. If you have few vents in your attic, most of the air will be drawn from inside the house. A fan may actually suck air-conditioned air from your home ...
Where is the air handler in a home?
Many Southern homes have the cooling system's air handler based in the attic, usually poorly insulated with the greatest temperature difference of any location of the cooling system. It also has the greatest negative pressures, causing leakage into the unit.
Can a leaking duct system cause negative pressure?
When the University of Central Florida's Florida Solar Energy Center tested homes, they found that air leaking from a home's duct system can cause negative pressures within the home's interior when the air handler runs.
Ridge Vent vs. Attic Fan: Major Differences
Roof ridge vents and attic fans both promote airflow in attics. Unlike attic fans, ridge vents are passive, not mechanical, ventilation devices. Also, ridge vents move air both in and out of an attic; attic fans mostly move air outward, from the attic's interior to the outdoors.
Installation
A ridge vent is easier to install when the roof shingles are first installed, but ridge vents can be installed retroactively, too. Roof installers cut through the shingles and the wood roof deck but stop short of the roof rafters, creating a 6-inch continuous slot.
Appearance
Ridge vents blend in well with the roofline. Even with added shingles, ridge vents are barely more than 1 inch high. Since they follow the roof ridge, they are not usually visible.
Cost to Operate
Being passive venting devices, ridge vents are openings in your roof; they do not move. No motors are needed for operation. While ridge vents do occasionally need to be cleared of debris, there is no cost to operate them and little cost to maintain them.
Which Should You Buy?
Attic ventilation of some type is required by most building codes. 1 Ridge vents and attic fans can work in conjunction with each other. In this scenario, the ridge vent passively handles ventilation and cooling duties until it reaches its full capacity. Then, the attic fan takes over.
What is the difference between a ridge vent and an attic vent?
They work differently. Ridge vents are those exhaust ports that run along the ridge of your roof. They can be only spotted by a trained eye. They are tiny in size, but they provide ample space for hot air to exhaust from the attic.
Why is the attic fan used?
This is the most popular passive ventilation method for the attic. Attic fans are used to forcibly exhaust air from the attic. They are useful when there isn’t proper attic ...
What is an attic vent called?
Since attic fans work by consuming energy and since they forcibly exhaust air from the attic spaces, they are called active ventilators. Since ridge vents don’t draw energy from any sources and since they work on natural forces, they are called passive ventilators.
Why isn't my attic cool?
Even though proper vents were provided initially when the house was built, these vents could be blocked overtime by insulations or other things that obstruct the free flow of air through them. Also storing a lot of items in the attic also can block the natural flow of air.
How do attic fans work?
Attic fans work on electricity or solar energy while ridge vents work by natural convection. Those attic fans that work on solar energy won’t run during the night but ridge vents work whether it is night or day. Since attic fans work by consuming energy and since they forcibly exhaust air from the attic spaces, they are called active ventilators.
What is an electric fan?
An electric fan that is used to forcibly exhaust air from the attic. Exhaust ports that run along the ridge of a roof. An active ventilation method. A passive ventilation method. Can cause a negative pressure in the attic. No chances of negative pressure in the attic. Has moving parts.
Is it bad to use an attic fan with ridge vents?
It is a bad idea to use an attic fan along with ridge vents. Ridge vents act as exhaust ports for hot air. However, if you install a powered attic exhaust fan near the ridge vents, the fan will disrupt the natural flow of air and draw outside air through these vents.
What happens if air is drawn in through a ridge vent?
If air is drawn in through the ridge vent while it’s raining, it might pull rainwater in with it, which could lead to leaking or mold in the attic.
What vents pull air from the soffit?
Two: the highest vent will pull air from the next biggest opening below it. So if you have a ridge vent it will tend to pull air from the soffits unless you have another opening before the soffit—ie box vent, electric vent, whirly bird, or gable vent. Best solution is Electric attic roof mount with soffit vents only.
How much air does a solar vent fan move?
Since your solar vent fan only moves 500 CFM (a third to half that of a typical hardwired attic vent fan), it probably won’t move enough air to reverse the action of the ridge vent. Also, since the fan is powered by the sun, it should turn off when the sky is overcast during a storm, which will keep it from drawing rain into the attic.
Why do you have baffles in the attic?
2.you have baffles in the attic to keep the insulation from blocking the bay.
Can you cool an attic with a solar fan?
So, while it’s may not the most efficient way to cool an attic, in your case I would continue using the solar vent fan. You might want to check the attic occasionally when it’s raining to see if there is any water coming in the ridge vent.
Do attic fans work?
The only effective means are more insulation (preferred) or a radiant barrier up against the inside of the roof. Attic fans suck air out of the attic to the outdoors. This means that every leak in your house allows cool, air conditioned air to be sucked into the attic.
Can you mix different exhaust vents?
I see from information that I found online that that we shouldn’t mix different types of exhaust vents since one type may pull from the other.
What is CertainTeed ridge vent?
The CertainTeed ridge vents – the company’s called Air Vent or the brand is called Air Vent. I think it’s AirVent.com. You’ll see that they have these metal ridge vents that have a folded edge on one side of it. That actually depressurizes the ridge and makes it more efficient, in terms of pulling air to of it.
Do ridge vents let air out?
Now, sometimes I see ridge vents that are not very open there, especially the kind that I see that are corrugated-looking like. They don’t let enough air out. So, it might be worth looking at the type of ridge vent that you have.
Why vent in attic?
So to sum it up, attic vents help with physical comfort, preserve building materials, and reduce energy consumption. The venting should be distributed uniformly so you don't have dead spots where the air cannot flow in and out of the attic.
Why do attic vents need to be circulated?
The purpose of attic vents and fans is to circulate the air so that moisture forming from condensate dries out. The moist air is caused by the differential of heat between the interior and the exterior air. If this isn't done sufficiently it can quickly cause the roof to rot. It also helps prevent ice dams and releases excess heat from the attic.
How to figure out the square footage of an attic?
Figure out the attic's square footage. Multiply it width by it length or multiples there of and add them up.
Can a fan move air?
But a fan can also move the air that would otherwise be sitting still up on the ridge.
Can I use an attic fan instead of venting?
I never use an att ic fan instead of venting, but only to augment the airflow. You must have adequate venting. Venting is actually calculated as a percentage of your attic square footage. The standard amount is 1/150 or 1/300, depending on your specific conditions. These are minimum numbers and the conditions that apply to each are specified in the building code for your area.
Why do attic fans work?
But what generally happens is when an attic fan kicks on, it will depressurize your attic. And then it needs to replace that negative pressure. So what will happen is it will reach down into your house and actually pull some of that air-conditioned air up into the attic.
What is the difference between a whole house fan and an attic fan?
An attic fan is just that: it draws air out of the attic. A whole-house fan is mounted, generally, on the ceiling of the upper floor of the house. The whole-house fan is going to draw air from your house itself, push it up into the attic where it will be exhausted.
Can you use an attic fan to drive up cooling costs?
There’s usually some sort of thermal connection between the inside and the outside. And by using an attic fan, you’re going to potentially drive the cooling costs up, not down .
Do you need to close soffit vents?
TOM: Generally, yes. Those small vents that are on the ends of the gable walls, you do want to close those off and make sure you have continuous soffit and ridge vents. Because you’ll get some turbulence between the ridge vent and that end gable vent that can impact the flow of the air.
Do you have to have exhaust vents in the attic?
Now, the key with a whole-house fan is you have to have enough exhaust ventilation up in the attic. If you end up having a continuous ridge vent and continuous soffit vents, I think you probably will have plenty of exhaust ventilation up there in the attic.
What Are Attic Fans?
Before we tell you all about these fans, let’s talk about what they actually are.
Why is an attic fan important?
In general, a high-quality attic fan can provide ongoing active ventilation to protect your, support insulation systems, and help provide some cooling benefits in certain climates.
How do attic fans work?
In the summer, a properly installed attic fan can remove excessive heat build up, providing cooling to an attic space. This helps reduce the pressure on your insulation systems, preventing unwanted heat transfer into your living space. This ultimately makes your home feel cooler, while also alleviating the work that your air conditioning system needs to put forth. In the winter, attic fans can also make a big difference by removing heat and moisture that escapes from the home. This helps prevent things like mold growth and ice damming.
Why is moisture bad for a roof?
Moisture is the enemy of a strong roof and could lead to expensive damage. Supports your attic insulation. Excessive heat and humidity can lead to depleting your attic’s insulation. An attic fan removes hot, humid air from the attic, taking pressure off of your insulation materials. Solar fans are free to run.
Why do attic fans cost less?
Because attic fans take away some of the work that your air conditioning would be doing, you will spend less on running your air conditioning. However, running an electric fan in attics could mean the cost just goes towards the attics rather than the air conditioner.
How long does a solar attic fan last?
Your fan will run 12 months of the year without costing you a dime after installation. Read our review on the best solar attic fans.
How to reduce air conditioning in attic?
By cooling down your attic, you can decrease your air conditioning. Your air conditioner is currently having to work against the sauna that is sitting on top of your living space. Give it a hand by cooling your home’s upper space to outdoor temperatures before your turn up the AC. Cool down a second story in your home.
How hot can an attic be?
With any attic ventilation system, the attic can be 20 degrees hotter than outside. Attic ventilation should protect the roof sheathing, insulation, and shingles from temperature and moisture extremes.
What factors affect the temperature of the attic?
Other factors are the geographical location, sun intensity, orientation of the primary roof plane, and amount of total ventilation.
What happens when a power vent goes off?
When the power vent goes off, it acts like a roof louver (an opening on the roof without a motor.
Does Emmons Roofing install ventilation?
If you feel your home is warmer than it should be in the summer, Emmons Roofing & Siding can install a roof ventilation system – contact us today.
Can you remove a fan from a ridge vent?
In most homes, it is typically best to have only the ridge vent and remove the fan, as described above, they don’t work well together.
