Hello, My house has not attic ventilation other that the 2 gable vents.
I know I need to add eave vents but would like ya'lls opinion on ridge vents versus wind turbines.
I have heard the pros and con from friends and family about ridge vents and wind turbines. ie, if it is storming badly, ridge vents can let water in. wind turbines don't last, noisy, etc ..... etc ....
I live in Arlington, Texas. If this make a difference.
TIA.
Michael
ridge vents require no maintence, make no noise, i have never had water get in,
my only problem was a family of dedicated birds who having nested in the attic previously ripped at the ridge vent to get in. i solved that the following year by removing the vent and adding hardware cloth over the openings, put ridge vent back. birds were highly frustrated. i put uup a couple bird houses as compensation
theres no reason you cant have ridge vent, and add a couple power vents for severe weather
I've never had water to come in via ridge vents even in the worst of storms.
Ken
on 6/20/2008 3:07 PM Michael said the following:
My ridge vent doesn't leak here in NY, and we get some pretty big rainfalls, not to mention snowfalls measured in double digits.
"Michael" wrote in news:DdT6k.7045$ snipped-for-privacy@nlpi069.nbdc.sbc.com:
Never heard of a ridge vent letting water in. I guess if the nails popped it could happen. Then again, I don't hear much.
Last ridge vent I took off when replacing a roof was the 10 ft metal high profile type. PITA getting some of those nail's out. Twist nails. Now I see a lot of rapid ridge going on. Just put on with long roofing nails. Not sure how that holds up over the test of time.
I actually have both (as well as gable vents), also in TX. Turbines have been on my house at least since I've been in it (about 20 years). I put in the ridge vents a few years ago. Like the other posters, I see no evidence of water coming in the latter. No evidence for dampness in attic, etc.
With three turbines up there in these 20 years, I think I've had to replace one. It just got stuck. The bearing failed. No noise out of any of them. I'm under a lot of oak trees, so they stay mostly in the shade, but they get bonked now and then by a falling branch. Noise has never been an issue in any of mine or, as far as I've been able to hear, for the fiftyish wind turbines on my block.
I'm in Houston.
No question, do both.
Ridge vents don't move as much air as turbines, but they'll move a bit when there's no wind to drive a turbine.
We had a hail storm come though the neighborhood recently (about a year or two ago). Probably 75% of the roofs got replaced and most all of them had ridge vents added. I've not heard of any water problems and they sure look a lot better than the turbines.
-- Richard Thoms President - Top Service Pros, Inc. Connecting Homeowners and Local Service Professionals
You say you need more venting, you only"need" more venting if mold is growing in the attic. Gable vents move alot of air, a few static vent near the top will be cheapest and release alot of heat.
On 6/21/2008 7:45 AM Joe spake thus:
Sorry, but I gotta dispute your assertion there (that turbines move "slightly less air than an equivalent size open hole in the roof"). Where do you get that? Just from personal experience (having had a roof turbine in my last place) I can say that they move quite a bit *more* air than a hole in the roof (but, of course, only when the wind is blowing).
WRONG, venting isnt just to prevent mold its primarily to decrease attic temperatures which add AC costs, and decrease roof life
Fiddle.
Roof turbines combine two mechanical devices into one:
At a wind speed of 5mph, an ordinary turbine moves about 350 cu.ft. of air per minute.
Assuming 1500 sq ft house, and an attic that's 6' high, 1500 x 6 x 0.5 =
4,500 cu.ft. / 350 = a full exchange of air every 12 minutes. Two turbines would exchange the air in six minutes.
Whichever you use (and I urge both) make sure you have sufficient soffit vents. Insufficient intake vents yields two disadvantages: (1) No cooler air gets into the attic, or (2) the "cooler" air is sucked out of the living area through leaks around light fixtures, plumbing, staircase, etc.
There are calculations for the requisite soffit openings on the web. Find yours. Double it. You can't have too much soffit venting.
I think ridge vents were invented in Texas. Ridge vents move more air than turbines, provided they have side fins, like the one at the upper right on this page:
Notice the diagram shows air being pulled out from the attic, regardless of the wind direction. The side fins also keep out rain. You'll want any gable vents blocked off, to prevent short-circuiting of the air flow, and soffit vents installed (soffit vents are highly desirable regardless of the type of ventilation used).
Have you considered a cupola?
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Michael,
I installed continuous ridge vents and continuous soffit vents on our house. No moving parts to break or make noise, and no ugly vents or turbines sticking up on the roof. On a sunny day, you can look at the ridge of our house and see the hot air escaping from the ridge (shimmery look in the air from the rising heat).
To work effectively, you must have an intake at the low part of the roof for fresh air to come in (the eave/soffit vents), and the exhaust vent at the top of the roof (ridge vent) for hot air to escape. Hot air rises, so once the roof heats up, the air will flow naturally from intake to exhaust.
Also, the airflow must not be blocked by insulation in the attic. There should be an inch or more of free space between the insulation and the underside of the roof. In a traditional attic, the most likely area of blockage is near the eaves over the walls. You can install baffles in each rafter bay at that area to ensure the insulation doesn't block the air flow.
I used the Owen's Corning ridge vents that you apply shingles over. We haven't had any problems with them in the last 5-7 years.
Anthony
That doesnt mean he needs it does it, large gables move 10x as much air as vents.
theoritically theres never enough ventilation, esically in hot areas.....
I am in FL. Last year I got a new roof. I previously had a tile roof with gable vents at each end of the house. The new roof is shingle...made by GAF - and it included a Cobra ridge vent. They covered the vents at each end of the house - the small print on the GAF literature recommends it. (I was glad to have it done because some of my neighbors have had problems with citrus rats getting in the attic and those vents were the only way in that we could see). I've just compared my electric bill with my last year's bill - and we used fewer kilowatts. So it hasn't made the attic that much hotter ... as far as I know mold/mildew hasn't started growing. You'll hear about it if it does.
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