Screen mesh for gable louver vent

Jon Danniken 12 years ago

Hi all, it is time for me to replace the screen mesh on my gable louvers, as it is a tight mesh, and rather clogged. Looking at new louver assemblies at the local Ace dealership, I notice that the screen mesh is about 1/4" square. While this would provide more ventilation than a tight mesh, my concern is that hornets might find their way into the attic, as they enjoy building nests under the louvers.

I wouldn't suspect that they would last very long in a hot summer attic, but I would generally prefer not interacting with them when I have work to attend to up there.

So, is 1/4" mesh an appropriately small enough size for a gable louver vent? What say you?

Thanks,

Jon

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micky 12 years ago

They charge extra for hornets, so most people don't have any.

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BenignBodger 12 years ago

I've done it using the heaviest 1/4" galvanized mesh I could find for an outside layer to discourage squirrels and larger beasts and then put fiberglass window screen inside that where it is protected. The heavy mesh was fastened solidly while the light screen was just stapled in with thin strips of wood so that I could be replaced easily if it became clogged. It held up for at least 15 years until my folks left the house.

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hrhofmann 12 years ago

Benign Bodger has a good solution if you can get to the smaller mesh screen fairly easily to inspect for clogging.

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Jon Danniken 12 years ago

My goal is to get as open of a mesh as I can to allow for the most airflow. Fortunately the local ACE has the 1/8" mesh, which is what I will be installing.

Jon

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garm 8 years ago

replying to BenignBodger, garm wrote: Fiberglass window screen not recommended for fire-prone areas.

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