Attic Without Ventilation

Many years ago home builders were simply unaware of the importance of attic ventilation this is why some older homes don t even have soffits.

Attic without ventilation.

However the utility of attic ventilation fans is actually quite a controversial topic. Sometimes a home without eaves or soffits will use ridge vents. Can still get blazing hot without airflow. For the same reason insulation shouldn t touch the roof s underside.

The airflow from the soffits to the ridge vent keeps the roof cool and prevents ice dams and the material will block that flow. Good insulation reduces fan effectiveness. Attic ventilation fans whether hard wired or powered by their own solar panels seem like a low cost and effective way to help keep your house cool. 1 being out of balance.

A key benefit of venting the attic is that the approach is the same regardless of how creative your architect got with the roof. These fixed venting units have a lot of advantages over the other venting options. Staple plastic or foam baffles to the roof sheathing near the eaves to keep the material away. Even without soffit venting it is important to provide an air gap at the soffit level to help keep the roof deck dry.

If the attic ventilation system is not a balanced combination of intake vents installed in the soffit under eave or at the roof s bottom edge and exhaust vents installed at or near the roof s peak the attic ventilation system will not be efficient and effective. Because the roof isn t in play here it doesn t matter how many hips valleys dormers or gables there are. The industry standard among milwaukee roofing contractors is for roof ventilation to provide 1 square foot of intake ventilation and 1 square foot of exhaust or outflow ventilation for every 300 square feet of attic space provided the area is insulated with a vapor barrier. If the area is insulated without a vapor barrier the requirement.

In mixed climates ventilation serves either role depending on the season. Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. How to vent an attic without eaves. Gable vents may circulate air through only a small percentage of your attic.

If you have an older home that has no soffits eaves or roof overhangs then there are a few different options to add venting to your attic. My concern is can an attic vent flow be to large and let water in and does spray insulation keep attic protected by leak in. Without baffles blinders that prevent outside air from crossing over the vent a ridge vent may create almost no ventilation at all.