How Do I Ventilate My Attic

Calculate net free vent space building codes typically require 1 square foot of venting space for every 150 square feet of attic space.

How do i ventilate my attic.

Exhaust vents which are located near or on the ridge line of the roof and allow air to leave the attic. Static roof line vents are effective for ventilation but generally aren t recommended due to issues with leaks. The first thing to do is be certain your builder provided adequate soffit ventilation for your house. Look at your eaves and roof.

Ventilation of attic spaces is required by most building codes as well as by roofing material manufacturers and the national roofing contractors association nrca. The venting space should be equally divided between intake. It s a standalone unit that s about two feet tall and 18 inches wide and has wheels for mobility. A portable air conditioner is the easiest solution for cooling your attic.

Here are four signs of an unventilated or under ventilated attic. Make sure your attic insulation doesn t block the intake vents. Soffit vents may leave air trapped at the top of your attic. The use of an exhaust vent in conjunction with an intake vent uses the natural forces of wind pressure and thermal effect collectively known as the stack effect to ventilate the attic space.

Most building codes require a ratio of 1 150 ventilation space to attic floor space. This is called passive ventilation. Hot air exhaust vents located at the peak of the roof allow hot air to escape. Most come with a window kit for this purpose that attaches to a hose on the back of the unit.

Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool air to enter the attic. Portable air conditioners do need to be vented to pump the hot air outside. A hot ceiling tells you that the attic is acting like a solar oven. This creates a natural air flow by drawing in the air from outside pushing it up and out through the vent at the top of the house.

Before we explore how to ventilate an attic space it is prudent to understand how much ventilation is needed. The most common way to add ventilation to an attic is by installing air intakes in the soffits and putting an outlet at the gable of the house. If necessary use baffles to keep the insulation back from it. Touch your ceiling on a warm sunny day.

This fan draws the air in your house up into the attic and evacuates it through the roof vents. If you don t see any attic vents on the roof or in the eaves you need to add some. If it is still being built i would install a whole house fan. Most effective ventilation uses a ridge and soffit continuous ventilation system but even these designs can vary from roof to roof.

Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents.