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How Many Roof Vents Do You Need? – Suggestions & Tips #109

July 10, 2015 by Grassroots Leave a Comment

how many roof vents do you need

How many roof vents do you need? Is there such as thing as too many? You may be surprised to learn that more is not always better.

Attic venting is crucial. There is a tendency however to add more roof vents at the ridge to accomplish this. It seems intuitive that this might work, except that in order for good venting to occur you need convection to occur. So, to encourage this you need more venting lower down on the roof (and preferably at the soffit area) in order to draw in cooler air. This then forces the hotter attic area out the roof vents at the ridge area. With more venting at the ridge versus the soffit area, good venting may not occur.

There are some general rules of thumb for venting an attic space:

  • There should be one square foot (1 sq. ft.) of vent space for every 600 sq. ft. of attic area
  • Approximately 60% of your venting should be at the soffit area overhanging the house.

Without convection occurring you can trap air & inhibit good venting, which can promote condensation, frost in winter, wood rot and mould growth in your attic.

If you are thinking of installing turbine vents (sometimes called whirlybirds), we don’t recommend them as a general rule.

So…how is your attic venting?

When inspecting buildings we are often asked questions concerning various topics. Some of these queries can relate to issues not within the scope of a typical inspection. That’s not to say that information about these topics would not be useful however. For that reason, we wanted to include information on some of these topics your further review.

NOTICE: The information contained on the grassroots.ca website is not intended to be exhaustive nor does it necessarily apply to all buildings, systems, components and the likes. While some information may be able to be “transferred” to a building you’re interested in, it should not automatically be applied to it necessarily. It may however simply act as a prompter for areas you may wish to explore further. As such, the information herein is for information purposes only. It’s not intended to be an exhaustive listing of any / all related issues. Always consult a professional before purchasing, leasing or selling a building, or if proceeding with or considering any work to a building. Seek further professional advice, and, analysis including at least three (3) quotations from various professional reputable & qualified contractors before proceeding with any contemplated work, repairs, improvements, and / or, modifications to a building, to better establish the scope of any / all concerns.

Filed Under: All, Attics, Roof, Suggestions & Tips Tagged With: attic, condensation, hoar frost, mold, mould, roof vents, soffit vents, turbine vents, ventialtion

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