Installing a new ridge vent on roof (room, insulation, build)
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First, measure the temperature in your attic. Around 120F, even 130F on a sunny day is normal. Reduction of heat to the interior is best effected by insulation on the floor of the attic. If you have standard shingles, it may surprise you to learn that the primary factor in their aging is the UV light striking them from above, not heat. That is something that I personally had a hard time getting my head around.
So... in light of the above, what is the purpose of increasing the venting of the roof? It may be a problem that is crying out for no answer. I had turbines installed on our house in Florida. They worked fine, but the axis of rotation has to be even and the bearing in good shape or they can be noisy. Did they cool the attic? A little. I don't regret having installed them, but it would have likely been fine without them.
I investigated ridge vents, looked at a few, and felt that in an area with hurricanes they were foolish. I'm not a fan of them.
I would love the ridge vent, but my only problem is that I could only add a couple of soffit vents next to the ones I already have on the side and front of the house due to a patio that comes up to the eaves along the backside of the house and there's no way to add any more soffit vents there.
Well, if you're so Hell-bent on a ridge vent, put one in. But, when it doesn't improve whatever it is that you're trying too do remember throwing good money after bad is...
Bad.
I guess the formula for configuring attic ventilation I posted previously was too mathematical?
It's not so much where the vents are as much as having the right amount.
So glad I found this thread. We just bought our home in California, 1500 sq. ft. house, and it has NO attic ventilation. No dormers, no soffit vents, nothing. We've been planning on just having a few dormers installed, but after reading this thread, I'm questioning that.
What's the most economical thing to do? Funds are fading fast... Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Sorry, but I have no idea what kind of roof or what the pitch is. It's tile, and that's about all I know. Where would I find out the answers to your questions?
I've attached pics, taken counter-clockwise from the front. Happy to provide more, if you need.
Lets start with, you have what is referred to as a gable roof. You also have exposed rafter tails (no soffit), but the unique thing is plank decking at the exposed rafter tails. The question is, does the plank decking cover the whole roof? Or when in the attic can you see the clay tiles and daylight here and there?
As a general rule when venting an attic with a roof system that uses exposed rafter tails you use these between every rafter for an air intake source: Round Soffit Vents - VentMyHouse.com
Then for the exhaust you have several options- power roof ventilator (mechanical), or gable vents, or these: O'Hagin Mfg.. Both of which create a passive system by means of convection. I have heard of using ridge vent material with clay tile, but I'm not a fan of the aesthetics from the finished install. Which is why I strongly suggest the O'Hagin vent system.
The flip-side of all of this is, depending on the age of the house, doing nothing at all maybe all that's needed. I state this be ause older homes are notorious air leakers- you may already be getting adequate ventilation for the attic.
When I re-roofed my home in California it was required to be brought up to the new standard, so they used a ridge vent. Apparently my eave vents were good enough. I noticed a difference in how cool the house stayed. There's another vent they can use use in lieu of the ridge vent, but in my opinion the ridge is the best.
Gets hot here too? Going to be 84 today here just North of Reno.
One of the big factors in attic ventilation is what sort of interior ceiling configuration is the house built with -- if the house has no access to eave space ( typically because of cathedral ceilings...) it may not make sense to try to add ventilation. ...
You guys are all great - thanks so much for all of the feedback. We do have cathedral ceilings in just about every room, except for the kitchen and dining room. There is a big offender in terms of heat, though, and that's the loft bedroom that is over the garage. It's easily 10 degrees higher in that room, if not more, than the rest of the house.
If I have the right idea of what you're referring to as planking, the white boards as shown in the 4th and 6th pictures (minus my finger), then yes, those are all around the whole house. From the outside, I can't see where there are any openings or spots where I would be able to see light in the attic. Should I get up in the attic to confirm that light is coming in? There are two access points, one in the garage and one off of the kitchen, and then a third little storage space over the porch.
It would be wise to get up in the access space every once in a while. Check the insulation --- it should be dry, free of any insect / rodent damage and uniformly deep/ fluffed up. If you need to verify the R-value , vapor barrier and general weather sealing that is probably going to do more to help with keeping house comfortable / efficient than venting...
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