I know the importance of proper attic ventlation, through ridge and sopfit venting I bought a home in October that has solid sofit .There are two gable vent and ridge venting. I have been getting snow blowing up into the attic from the gable vents. Is it ok to cover them up for winter with plastic of cardboard as a temporary measure?
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Try mosquito netting behind the gable vent with a flashing underneath to catch the snowmelt and let it get back out of the house.
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thanks, the vents already have a screen, and I guess if i put flashing underneath it would catch snow, but when the temp rises im not sure if the water would roll back out the vent. I guess what i meant to say is that in the summer having proper air flow helps keep a house cool. does having proper air flow in the winter keep it warmer?or can i block it off for a couple of months with out any issues. The other reason is that the soft isnt vented so that is why i was concerned about lack of ar flow. thanks for youre help. kb
kb62,
It depend's on your location,(fill out your profile.) If you are in a cold location and block off the vent's it may cause ice dam's, jamb's and ice and other problem's. My house was built in 54, just bought it two year's ago. The first winter I had ice, and lot's of it, i put in a ridge vent and soffit vent, and now ,no ice any where. I now have 18" of snow on the roof and no ice.( I have to get the snow off the roof ; (
northeastvt
I live in Michigan and i have a 1' on the roof now. Its a ranch with a 6/12 so im not sure wher it would ice dam. But as far as what you whwere saying is it would dam because of the lack of fresh (cold) air, and warm air would be trapped hence ice dam? kb
kb62,
And in my opinion, no, it wont keep it any warmer.
northeastvt
I'll bet that screen is 1/4" or similar, not the tight mesh of a bug screen. The vent should already be flashed properly if it was installed correctly. You might want to try attaching it with hot melt glue.Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
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youre right it is. its a metal luvered vent in brick s as far as re-flasing it im not sure,rain ist getting in. ill try tighter screen.. thanks everone for youre input!! kb
If you have both ridge venting and gable venting blocking off the gable vents temporary should not matter. Summer project would be putting in sofit vents and adding screening to the exterior of the gable vents which should solve your problem long term. Jay
thats the plan to take down the old sofit put in vented and blow more insulation in. thanks kb
Eventually you want to block off the gable vents and install soffit vents.
If you got gable and ridge your attic not venting anyway. Its coming in the gable and going out the ridge. not helping at all. plywood the gable and install some soffey vents
General Q to everyone from a southern boy....
How do ridge vents work (at all) when there is a foot of snow on the roof?
good point!
They work. It's rare for there to be any large amount of snow on the ridge to begin with, and warm air from inside will generally melt a hole through whatever snow does built up.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
Thanks brown bag, i have had diffent friends (in th trade) roofers, siders, insulation contractors all give me a differnt opnion what what is sufficent air flow, some say it is others say its not. is there an article or sorce that you now that i can check out? thanks kb
>> is there an article or sorce that you now that i can check out? <<
Spend some time reading at this web site: http://www.airvent.com/professional/whyVent/whyVent.shtml
thanks matt
I would bet that between the brick pocket and brick are enough cracks to allow some venting and also between the roof decking and fascia there are probably some gaps too.
I just installed a powered gable vent in my moms house and it made a big difference by itself.
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
tell me about the powered vent fan. where did you get it? easy to install?
Its a powered gavble vent fan you can buy them at lowes or HD they also sell a louvre set to go on the outside that closes when the fan is not running. They have themostats and you can get them with humidity control also you put a sreen between the fan and the rough opening run under a 100$ for the set .
ANDYSZ2WHY DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT BEING A SOLE PROPRIETOR IS A REAL JOB?
REMODELER/PUNCHOUT SPECIALIST
Lots of folks here (including myself) will advise against the power vent, both because of the noise and because of the maintenance issues (they rarely last more then 3-4 years, and they're a PITA to service). Plus there's no evidence that they do better than ridge vents except in specific cases where venting is difficult.A power vent won't eliminate the need for soffit vents.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
Thanks Dan .
Moisture will enter the attic from the conditioned spaces below. Proper venting in the winter will allow the moisture to escape the attic rather than condensing on the attic surfaces. So, it has nothing to do with keeping the house warmer.
(this being the internet and all, if I don't caveat the above statement, someone will be along to point out that, in extreme cases, if there was sufficient condensation in the attic that it soaked and compressed the attic insulation, then, yes, improper venting could cause your house to be colder. )
Gable vents are not particularly useful when paired with ridge vents. As others have pointed out, you really need to install soffit vents. To get the circulation you desire, you need a way for air to enter and exit the attic using thermal currents. You've got the "exit" with your ridge vents. Soffit vents will provide the "entrance".
thank you, im very clear on youre points. so heres where im at. i will be putting sofit vents in the spring. until then should i block or leavethe gable vent open i thought that some air would get in that way. the other issue was blowing snow but some one recomended doing a tight screen to keep snow out. also i have a pull down stair my garage to access that area. Would it be a good iea to leave it down for fresh air to enter? thanks for your help. kb
I assume the house has been around for a while and there is no evidence of a condensation problem, past or present? If that's correct, the status quo is unlikely to be a problem for one more winter. Either put screening on the gable vents, or block them off. I wouldn't bother with leaving the stairs down.
yup its a all brick ranch built in the 60s newish roof on it 5/12 no signs of water problems. except by the master bath fan only when its really cold i get 6" diameter of frost on the sheathing but none else where. so what do you think? skip the stair idea? mesh the vents?
I assume that the bath fan is venting through the roof? Make sure that all the joints in the ductwork are tightly sealed. (Use foil tape.) The thing you definitely DON'T want is a bath fan venting into the attic.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
correct dan it is venting through the roof. i used duct tape not foil,ill get some and redo it. along story short, i bought this home last october and gutted it down to he palster walls new fixtures, trim, every thing what i think it might be is that i removed the old bath ban and installed a new one and maybe some heat is slipping through the cut out? any sugestions
If you can get to the cutout from above, seal it (between drywall edge and fan box) with anything that will work -- caulk, drywall mud, Silly Putty, whatever. No need to be neat.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
good idea! yea its a plaster ceiling so all the can lights and fans where a lot of fun to install. i will caulk that when i re tape it.. thanks