Attic venting unconditioned old summer cottage
We have a very old summer cottage that has a very large hipped gable roof. There are no ridge or gable vents. There are some ‘eave’ vents, primarily because the wood trim has shrunk and pulled away from the old T&G sheathing and thereby allowing air to enter. The ceiling is primarily old T&G bead boards. The cottage is in Zone 6 (IECC) and has no heating or cooling systems.
The problem is during mid-summer when the cottage gets very humid and hot in the upstair bedrooms.
1. We are thinking of providing new attic exhaust fans on both gable ends to get rid of the heavy humid air that builds up in the attic during summer. We would need a damper to clsoe this off during the winter – when we board up all of the windows and doors for the season.
2. We are also thinking of providing solar powered fans.
I would aprpeciate any thoughts/ concerns about the above approach.
Regards,
Molly
Replies
a Luddite's view
If this cottage is located in a mild climate my first thought would be window fans.
Molly,
My house has a very large gable fan located in the attic. The ceiling has a spring loaded damper that opens when the attic is under negative pressure. The system does a great job in cooling the house during spring and early fall. It's not really that effective during the high humid summer months but I ssuppose its better that nothing.
Good luck
Steve
Solar fans won't move enough air to do much and a fan on each end would simply fight each other. Put a fan on one end and open the window on the other to pull air through. However, the air you pull through will be ambient temperture and humidity.
Don't you think putting in a window would be a great addition for natural air circulation?