Vent Masters
Inc.
 Golden, Colorado 303-271-0749 |
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| Specializing in Attic Ventilation | |
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PO Box 901 Golden CO 80402 303-271-0749 303-279-3912 (fax) |
Rooftop, Soffit and Gable VentsRooftop, soffit and gable vents use convection to ventilate. Hot, moist air rises and escapes through rooftop exhaust vents. Cool air is drawn in from the soffit vents. Both intake and exhaust vents are needed. Without soffit vents the hot air cannot escape; it is like sucking on a pop bottle. The net-free area of the soffit vents should equal the net-free area of the exhaust vents. These vents should be equally spaced around the attic area to avoid "hot spots". Care must be taken to be sure that the soffit vents are not obstructed by insulation. Insulation baffles can actually obstruct airflow if they are not installed properly.Rooftop Vents come in several styles and sizes.  RV51
roof vents are installed along the ridge of the roof. They have an
insect screen and have 51 square inches of net-free area. They are
usually available in black, brown, gray and galvanized. Vent
Masters will only install steel vents. B144
roof vents are larger, round vents. They also have an insect screen and
have 144 square inches of net-free area. They are available in beige
and brown and are made of steel. They are manufactured by Air Vent Inc. Ridge
vents are installed along the ridge, usually underneath the ridge
shingles. A gap is cut through the roof sheathing along the ridge and
then the ridge vent is installed. Several designs are available. Roll ridge vent is the least expensive.
Baffled ridge vents direct the wind up and over the ridge to provide
negative pressure and pull the hot air out of the attic. They also
offer more protection from wind driven rain and snow. Turbine vents have a rotating top that is turned by the wind or by the hot air flowing up through it. If the wind is blowing the spinning action of the blades can help pull hot air out of the attic. However, they do have a moving part that will not last as long as the rest of the roof. And they need to spin or rain and snow can come in. Soffit Vents provide cool intake air to the attic. Soffits are the overhanging areas where the roof overhangs the wall.  Rectangular
soffit vents are inexpensive and very effective. The are louvered with
an insect screen and are available in several sizes. The colors are
white, brown and galvanized. Continuous soffit vents are 2" wide and run along the length of the soffit. They are mostly for new construction as they are difficult to install as a retrofit. Mini-vents - Small round soffit vents from 2" to 4" are available. However, the amount of net-free area of these vents is so small that they are only used in special siturations. A 2" louvered mini vent has 1.5 square inches of net-free area and a 4" has only 5.17 square inches of net-free area. Louvered Gable Vents are placed at the ends of the attics. They can function as either intake or exhaust vents depending on the direction of the wind. They will not work as exhaust vents without soffit vents.  They can
be
square, rectangular, triangle shaped, or round. This photo is by Vent Masters. All other photos used with permission of Air Vent Inc. |