Roof Vents
Roof vents are an important part of your roof.
They allow moist air to escape your attic which helps prevent premature
aging of your roof and other damage. They also allow hot air to escape
your roof during the summer lowering your cooling costs.
Roof Vent Requirements
You should have one square foot of attic
venting for every three hundred cubic feet of air space in your attic. You
should also have an equal amount of intake vents as outtake vents or an
equal amount of soffits and roof vents to maintain a balanced flow of air.
The soffit vent is located under your roofs eave and allows air to flow
underneath the roof sheathing and out the roof vent up on top of your
roof.
Attic vents can be simply open fixed vents,
turbine vents or electric fan vents controlled by a thermostat. The type
of vent you use will depend on the size of your attic and the amount of
air that you need to move.
Installing Roof Vents
Installing a roof vent is not a very
complicated task. The hardest thing about it is working on your roof. Some
roofs are quite steep and can be dangerous to the inexperienced. If you
are unsure whether you can install a vent or have any doubts, call a
roofer in to do the job. The roof vent you purchase should come with
directions that you should read and follow, but here are the basic steps.
1. Determine where on the roof you want to
place the vents. They should be spaced evenly along the ridge of your
roof. Place them on the back side of the roof so they cannot be seen from
the street if possible and place them no more than two feet down from the
top of the roof.
2. Drill a guide hole in the roof where the
center of the vent will be. Make sure that your vent will not pass through
a rafter. Mark the diameter of the roof vent.
3. Using a reciprocating or saber saw, cut a
hole through the roofs shingles and plywood deck. Now trim back the
shingles at the top of the hole to allow for fitting the flange of the
vent.
4. Apply roof cement to the bottom of the vent
flange and position it in the hole sliding it underneath the roof
shingles. The roof shingles should be on top of the flange on the top and
on the sides. On the bottom, the flange should be above the shingles.
5. Attach the vent flashing to the roof with
nails and seal the nail holes with caulk and the roof shingles with
roofing cement.
The directions above are just an example of
the general steps involved in installing a roof vent. Always read and
follow the manufacturers instruction.
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