Soffit Ridge Vent Attic Fan

They re most effective when used in conjunction with a continuous ridge vent.

Soffit ridge vent attic fan.

I really like the idea of just using a ridge vent and soffit vents but my concern is that the shallow pitch and long distance from the soffit to the ridge will not allow for efficient upward movement of air. However if your attic has blocked soffit vents and is not well sealed from the rest of the house attic fans will suck cool conditioned air up out of the house and into the attic. The attic fan would go on the gable end and push outside air into the attic space to keep it the same as the outside temp. The standard intake vent for attics is a soffit vent also sometimes referred to as an eave vent and it allows for air to enter the attic down low near the eaves.

Roof vents are extremely important when it comes to attic ventilation. Roof vents are available in many styles and materials. An attic s intake vents are most commonly installed directly in the soffit either as individual vents spaced every few feet or as one continuous perforated soffit running the entire length of the. Good insulation reduces fan effectiveness.

This is different from soffit vents which allow air to travel into the attic. The downside of attic ventilation fans. Attic fan ventilation attic fans are intended to cool hot attics by drawing in cooler outside air from attic vents soffit and gable and pushing hot air to the outside. Attic ventilation fans whether hard wired or powered by their own solar panels seem like a low cost and effective way to help keep your house cool.

Also since the fan is powered by the sun it should turn off when the sky is overcast during a storm which will keep it from drawing rain into the attic. The ventilation that controls moisture from condensation and regulates the temperature in your attic relies on air circulation. Ridge vents are a passive system simply allowing hot air to rise up through them rather than pushing it out as a fan does. Since your solar vent fan only moves 500 cfm a third to half that of a typical hardwired attic vent fan it probably won t move enough air to reverse the action of the ridge vent.

Intake air is critical to maintaining a proper flow of air throughout the attic space. Like attic fans ridge vents are designed to exhaust air that is already inside the attic. These vents allow outside air to enter the attic at the lowest point of the roof along the underside of the eave. Soffit vents come in several sizes and styles including small round discs and rectangular grilles.

Hvi recommends a ratio of 60 to 40 for soffit ventilation to gable or ridge ventilation.