Here
is something you can vent about…
Q
- I think I need better
ventilation in my attic. Is there a problem with using a ridge vent and a power-ventilated fan in my attic?
I figure the
more air I can move the better off I will be.
Neal in Lilburn
A - Actually
you would think that when
it comes to removing hot air from your attic, the more ventilation systems the
merrier.
That however, is not the case.
The proper use of a ridge vent system is to have
soffit, or overhang vents that allow outside air to enter freely, move up
through the rafters, and then move out through the ridge vent.
(When you do this make sure your attic
insulation isn't blocking any of the vents.)
A power-ventilated fan in addition to a ridge vent can end up pulling air back
in through the ridge vent and force it out through
the fan, basically moving all the air to one small, localized area around the
fan. It doesn't ventilate the entire attic.
It can, at that point, be drawing air in
from the outside.
You can use a power fan with gable, canned
or soffit vents - or any combination of the four. But don't use it with a ridge vent.