Attic Ventilation Soffit Ridge Balance

Soffit vents are one of the most popular intake vent styles.

Attic ventilation soffit ridge balance.

They are easy to install under the roof s overhang which is known as the soffit are generally hidden from sight and provide excellent protection from weather outdoor debris and pests while still allowing air to flow into the attic. Exhaust vents like attic fans ridge vents are primarily placed at the very top of the roof or the highest pitch where hot air gathers. In addition insulation baffles must be installed at the point where the attic floor meets the roofline to prevent the attic insulation from migrating into the cavities and restricting the airflow from the soffit vents. Adding under roof ventilation is usually a great idea but if the relative sizes of the intake and outlet vents are not proper the building will suffer increased heat loss and thus an unnecessarily high home heating bill.

Proper attic ventilation consists of a balance between air intake at your eaves soffits or fascias and air exhaust at or near your roof ridge. If the attic ventilation system is not a balanced combination of intake vents installed in the soffit under eave or at the roof s bottom edge and exhaust vents installed at or near the roof s peak the attic ventilation system will not be efficient and effective. These specialty vents do not affect the. 218 4 pieces 389 3 pieces 829 2 pieces.

Federal housing authority recommends a minimum of at least 1 square foot of attic ventilation evenly split between intake and exhaust for every 300 square feet of attic floor space. Let owens corning roofing help you calculate exactly how much ventilation you will need for a healthy and balanced attic with our 4 step ventilation calculator. Continuous or individual soffits. Rafter vents or insulation baffles install in any rafter space to create narrow gaps that direct fresh air from the soffit vents to the peak of the roof.

Where the location of wall or roof framing members conflicts. Intake vents such as soffits are placed lower on the roof usually under the eaves. The soffit vents allow convective air movement from the soffits of the residence to the ridge vent. Multiple types of vents can work together to create an equal inflow of cool air and outflow of hot air in your house.

Click to enlarge any image. Continuous ventilation systems with ridge and soffit vents keep attics dry. Outside air enters the attic space through soffit or eave vents rises through the attic space as it warms and exits through vents that are positioned at or near the top. The balance of the required ventilation provided shall be located in the bottom one third of the attic space.

Attic ventilation soffit intake to ridge outlet air flow or square inches ratio.