Before we explore how to ventilate an attic space it is prudent to understand how much ventilation is needed.
Proper way to ventilate an attic.
It can do both.
Rafter vents should be placed in your attic ceiling in between the rafters at the point where your attic ceiling meets your attic floor.
Add weatherstripping around the perimeter and a sweep to the door of a walk up attic.
Use a zippered insulated tent to keep the enclosure draft free attic tent at 7 attic cover insulator 120.
How many vents do you need.
These vents allow outside air to enter the attic at the lowest point of the roof along the underside of the eave.
Affix rigid foam insulation to the attic side of the hatch or door.
Ridge vent must me installed per the manufactures instructions.
Then aim for about 1 sq.
Pull down stair or ladder.
The most popular way to ventilate an attic is to take advantage of buoyancy or warm moist air s natural tendency to rise especially when pushed by cold air beneath it.
Hot air exhaust vents located at the peak of the roof allow hot air to escape.
If you re finishing your attic insulating it to the proper r value can cause a dramatic loss of headroom if you limit yourself to fiberglass batts.
One last thought attic ventilation is not there to get rid of heat it is there to get rid of excess moisture accumulating from the home.
To meet all three goals insulating your finished attic ventilating the roof and maximizing headroom use a combination of dense batt insulation rigid foam sheeting and air chutes.
Ventilation can be accomplished using various products and techniques.
Best ventilation is open soffit venting to a open vented ridge vent.
Most building codes require a ratio of 1 150 ventilation space to attic floor space.
First determine your attic area by multiplying the length by the width.
Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool air to enter the attic.
Attic hatch or door.
In of vent opening per 150 sq.
A 30 x 40 ft.
If your home is fitted solely with small gable end vents or a ventilator high in the roof you might want to consider adding soffit vents to increase airflow.
Homes are naturally filled with warm moist air on a daily basis thanks to human physiology and activities such as cooking and showering.
Attic for example has an area of 1 200 sq.
Ventilation of attic spaces is required by most building codes as well as by roofing material manufacturers and the national roofing contractors association nrca.