Roof Ridge Vent And Exhaust Fan

If air is drawn in through the ridge vent while it s raining it might pull rainwater in with it which could lead to leaking or mold in the attic.

Roof ridge vent and exhaust fan.

By installing more roof vents such as a ridge vent you increase the possibility that most attic air will come from outside says tim carter a residential contractor in cincinnati. A fan may actually suck air conditioned air from your home into the attic. If you have few vents in your attic most of the air will be drawn from inside the house. In this case the ridge vent pulls its intake air from the power fan which can lead to weather infiltration and poor ventilation along the underside of the roof deck.

Combining an attic power vent fan with a ridge vent is usually not recommended because. Fan rarely necessary vents that run along the roof ridge are an alternative to those that exit through the roof decking or gables and if the ridge is long enough they may be the only roof vents. It could reverse the natural flow of hot air out the ridge vent. When the power vent goes off it acts like a roof louver an opening on the roof without a motor.

Ridge vents are a passive system simply allowing hot air to rise up through them rather than pushing it out as a fan does. If you re tempted to vent your exhaust fan through an existing roof vent or even vent it into the attic don t do it. First you ll partially block your roof vent with the piping reducing the flow of cooling air through your attic. In most homes it is typically best to have only the ridge vent and remove.