Installing Attic Ventilation without Soffits

Attic ventilation is an important part of the overall health of your home. Without adequate attic ventilation many problems such as mold, water rot, and holes in the ceiling can develop. These problems result in costly repairs and even sickness (in the case of the mold) if not taken care of. With effective attic ventilation, a homeowner can see great savings in their home heating bills as the temperature in the attic is controlled by the natural air flow. In many homes, the presence of soffits helps with the attic ventilation because of the way they let in air. What if your home does not have soffets?

Attic Ventilation without Soffits

If your home is not equipped with soffits, it does not mean that you can not do any attic ventilation. It will require a few different types of projects, but they can easily be done by a do it yourself homeowner. Some of there projects are fairly involved, but with the right tools they can be done without a lot of problems.

Install Ridge Vent

The purpose of attic ventilation is to let the air trapped inside escape while also bringing in fresh air. This circulation keeps condensation from being able to build, and the attic area cooled during the summer and heated during the winter. This saves on energy bills over the year. To do this, and integral part of this is some sort of ridge vent. This is installed a few inches below the ridge of the roof on both sides. The stale air can rise up and out of the attic.

Install Roof Fan

A fan that is located on the roof will do a lot to circulate stale air out of the attic. This type of attic ventilation is a little more involved, but can still be completed by a homeowner. Many of these roof fans are also solar powered so there is no need to worry about working with electricity or added burden on the energy bills. The roof fan also moves the air, but it is set to certain conditions before they begin to work.

Install Attic Vents

An attic vent for homes without a soffit will go onto the wall of the attic rather than along the eaves. This type of vent is located on both ends of the home to allow for a cross breeze to happen with new air. Installing a ridge vent, or a roof fan, are recommended for quality attic ventilation, but will not do much if there is no way for fresh air to enter into the attic. These vents are very easy to install, and should be done if your home does not currently have any.

Eave Vents

Much like a soffet ventilation is the eave ventilation. These vents are located along the edge of the roof deck and under the eaves. The eave vent allows for fresh air to be pulled in through the attic by the rising air out from the top of the ridge line. If you're doing this job yourself, you must be careful as there is not a lot of room to work with and the eaves must be pushed through from the inside.