A piece of my ridge board was removed to install the original attic fan.Problem?
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A piece of my ridge board was removed to install the original attic fan.Problem?
I have a finished attic with vented space above the collar beams, about 4 ft high. My home is 25 years old. In making plans to replace the burned out ventilation fan, I noticed that when installed, a 2" X 2" X 5" piece of the bottom end of the 2" X 10" ridge board was removed to make room for the fan. I don't think this is a structural issue as I don't think the ridge board is weight bearing, but I worry that when I have the home inspected for resale it will come up as a code violation of some sort. Advice?
#3
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Ya, it's hard to know exactly what you have going on - http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...your-post.html
btw - welcome to the forums!
btw - welcome to the forums!
#6
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I worry that when I have the home inspected for resale it will come up as a code violation
I would think that sistering a 2x unto it would alleviate any concern ..... but I'm a painter, not a carpenter - they should be along later
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We're not planning on selling any time soon, probably not for another 8-10 years. A co-worker (a builder wannabe) suggested that remedy or a hurricane tie (whatever that is).
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As a painter, maybe you can answer another question. Should we be concerned about the wood rotting? Should we stain and seal it along the cut? If so, how?
#9
I wonder why they cut the ridge rather than just lowering the fan The ridge bears no vertical weight and where it is cut will present no real problems. Aesthetically , sistering it would be a good choice. THe wood won't likely have any rot problems since it is a dry location.
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I'm guessing they wanted to raise the fan above the black ductwork. I'll probably end up lowering the fan and sister the board. Would you recommend I sister both sides? How long should the sister board(s) be?
#12
I would not be happy to see mechanical ventilation. Passive wins, hands down. No maintenance and more effective, if installed properly (ie. soffit and ridge venting)
#13
I agree chandler, but the fact that there is a fan in there means someone has addressed a ventilation problem and not left it to cook the roof. What the cause of the venting problem was and whether the fan solved it or not is another issue.
I personally prefer wind driven turbine vents over ridge vents as they move much more air and are not subject to blockages like some ridge vents are.
I personally prefer wind driven turbine vents over ridge vents as they move much more air and are not subject to blockages like some ridge vents are.
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Should we be concerned about the wood rotting? Should we stain and seal it along the cut?
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I suspect the mechanical ventilation is not doing much. There is a screen over the vent that restricts ait flow considerably. Is there a way to improve on this and still keep the bugs and bats out?
#17
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You want to leave the screen in place. While you could replace it with hardware cloth and that would keep critters out, it would allow bees and other insects in
I don't know much about mechanical ventilation of attics but with passive ventilation it's all about having enough intake and exhaust. What do you have in the way of intake? You want the air to enter low [usually soffit vents] and exit high [gable, ridge or other high vents]
I don't know much about mechanical ventilation of attics but with passive ventilation it's all about having enough intake and exhaust. What do you have in the way of intake? You want the air to enter low [usually soffit vents] and exit high [gable, ridge or other high vents]
#18
One thing I see with that installation is you are drawing air from the outside, around the shroud, thus minimizing air flow from the attic. Is there a matching open gable on the other end?
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In answer to both marksr and chandler, yes, there are soffit vents in the unfinished space outside the knee walls on either side of the finished portion of the attic and a matching gable 35 ft away at the other end. There is at least a couple inches of space above the angled finished wall insulation allows air to flow from the unfinished attic space beyond the knee walls to the space between the gables above the "collar ties" that form the ceiling of the finished portion of the attic.
#21
If it were mine and I had only that fan and the other gable to move air, yes, some measure as innocuous as tar paper stapled outside the perimeters of the fan on the vent would help move air from the furthest point and not recirculate air immediately around the shroud.