Is it possible to have too much ventilation from soffit to ridge vent ? Have cape cod with almost finished living space upstairs. about 1350 sq.ft. Siding guy mentioned it looked like it was overkill for size of upstairs. If there is too much can I just block off a section along lenght of soffits ? Seems pretty windy behind kneewall and I have vented the slant walls along the whole length of home and it has a good airflow to ridge vent .
I live in an open area in lower thumb of michigan.

Thanx for any input, Bill

 

Wind plays a major factor with attic ventilation. The problem is not your soffits but the ridge vents when it comes to wind. If you're familar with lift or how planes fly, you can visualize what's happening when the wind hits one side of the roof and goes over it.

As the wind goes over the roof, it wants to follow the surface of the roof. Since the roof is slanted downward and the velocity of the air, the wind flow over that section of the roof (very similar to air flow on wings of planes) is forced above the roof surface. The area between the the air flow and the roof is a vacuum or void that wishes to be filled. That's a nice way of saying a depressurized area looking to equalize. One of the sources to fill that void would be the ridge vents. And they get their air from the soffit vents.

If it's very windy in your area and if it's at all possible, I would recommend gable vents instead of ridge vents. It should solve your problem. And there no such thing as having too much ventilation.

 

I'm glad to hear that you can't have too much ventilation..... I was beginging to wonder.

 

Go to www.resercon.com and read the helpful articles on ventilation and insulation.