Question about whirlybird vents.
#1
05-22-14, 07:57 AM
Question about whirlybird vents.
I am being told by a few people that if i start putting whirlybird vents on the roof that the other vents would be sucked into them and heat would not leave the attic. Has anybody tested this by using a smoke or fog machine?
#2
05-22-14, 08:23 AM
Group Moderator
You need vents both high and low in your attic for good ventilation. Heat rises so the hot air will exit from the high vents and fresh cool air will come into the attic through the lower vents.
#3
05-22-14, 08:45 AM
Seems ok.
I see soffit vents every so many feet and have had contractors tell me it is setup perfectly. I just want whirlybirds because they should pull air out of attic faster. At least i hope lol.
#4
05-22-14, 05:54 PM
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wet side of Washington state.
Posts: 16,321
Received 38 Upvotes
on
30 Posts
Downside to "whirlybird" (more properly called turbine) vents is that they are mechanical devices. They rust, the bearings fail, they make noise and they don't work unless there is sufficient wind. A totally passive system using a ridge vent in conjunction with soffit vents is almost always preferable.
#6
05-22-14, 07:04 PM
Member
I used wind turbine vents on 3 different houses in NM over the course of 25+ years. I liked them. During that time, they pulled hot air out of the attic like nobody's business, never developed a bit of rust (being galvanized steel), and a shot of Tri-Flow on the bearings once a year is all it took to keep them running well (and quietly).
