no vent in the soffit and no room to install same

aa1bflyboy

In reading some prior posts I wish my problem were as easy as the original posters to cure. I have no vent in the soffit and no room to install same as there is only about 1" of soffit material, wood covered with aluminum. I'm wondering if I should put a roof vent of some sort 6"-8" up the roof from the guttering. his all came about as the contractor who is doing the inside work on the kitchen pointed out I have no vent in my soffit. One of the items he is doing is raising the ceiling to a partial cathedral then leveling off to a flat ceiling at 10". He installed the foam channel under the roof sheathing but pointed out I have no place for the air to vent in. I already have a ridge vents and gable vents. Will this be sufficient? I don't see how...
Homeowner in DE

dmc@RCR

Not until you install some type of soffit vent. Look into the vents that install behind the gutter. DCI is one brand.

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Gary in WA

Welcome to the forum! If you don't mind, I started your own thread rather than piggy-back or hi-jack another posters. You will get more answers this way.

Some basic reading for you; http://www.buildingscience.com/docum...on?full_view=1

http://www.ronhungarter.com/ventilation_repairs.html

Gary

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Roofmaster417

Good info,thank you sir.

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oh'mike

Title should have been "Moldy Attics and Why"

I've been dealing with moldy attics in a town home complex for years---About 10 years ago they reroofed the complex and eliminated the ridge vent and used to few mushroom vents.

In ten years the roofs are ruined---now all new sheeting and roofing is needed--Total cost to home owners---over $12,000 per unit----all because they cheaped out on the ridge vents 10 years ago--

And would not head my warnings 6 years ago to get the ridge vents in---Mike---

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rodeo

youre in a tough situation,
this problem would have been best fixed during a reroof - as so many roof issues seem to be - but I'm assuming thats not an option here.

to achieve pass thru venting, one less desirable option is to drill holes thru the fascia board that the rafters are attached to - one hole per rafter.
The fascia board will be weakened with so many holes so a judgement call has to be made - how big can the holes can be, how exposed to the weather will the hole be, structural buttressing to make up for the weakening etc...
Good carpentry instincts are needed for this or even a strucxural enginner.

Then you gotta ask yourself if you really need to add soffit vents.
Are you experiencing high indoor humidity or mold, frost in attic, pent up moisture in attic? You may or may not. Some homes are drafty enough that humidity levels never get a chance to get high - even without an active venting system.

Even without soffit vents, the ridge vent will still work to a point and that may be enough. Not ideal of course, as the ridgevent may actually be pulling interior air and exacerbating air leaks and stack effect.

If you can keep the indoor wintertime humidity levels at 35% or lower, then youre fine - though again, not the ideal solution. Without reroofing, compromises like this are common, especially with cathedral/flat roof type assemblies.