My house has trouble staying cool. I was considering adding a powered attic fan (activated by thermostat) to clear out the heat in the attic, I'm hoping that will help.
Attic is 1344 sq. ft (48x28). Currently I have 2 big louvered gable vents (18"x24") and 5 roof (round) vents (12" x 12"). My eaves are wood all the way so I guess I have no intake vents (i.e. no soffits).
I believe the CFM required based on a formula that Ed the Roofer posted was 940 CFM, divide by 300 and that determines the amount of intake sq. footage you need to support the fan. So I'd need about 3.5 sq. feet of intake? That doesn't seem like a lot at all...
What exactly constitutes intake? Do I need to cut out my eaves and install a couple of soffit vents on each side of the house? Or is the gable louver on the opposite side of the house able to do double duty as an intake as well?
Ed, you mentioned I'd need to add some soffits, how many do you recommend (like I said, roof is 48' long, so do what would you recommend as to the number of soffits to add & the placement?)
Am I better off with a gable vent powered fan or the kind that you stick in directly on the roof? I assume gable is better since I wouldn't have to cut any new holes in the roof so it's easier to install?
OR should I just add soffits since I already have the 2 gable vents + 5 round roof vents, so if I add enough soffits, it would vent naturally instead of a powered solution?
How do I know for sure that I in fact DO need more ventilation in the attic? My dad suggests taking the temperature of my ceiling below the attic and if it's not hot or warmer than the air in my top floor, then it means my attic insulation is preventing heat transfer into the house so I may not need to add any ventilation....(even though the attic is like 20-30 degrees hotter than my top floor on a hot day)....does that make sense?
Thanks a TON!
Attic is 1344 sq. ft (48x28). Currently I have 2 big louvered gable vents (18"x24") and 5 roof (round) vents (12" x 12"). My eaves are wood all the way so I guess I have no intake vents (i.e. no soffits).
I believe the CFM required based on a formula that Ed the Roofer posted was 940 CFM, divide by 300 and that determines the amount of intake sq. footage you need to support the fan. So I'd need about 3.5 sq. feet of intake? That doesn't seem like a lot at all...
What exactly constitutes intake? Do I need to cut out my eaves and install a couple of soffit vents on each side of the house? Or is the gable louver on the opposite side of the house able to do double duty as an intake as well?
Ed, you mentioned I'd need to add some soffits, how many do you recommend (like I said, roof is 48' long, so do what would you recommend as to the number of soffits to add & the placement?)
Am I better off with a gable vent powered fan or the kind that you stick in directly on the roof? I assume gable is better since I wouldn't have to cut any new holes in the roof so it's easier to install?
OR should I just add soffits since I already have the 2 gable vents + 5 round roof vents, so if I add enough soffits, it would vent naturally instead of a powered solution?
How do I know for sure that I in fact DO need more ventilation in the attic? My dad suggests taking the temperature of my ceiling below the attic and if it's not hot or warmer than the air in my top floor, then it means my attic insulation is preventing heat transfer into the house so I may not need to add any ventilation....(even though the attic is like 20-30 degrees hotter than my top floor on a hot day)....does that make sense?
Thanks a TON!