oldognewtrick

Do a search for Lomanco, Inc., Ventilation, Ventilators, Vents, Whirlybirds, Intake Vents, Exhaust Vents, Foundation Vents, Attic ventilation or http://www.airvent.com/homeowner/index.shtml they both mfg a drip edge vent made for the introduction of air into attics with little or no soffit area.

nealtw

Broan: Attic Ventilation


check this out, the have solar powered fans.

oldognewtrick

Neal, any power vent system will cavatate if you do not have adequate intake ventilation along the soffit.

nealtw

I kinda think this is one of those houses built without a soffit board and actually has blocking between the rafters. I'm not sure there is a good answer for a tight budget.

oldognewtrick

If the house has open rafters at the wall, the are vents that are installed between the courses of shingles above the wall. Smart Vent makes a product for just this application.

SmartVent by DCI - The #1 Choice for Attic Intake Ventilation

nealtw

I like that one!

inspectorD

Ok, my 2cents,
A few things to look for with the Smartvent to prevent serious trouble from icedamns.
make sure that there is enough room at the framing of the bottom of the rafter for enough insulation.Do not pack it in.
The other is make sure the venting at the top is good and open.

I would remove any gable vents from the equation also.

__________________
Just My
Made in the

UnequivocallyM

I second this, one of the problems we've run into in our home as well as a family member's home was having the insulation jammed right down the rafters to the soffits, which was causing all kinds of trouble.

Check to make sure none of the soffits have been boarded over (seen this in older homes before) from the attic side -- if they have you can either elect to remove the boards or drill ventilation through them. As a rule of thumb you should be able to see some daylight from your soffits inside the attic.

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"..the hand is the cutting edge of the mind.."-Jacob Bronowski

Perry525

Lets look at this a different way!

Your home is hot during the warmer months and cold during the winter because of the way it was built.

I would guess that it is a typical light weight American home with a wooden frame that is joined to the roof and walls on one side and the comfort zone on the other.

When the sun shines on the roof and walls the heat is conducted straight into the home.

In the heating season the warm air in the rooms is conducted to the outside via the wood frame.

I suggest you buy a Infrared temperature gun gauge and use it to read the temperature of the roof and walls. All you do is point it at whatever you want to measure and squeeze the trigger, the temperature shows instantly.

Go round the outside of your home reading the temperatures, then do the same on the inside, this will pinpoint the places where the heat is arriving.

Once you know the problem, the solution is simple.

Either take off the outside of your home, roof and sidings, fit about five inches of polystyrene sheet over the frame and replace the roof and sidings, or take off the dry wall, install the polystyrene on the inside and replace the drywall.

Either of the procedures will solve your problem, the outside solution is more work and will change the look of your home, the inside solution is less work, uses less material and will be cheaper and quicker and it will save you more money when heating or cooling your home.

269afemur

I like the smartvent, but I am hoping not to have to put a roof on this house before we sell it.

I have been thinking of a powervent. Has anyone used one of these?