Soffit baffles

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lcf02139

lcf02139

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I have seen many images like this one that shows soffit baffles only a couple feet high. Seems that the purpose of ventilation is undermined.

Aren't they supposed to go all the way to the ridge vent? If not, how long should the baffles extend?

Picture 33.png
 
If they extended to the ridge thge cool air wouldn't push the warm air out of the attic. They are about four feet long and should just extend into soffet area if you are using blown in insulation close the rest of the hole around the baffle with batt insulation.
 
I have another piece of information to consider. The ridge vent is blocked due to an apartment over the garage. Similar the the photo below where insulation was put in where the knee wall meets the pitched ceiling of the room. In that case, should the baffle extend thru the insulation for the air to have access to the ridge vent?

Picture 42.jpg

Picture 34.jpg
 
This an example of how the knee wall is insulated and the top of the knee wall is also insulated which blocks the air to the ridge vent. So, many extending the baffle thru the insulation to reach the ridge vent is necessary?

Picture 32.png
 
You seem to have the idea that the baffles are like a pipe from soffet to ridge vents. The baffel should be just long enough to allow soffet air to mix with the lower attic air and then the baffles over the knee wall should be just long enough to remove the air from that area and just long enough to clear the insulation that is blocking the bay. It is the warm air in the attic that makes the system work.
You are up against not enough insulation. Best would be to lower the slope inside and give a full 10" for insulation with 2" for airflow on the slope. I know that might be hard to do but that is what it should be.
 
Thanks so much. I am gaining a lot from your experience. I am a novice so excuse the million questions.

Just to be sure. The baffles should only extend into the crawl space 4 feet from the soffit vents.

No additional baffles are needed until you get to the top of the knee wall which forms the ceiling.

Then, from the top of the knee wall, under the insulation, the baffles are needed to reach the ridge vents.

This will leave most of the crawl space without baffles.

Do I have it correct? THANKS for your patience.
 
Yes what you want is to get the hot air out of the attic. Hot air rises as you will remember from your science class. When the hot air moves up it wants to go out the vents at the ridge when it leaves the space something has to replace it and that’s where the soffit vents allow cool air to enter the space thru the channels.
The hot air going out sucks cool air in behind it.
 
The baffles come four feet long, they sometimes don't need to be that long. The insulation wants to be over the outside wall and the knee wall and the baffle only need to be long enough to join the soffet cavity to the attic cavity and the two attics, most times 16 to 24 inches will do it. You want the air to mix on it's way thru.
 
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