Your home’s roof ventilation and overall performance may be significantly impacted by the kind of roof vents you decide to install on it. Here are 7 best types of roof vents for you, including pros & cons and which one you should choose.
What is Attic Ventilation?
Your attic’s ventilation is a system that allows your house to breathe. It functions by forcing fresh air into your attic and allowing heat to properly escape through your vents.
Active and passive attic ventilation systems are available. Air is pushed out from the inside while being drawn in from the outside by active ventilation. Attic air is moved by natural forces, like the wind, in passive ventilation.
There is no superior ventilation system; both do the same thing. However, if your attic isn’t properly ventilated, issues will arise.
What Are the Types of Roof Vents?
The two types of ventilation systems and what attic ventilation is are now clear to you. There are various roof vent styles available for each system.
The Types of Active Roof Vents
Air is drawn in through the intake vents and pushed out the exhaust vents by active vents, which create a drawing effect. Active roof vents can be classified into four categories: solar, ridge, power, and turbine.
Turbine Vents
In order to circulate the air in your attic even when there is no wind, turbine vents, also referred to as whirly birds, use a drawing effect through convection (heat rising).
The air in your attic is moved about 10–12 times per hour if this type of vent is installed correctly.
It’s a common misconception that turbine vents can let in rain, snow, and insects because they have slats on them and are open to the attic. But unless the vent is damaged, none of this will happen.
Power Vents
Power vents are the low-profile, circular vents you typically see on roofs.
They are put in close to the ridge (top) of the roof and draw the hot air from the attic using electricity. Your power vents should be turned on with a humidistat during the winter.
In the absence of this, condensation will form in your attic, shortening the life of your roof. Power vent motors frequently break down, so be ready to replace them at some point.
Solar Powered Vents
The sun serves as the power source for solar powered vents, which are similar to power vents.
From an energy conservation perspective, these vents make sense, but they turn off when the solar-powered battery is recharging.
The issue is that the power required to power the motor means that the solar panel can’t maintain a charge long enough to run the vent continuously. As a result, your air conditioner may run longer while the battery is charging, increasing your energy costs.
Ridge Vents With a Baffle
The entire length of the roof’s ridge is cut to accommodate ridge vents.
Due to their low visibility from the ground, this type of vent is popular. The drawback of these vents, despite their enormous popularity, is that they can allow insects, debris, rain, and snow to enter the attic if they don’t have a filter.
A ridge vent is a passive vent if it lacks a baffle, which are chutes that create a channel for air to flow through your attic.
The Types of Passive Roof Vents
Passive vents circulate air through your attic using natural forces like convection and wind. These vents are virtually maintenance-free, silent, and free of moving parts.
Gable end vents, static vents without a baffle on the ridge, and passive roof vents are the three most popular types.
Static Vents
On your roof, static vents resemble tiny boxes. In order for them to function, heat must be allowed to convect out of the roof.
Accordingly, hot air is forced out of the vents as the temperature in your attic rises. The terms “turtle vents” and “box vents” may also be used to describe static vents.
Ridge Vents Without a Baffle
This type of roof vent is cut into the ridge and extends the entire length of the ridge, just like the active variation. The absence of the baffle (chute that acts as an air channel) is the only difference.
Without a baffle, ridge vents have the drawback of allowing debris, rain, snow, insects, etc. to enter. to enter your attic.
Gable End Vents
A wooden vent called a gable end vent is installed on the exterior wall of your attic below the point where the two slopes of your roof converge. In order to move air into and out of your attic, this vent depends on wind from the outside.
The Most Popular Types of Roof Vents (And Their Benefits)
There are many different kinds of roof vents, and each one has advantages and disadvantages. The most popular types of roof vents will be discussed in this article, along with how they contribute to the optimal performance of your roof.
We’ll discuss typical exhaust vents first, which let air out of your house; after that, we’ll discuss intake vents, which let air flow into your house. Both are essential for the proper operation of your roof.
Ridge Vents
A ridge vent for your roof is the most typical style of exhaust vent. The best location for these is right along the ridge of your roof, but they can also be installed by positioning a few different box vents close to it. This keeps your attic nice and dry and guarantees a constant flow of air.
Pros:
- Consistent airflow
- The most efficient vent system
- Blends in with your ridge for a seamless look
Cons:
- Can be difficult to install
- If any part of your roof’s ridge is damaged, it could compromise your vent system
Off Ridge Vents
Off-ridge vents actually resemble box vents more because they simply sit among your shingles rather than the ridge itself. However, they resemble traditional ridge vents in both appearance and operation.
Off ridge vents are not nearly as common as other types of exhaust vents, in part because they are smaller and less effective. They are effective for roofs without a long ridgeline and those that call for a vent that is more aesthetically pleasing than a box.
Pros:
- Easy to install
- Can be placed anywhere on your roof
Cons:
- Less efficient than other options
- It may not be as durable
- Not ideal for areas with a lot of hot air to expel
Box Vents
If you picture an exhaust vent on a roof, box vents are probably what come to mind. They are quite prevalent but not as aesthetically pleasing as the previous two kinds.
Although box vents are excellent for quickly expelling hot air, they can be less effective than other types of vents. Near the ridge but not on it, they are frequently placed every few feet. They always have a thicker base with flashing to ensure no leaks and can be found in a variety of colors to match your shingles.
Pros:
- Can be strategically placed where you need them most
- Can be colored to match your roofing colors
- Ideal for more complex roof shapes with many valleys and fewer ridges
Cons:
- Smaller in size (18 x 18 inches) and can’t as quickly release hot air
- Susceptible to cracks and damage from hail or high winds
Electric-Powered Vents
Your roof’s ventilation power is increased by these hard-wired vents. These powered vents can remove stale or humid air from your attic without the aid of wind. When you need it most, like in the muggy summers, they can do it consistently or when you least expect it.
These have the drawback of having the potential to force heated or conditioned air in your home outside, increasing energy costs. Consider how much power you need or want in your exhaust vents when considering this option.
Pros:
- You can ventilate your attic when you need to
- Don’t need a windy day to ventilate
Cons:
- Can produce more power than needed
- Can drive energy costs up by pulling out heated or cooled air from your home’s interior
- Also, drive energy costs up by running off your home’s electricity
- If it breaks it’s not an immediate fix
Solar Powered Vents
The future is with solar-powered vents. They should essentially be in the best position to gather the right amount of solar energy to run and can require less energy costs (almost $0) to power them.
They are unquestionably the priciest vents you could possibly purchase, and it can be challenging to control how effectively they operate. Despite the fact that they are less expensive to operate than the hard-wired types, they share the same issue with being either way too powerful, or not powerful enough.
Pros:
- Energy-efficient
- Cheaper than hard-wired models
Cons:
- Can be too powerful and draw out too much air
- If they can’t charge, they can’t run
Roof Turbines (Wind Powered)
One of the most typical styles of exhaust vents are roof turbines. They rely on the wind to help spin a turbine that will assist in removing air from your attic.
These have the drawback of not working if there is no wind. They may also break or come loose by spinning too quickly if there is too much wind.
Pros:
- They’re common and easy to find
- Help reduce moisture and heat in your attic
Cons:
- Need wind to function
- Too much wind can break or tear them off your roof
Cupola Vents
If you want to give your house more curb appeal, cupola vents are an excellent choice. They frequently come in a wide range of sizes and shapes and can really draw attention to the top of your house.
These can be pricey, with prices starting at about $1,000, which is a drawback. They can be challenging to install and require more maintenance than other kinds of vents.
Pros:
- Offer great curb appeal
- Can increase the value of your home
Cons:
- Expensive
- Require more maintenance than other types of vents
- Difficult to install
- Birds may often make nests in them, blocking airflow
Why is Attic Ventilation Important to Your Roof and Home?
Now that you are aware of the most typical roof vent types. The ventilation system and desired look will determine which roof vent you select.
It doesn’t matter what style of roof vent you choose; what matters most is that your attic is properly ventilated. If it’s not, it will cause a lot of expensive issues and headaches in the future.
It is crucial to understand why adequate attic ventilation is crucial for both your roof and your home. Since it’s so crucial, we’ve already broken it down for you.
The crew at Bill Ragan Roofing has been assisting Nashville-area homeowners with all things roofing since 1990, including something as crucial as attic ventilation. So, when conducting an inspection, one of the first things we look for is appropriate ventilation.
What Are the Roof Ventilation Methods?
Active vertical ventilation, passive horizontal ventilation, and passive vertical ventilation are the three main methods for ventilating your roof.
The air is simply allowed to move by convection in a passive vertical ventilation system since it lacks any moving parts. The exhaust vents on or near the topmost portions of your roof allow hot air to rise and escape, which lowers the pressure of the air inside your house. Cooler and cleaner air from the outside enters the house through intake vents on the lower portions of the roof because air moves from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure.
Passive vertical ventilation, which only needs proper construction to function, is the most dependable and simple to maintain of the available techniques. Furthermore, most roofs can be easily and affordably modified to allow for this kind of ventilation. This ventilation technique is the most widely used of all due to all of these factors.
Active vertical ventilation, in contrast to passive vertical ventilation, draws air from the house through rooftop exhaust vents that are powered by wind or electricity.
On the other hand, passive horizontal ventilation depends on the wind to blow cool air into vents on one side of the house and push out hot air through vents on the other. This technique, also referred to as cross ventilation, makes use of vents that can allow air in or out so that they will continue to function even if the wind is blowing in the opposite direction.
Because the airflow from one ventilation method interferes with the flow of the other, vertical and horizontal ventilation cannot be used in the same structure.
How to Get the Right Roofing Vents Installed on Your Home
Your best option for getting the right kind of vents and the proper installation you need to lengthen and improve the life of your roof is to hire a professional roofer. The proper vent can be chosen, along with the installation methods, colors, and styles, by a competent roofer. It can be done properly with Northface Construction.
Conclusion: What is the BEST Roof Vent?
Anyone who blatantly asserts that one vent system is better than another does not comprehend the true problem. The fact that not all homes are the same and not all homes are in the same climate makes it crucial to realize that not all homes will utilize the same ventilation options. The roof vent that takes into account the airflow in your house is the BEST roof vent. In order to remove the most square footage of air, it also affects how the roof is designed. Find an objective roofing contractor who will create a unique ventilation system for your home in order to address this question.