Attic Ventilation Needs

How to determine whether you need better attic ventilation.

Attic ventilation needs.

His home is 48 feet long and has a ridge vent that measures 46 feet. Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. The ventilation amount and opening size requirements can be found in section 806 roof ventilation of chapter 8 roof ceiling construction. Federal housing authority recommends a minimum of at least 1 square foot of attic ventilation evenly split between intake and exhaust for every 300 square feet of attic floor space.

The majority of the requirements related to attic ventilation have not changed much from the previous editions. Foot of ventilation for every 150 sq. His next step is to calculate the total amount of ventilation that he has in his attic. In the summer good attic ventilation reduces heat buildup.

Attic ventilation requirements how many attic vents your roof needs industry standard for proper attic ventilation recommends for no vapor retarder type of attic insulation no paper plastic or aluminum layer between the attic floor and insulation layer 1 sq. He has calculated that he needs 7 36 square feet of ventilation space for his attic. In the winter warm moist air seeps into the attic from the living space below. In other words the entire vent opening doesn t count as vented space.

Let owens corning roofing help you calculate exactly how much ventilation you will need for a healthy and balanced attic with our 4 step ventilation calculator. The following are the requirements taken directly from the irc. Your soffit ventilation actually needs to be considerably more than 336 net square inches to supply a 700 cfm fan system or the fan is going to pull the air it needs through unsealed holes and gaps in the attic floor from the conditioned living space. That cuts cooling costs and prolongs shingle life.

Proper attic ventilation consists of a balance between air intake at your eaves soffits or fascias and air exhaust at or near your roof ridge. Generally speaking you need a ratio of 1 300 where for every 300 square feet of ceiling space you need 1 square foot of attic ventilation. Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool. Good ventilation allows the heat and moisture to escape.

Throughout the balance of this digest the terms attic and roof will and can be used interchangeably. Feet of attic space divided 50 50.