I'm getting a new roof which of course has lead into
the age old discussion of how best to vent it. I've
got 2 contractors saying ridge only is best, the other
insisting that power fans are superior. Personally, I
can see advantages and disadvantages to both. I'm
interested in other experiences and opinions.

So, here's the deal. The roof consists of 3 seperate
sections. One of those is a cathedral ceiling, so using
a ridge vent there is a given. The other two sections which
are the area of interest a

Section 1 - Currently has a gable vent in one end and
a power fan near the other end.

Section 2 - Currently has a gable vent in each end, with
a power fan blowing air out behind one of those gables. This
section is over the 2nd floor bedrooms where keeping it cool is
very important.

All sections have continous soffit venting, about 2" wide.
All 3 roofers say that is sufficient and doesn't need to be
improved.

Two of the roofers say to go with ridge vent on both of
these roofs, get rid of the existing power fan.

One roofer insists that I should stay with using fans on
the two roofs as it is now. His argument is that a power
fan moves a lot more air than a ridge vent system can.
Climate is NJ.

Thoughts?


The ridge vent and other passive venting will only provide a minimal amount
of air movement. If you want to be able to cool down the attic space in
order to lessen your air conditioning load, then you need a powered fan. I
have a ridge vent and also a mushroom type attic ventilator fan on the roof
which definitely lowers the temperature of the attic in the summer.