On Sunday, June 15, 2014 9:37:20 AM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
Jack Legg wrote:

On 06/15/2014 07:44 AM, wrote:

Just bought a house in New England.



The home inspector said the attic ventilation was inadequate. First,

the ridge vent wasn't big enough. Second, he said there were no soffit vents.



Just eyeballing things from underneath, the eves are very, very narrow.

How could soffit vents be installed if there's almost no soffit?



Also, is a roofer the best type of contractor to look at attic ventilation?



TIA,



S





Or maybe your home inspector is just trying to justify his large fee.



If you don't have mold in the attic or elsewhere in your house then you

probably don't need more ventilation.



Personally, I'd just make sure the full bathrooms have working exhaust

fans that actually exhaust outside.



Really? Mold in the attic or elsewhere in the house is the only reason to

ventilate an attic? Perhaps you should do a little research before

answering attic ventilation questions. Here, I'll help you out...



Stolen without permission from

https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm...ic_ventilation



Natural Attic Ventilation

At first it may seem odd to add insulation for warmth and then purposely

allow cold air to enter the attic through vents, but this combination is

the key to a durable and energy-efficient home. Here's why: in the winter,

allowing a natural flow of outdoor air to ventilate the attic helps keep it

cold, which reduces the potential for ice damming (snow that melts off a

roof from an attic that is too warm and then re-freezes at the gutters,

causing an ice dam that can damage the roof). Proper insulation and air

sealing also keeps attics cold in winter by blocking the entry of heat and

moist air from below. In the summer, natural air flow in a well-vented

attic moves super-heated air out of the attic, protecting roof shingles and

removing moisture. The insulation will resist heat transfer into the house.

+1

Mold isn't a reliable indicator of whether attic ventilation is sufficient.
Plus a big factor here is the inspector said there is a ridge vent that is
too small and *no soffit venting*. I'd like to see a building engineering
or code reference that says that's an acceptable ventilation system. Every
credible source, roofing supplier, etc will tell you that with a ridge
vent you also need soffit vents of equal capacity to allow air to flow
via convection.