In alt.home.repair on Sun, 17 Jul 2005 22:04:56 -0400 Shawn
posted:
On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 22:23:02 GMT, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:
Shawn wrote:
I live in a 20 year old (or so) condo. My attic/loft is livable
space, but is always uncomfortable in the summer. I've been doing my
research on powered attic ventilators, but because of safety issues
What safety issues? As long as my head is not high enough to hit it,
I don't see any. If I were that tall, I'd build a frame around it,
and maybe a screen if I had a wife with long hair.
I have a roof fan, I call it, and it works great. Starts between noon
and 2 and turns off by 10. Little noise, no noise when sleeping.
Lowered my upstairs temperature at least 10 degrees. The attic
temperature, probably from 140 on sunny hot days to no more than 95
when it is 90 out, I'm guessing 88 when it is 80 out.
felt it would be better to go with the passive approach.
In looking at the venting, I have a ridge vent, and some soffit
venting, but only on the front. When there is soffit vent, it's
stagged sections every 18" or so across the front, not a continuous
soffit vent as I would expect. However, in the back the soffit is
solid, or so it appears. There is no visible venting in that soffit
at all. Some new units in the development were built in the last 2 or
3 years, so I thought I'd see how they did it and make a case to have
the venting installed. SAME THING. In the new units they have
staggered venting in the front soffits, and solid soffits in the rear.
What gives? I thought the idea was to have good venting on both sides
of the attic soffit? Why would a builder do it this way, with solid
in the back and vented in the front?
I have a cheap townhouse built 26 years ago, and it has 4 inch wide
soffit vents the full length of both front and rear soffitts. I think
it just has vinyl window screening stapled to wood, but it's fine.
(Well, a couple birds got in before I bought the house and died with
their heads sticking out of the pink insulation, but I repaired that.
Nothing else has gotten in.
I've taken temperature measurements, and when it's 80 degrees outside,
its typically 120 degrees in the attic. I can't install gable vents,
Not surprised. There were other threads about this in the last two
weeks, with my long experience in one post in one of them. search in
groups.google.com advanced search on this group and "meirman" for the
author. That will find you the whole thread.
because they are brick/block and not permitted to be altered. PAV is
out because of backdrafting, I have a ridge vent - so what are my
options?
Shawn
It appears someone put in insufficient venting. Without seeing it, it
would be difficult to tell. May I ask if there are any other vents than the
soffit vents? Soffits let air in, you also need vents up higher to let the
hot air out. I will also suggest that power venting and what venting
designs work best does depend on local conditions. What works for me may not
work well for you.
Thanks, Joe. The only other venting is the ridge vent, maybe a 20'
section or so, on a 30' roof line. Other than that, there isn't
anything else. Just the every-other soffit vent in the front, and
solid soffits in the back. All the venting in the place is bad -
dryer is vented to the attic, air conditioner water discharge goes out
to the soffit vent in the rear, and it just drips out wherever it
finds an opening, bathroom fans are vented to the attic. Not a great
setup, so I'm trying to make the changes all at one.
Like the others say, these are all bad. I'm thinking the dryer air is
especially damp, will wet the insulation, and make that not work
right, and iiuc might cause all the problems that having a moisture
barrier on the floor insulation might. I'm vague on this.
Does anyone know if there are roof discharges for dryers?
Meirman
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