I have a small unfinished walk-in attic in my house in NY. It shares a wall
with an upstairs bedroom as well as part of the hallway. There is a small
double-hung wooden window at the far end of the attic space that I keep
partly open for ventilation purposes. The walls and ceiling (which is the
underside of the roof) had foil-faced insulation put in between the joists
by the previous owner (for whatever reason).
I have black roofing tiles on and the inside temperature during the summer
months is quite high. Sometimes I even put a dual fan in the attic window
for a few hours (on a thermostst) to exhaust the inside air.

I was thinking of maybe putting in a roof vent or even one of those turbine
fans on the roof.

Any thougths?

Thanks,
Walter

pe wrote:
On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 14:21:07 -0400, "Walter Cohen" wrote:


I have a small unfinished walk-in attic in my house in NY. It shares a wall
with an upstairs bedroom as well as part of the hallway. There is a small
double-hung wooden window at the far end of the attic space that I keep
partly open for ventilation purposes. The walls and ceiling (which is the
underside of the roof) had foil-faced insulation put in between the joists
by the previous owner (for whatever reason).
I have black roofing tiles on and the inside temperature during the summer
months is quite high. Sometimes I even put a dual fan in the attic window
for a few hours (on a thermostst) to exhaust the inside air.

I was thinking of maybe putting in a roof vent or even one of those turbine
fans on the roof.

Any thougths?


Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a great job.
Hi,
If you want to do it properly just installing turbine may not be enough.
If you wnat to exhaust, you have to inhale. Simple law of physics.

pe wrote:

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 14:21:07 -0400, "Walter Cohen" wrote:


I have a small unfinished walk-in attic in my house in NY. It shares a wall
with an upstairs bedroom as well as part of the hallway. There is a small
double-hung wooden window at the far end of the attic space that I keep
partly open for ventilation purposes. The walls and ceiling (which is the
underside of the roof) had foil-faced insulation put in between the joists
by the previous owner (for whatever reason).
I have black roofing tiles on and the inside temperature during the summer
months is quite high. Sometimes I even put a dual fan in the attic window
for a few hours (on a thermostst) to exhaust the inside air.

I was thinking of maybe putting in a roof vent or even one of those turbine
fans on the roof.

Any thougths?


Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a great job.

If by turbine you mean those gadgets that spin in the wind, I disagree;
they seem pretty useless to me.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

CJT wrote:
pe wrote:

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 14:21:07 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:


I have a small unfinished walk-in attic in my house in NY. It
shares a wall
with an upstairs bedroom as well as part of the hallway. There is a
small
double-hung wooden window at the far end of the attic space that I keep
partly open for ventilation purposes. The walls and ceiling (which
is the
underside of the roof) had foil-faced insulation put in between the
joists
by the previous owner (for whatever reason).
I have black roofing tiles on and the inside temperature during the
summer
months is quite high. Sometimes I even put a dual fan in the attic
window
for a few hours (on a thermostst) to exhaust the inside air.

I was thinking of maybe putting in a roof vent or even one of those
turbine
fans on the roof.

Any thougths?


Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a great
job.

If by turbine you mean those gadgets that spin in the wind, I disagree;
they seem pretty useless to me.

They get installed on LOTS of homes along the Gulf Coast for that very
reason, to help pull air OUT of a HOT attic. For Attics, ridge and
soffit vents seem to be a better solution to that problem,

In NY, you will need a way to wrap the turbine in the winter, and/or put
up a interior barrier to keep the cold winds out.

CJT wrote:
pe wrote:

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 14:21:07 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:


I have a small unfinished walk-in attic in my house in NY. It
shares a wall
with an upstairs bedroom as well as part of the hallway. There is a
small
double-hung wooden window at the far end of the attic space that I keep
partly open for ventilation purposes. The walls and ceiling (which
is the
underside of the roof) had foil-faced insulation put in between the
joists
by the previous owner (for whatever reason).
I have black roofing tiles on and the inside temperature during the
summer
months is quite high. Sometimes I even put a dual fan in the attic
window
for a few hours (on a thermostst) to exhaust the inside air.

I was thinking of maybe putting in a roof vent or even one of those
turbine
fans on the roof.

Any thougths?


Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a great
job.

If by turbine you mean those gadgets that spin in the wind, I disagree;
they seem pretty useless to me.

They get installed on LOTS of homes along the Gulf Coast for that very
reason, to help pull air OUT of a HOT attic. For Attics, ridge and
soffit vents seem to be a better solution to that problem,

In NY, you will need a way to wrap the turbine in the winter, and/or put
up a interior barrier to keep the cold winds out.

CJT wrote:

Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a
great job.

If by turbine you mean those gadgets that spin in the wind, I
disagree; they seem pretty useless to me.

"Depending upon the diameter of the vents and the wind speed outdoors, the
turbines can expel vast quantities of humid air...

"A small 12 inch diameter turbine vent with a constant wind speed of 5 miles
per hour (mph) can remove 347 cubic feet of air per minute (cfm) from the
attic space. A single 14 inch diameter turbine vent that is subjected to 15
mph winds can expel up to 1,342 cfm of air!

"If the winds are still, the vents still allow air to drift up and out of
the attic space..."

A roof turbine operates at no cost, requires zero maintenance, and lasts for
many, many years.

In order to exhaust the air, there has to be some way for fresh air to
enter. You can't have too many soffit vents.

A whole-house attic fan needs to exhaust 4000 cu ft / minute (for a 1500 sq
ft) house for most efficient operation. A mere THREE 14" turbines would be
sufficient to air out a whole house (at an ambient wind speed of 15mph).
Obviously, then, turbines are a cheap, easy way to prevent the attic from
turning into an oven.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Walter

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 19:58:30 GMT, Tony Hwang wrote:

wrote:
On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 14:21:07 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:


I have a small unfinished walk-in attic in my house in NY. It shares a
wall
with an upstairs bedroom as well as part of the hallway. There is a
small
double-hung wooden window at the far end of the attic space that I keep
partly open for ventilation purposes. The walls and ceiling (which is
the
underside of the roof) had foil-faced insulation put in between the
joists
by the previous owner (for whatever reason).
I have black roofing tiles on and the inside temperature during the
summer
months is quite high. Sometimes I even put a dual fan in the attic
window
for a few hours (on a thermostst) to exhaust the inside air.

I was thinking of maybe putting in a roof vent or even one of those
turbine
fans on the roof.

Any thougths?


Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a great
job.
Hi,
If you want to do it properly just installing turbine may not be enough.
If you wnat to exhaust, you have to inhale. Simple law of physics.

The OP says he has an open window in the room. That will do quite nicely.

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 15:53:41 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

CJT wrote:

Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a
great job.

If by turbine you mean those gadgets that spin in the wind, I
disagree; they seem pretty useless to me.

"Depending upon the diameter of the vents and the wind speed outdoors, the
turbines can expel vast quantities of humid air...

"A small 12 inch diameter turbine vent with a constant wind speed of 5 miles
per hour (mph) can remove 347 cubic feet of air per minute (cfm) from the
attic space. A single 14 inch diameter turbine vent that is subjected to 15
mph winds can expel up to 1,342 cfm of air!

"If the winds are still, the vents still allow air to drift up and out of
the attic space..."

A roof turbine operates at no cost, requires zero maintenance, and lasts for
many, many years.

Well yes and no. As another poster said, for winter, you will have to
have a way to cover it or cut off the circulation so the cold air
doesn't get in.

I've had some (turbines) on my Gulf Coast homes and I can't say they
are that great. I suppose they helped to some degree but my attics
still got hot (in every home that had them). Now I see more new home
construction using ridge vents with soffit vents instead of the
turbines.

Just in case, if his neighborhood has a home owner's association, he
might have to check to see if the deed restrictions allow turbines.
It happened to me once where the restriction allowed it as long as it
was not in view from the front. I don't believe this is common tho.

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 16:39:23 -0700, pe wrote:

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 18:01:32 -0500, rob wrote:

A roof turbine operates at no cost, requires zero maintenance, and lasts for
many, many years.

Well yes and no. As another poster said, for winter, you will have to
have a way to cover it or cut off the circulation so the cold air
doesn't get in.

LOL!
Nonsense. We have 35 below winters and I have never seen a turbine covered.
If it's venting an unheated space blocking it is down right dumb. It still
removes moisture from the space during the winter.

Funny but I HAVE seen them covered on the outside and it's possible
that even those not covered might have had some covering / blockage
from inside (dunno because I can't see the attic of course). I agree
that if you don't care about cold air getting inside, then no need to
do anything. And usually moisture isn't a problem in winter for
unheated areas.

rob wrote in message

Funny but I HAVE seen them covered on the outside and it's possible
that even those not covered might have had some covering / blockage
from inside (dunno because I can't see the attic of course). I agree
that if you don't care about cold air getting inside, then no need to
do anything. And usually moisture isn't a problem in winter for
unheated areas.

You are misinformed about moisture not being a problem in the winter. When
heat escapes from the thermal envelope into an attic, it must exit, or you
get condensation in the attic. It is simple physics of when cold meets
warm. Take for example a glass of ice cold liquid, sitting on a coffee
table at room temperature, it's not leaking fluid from the glass, but
sweats (condensation).

I have seen instances where homes had power vents and that's all. The
problem is, they don't come on in the winter. This caused thousands of
dollars worth of damage to the roof deck, insulation & wallboard.

Never block venting during the winter, unless you want condensation, rot,
and mildew.

This link will provide you a better explanation on how a house breathes.
http://www.airvent.com/professional/...s-iceDam.shtml

Robert Gammon wrote:
CJT wrote:

pe wrote:

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 14:21:07 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:


I have a small unfinished walk-in attic in my house in NY. It
shares a wall
with an upstairs bedroom as well as part of the hallway. There is a
small
double-hung wooden window at the far end of the attic space that I keep
partly open for ventilation purposes. The walls and ceiling (which
is the
underside of the roof) had foil-faced insulation put in between the
joists
by the previous owner (for whatever reason).
I have black roofing tiles on and the inside temperature during the
summer
months is quite high. Sometimes I even put a dual fan in the attic
window
for a few hours (on a thermostst) to exhaust the inside air.

I was thinking of maybe putting in a roof vent or even one of those
turbine
fans on the roof.

Any thougths?


Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a great
job.


If by turbine you mean those gadgets that spin in the wind, I disagree;
they seem pretty useless to me.

They get installed on LOTS of homes along the Gulf Coast for that very
reason, to help pull air OUT of a HOT attic.

That's how they get sold, but I've never seen any indication that they work.

For Attics, ridge and
soffit vents seem to be a better solution to that problem,

In NY, you will need a way to wrap the turbine in the winter, and/or put
up a interior barrier to keep the cold winds out.



--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

HeyBub wrote:

CJT wrote:

Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a
great job.

If by turbine you mean those gadgets that spin in the wind, I
disagree; they seem pretty useless to me.


"Depending upon the diameter of the vents and the wind speed outdoors, the
turbines can expel vast quantities of humid air...

"A small 12 inch diameter turbine vent with a constant wind speed of 5 miles
per hour (mph) can remove 347 cubic feet of air per minute (cfm) from the
attic space. A single 14 inch diameter turbine vent that is subjected to 15
mph winds can expel up to 1,342 cfm of air!

"If the winds are still, the vents still allow air to drift up and out of
the attic space..."

A roof turbine operates at no cost, requires zero maintenance, and lasts for
many, many years.

In order to exhaust the air, there has to be some way for fresh air to
enter. You can't have too many soffit vents.

A whole-house attic fan needs to exhaust 4000 cu ft / minute (for a 1500 sq
ft) house for most efficient operation. A mere THREE 14" turbines would be
sufficient to air out a whole house (at an ambient wind speed of 15mph).
Obviously, then, turbines are a cheap, easy way to prevent the attic from
turning into an oven.


I have no idea who you're quoting -- perhaps somebody who sells 'em?

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

rob wrote:
On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 15:53:41 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

CJT wrote:

Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a
great job.

If by turbine you mean those gadgets that spin in the wind, I
disagree; they seem pretty useless to me.

"Depending upon the diameter of the vents and the wind speed
outdoors, the turbines can expel vast quantities of humid air...

"A small 12 inch diameter turbine vent with a constant wind speed of
5 miles per hour (mph) can remove 347 cubic feet of air per minute
(cfm) from the attic space. A single 14 inch diameter turbine vent
that is subjected to 15 mph winds can expel up to 1,342 cfm of air!

"If the winds are still, the vents still allow air to drift up and
out of the attic space..."

A roof turbine operates at no cost, requires zero maintenance, and
lasts for many, many years.

Well yes and no. As another poster said, for winter, you will have to
have a way to cover it or cut off the circulation so the cold air
doesn't get in.

"Ventilating attic spaces in winter months is often more important than
venting them in summer.

"Water vapor from the inside of a home can drift up and into an attic space.
If this water vapor is not quickly exhausted to the exterior atmosphere, it
can often condense upon the cold roof framing members and the underside of
the roof sheathing.

"It can get so bad that water can drip from the underside of the roof and
when the temperature gets low enough, frost can actually form up inside the
attic. Moisture conditions such as this can lead to wood rot and mold
growth..."


I've had some (turbines) on my Gulf Coast homes and I can't say they
are that great. I suppose they helped to some degree but my attics
still got hot (in every home that had them). Now I see more new home
construction using ridge vents with soffit vents instead of the
turbines.

My house has both: A ridge vent AND four 14" turbines (3000 sq ft).

On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 01:41:02 GMT, "Moisés Nacio"
wrote:


rob wrote in message

Funny but I HAVE seen them covered on the outside and it's possible
that even those not covered might have had some covering / blockage
from inside (dunno because I can't see the attic of course). I agree
that if you don't care about cold air getting inside, then no need to
do anything. And usually moisture isn't a problem in winter for
unheated areas.

You are misinformed about moisture not being a problem in the winter. When
heat escapes from the thermal envelope into an attic, it must exit, or you
get condensation in the attic. It is simple physics of when cold meets
warm. Take for example a glass of ice cold liquid, sitting on a coffee
table at room temperature, it's not leaking fluid from the glass, but
sweats (condensation).

I have seen instances where homes had power vents and that's all. The
problem is, they don't come on in the winter. This caused thousands of
dollars worth of damage to the roof deck, insulation & wallboard.

Never block venting during the winter, unless you want condensation, rot,
and mildew.

This link will provide you a better explanation on how a house breathes.
http://www.airvent.com/professional/...s-iceDam.shtml


I agree and I should have said it differently.

I was thinking that usually you wouldn't bother to cover up the
venting unless you had a heated (finished) attic so moisture shouldn't
come about unless the venting was inadequate in either case.

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 17:04:58 -0700, pe wrote:

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 18:58:08 -0500, rob wrote:

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 16:39:23 -0700, pe wrote:

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 18:01:32 -0500, rob wrote:

A roof turbine operates at no cost, requires zero maintenance, and lasts for
many, many years.

Well yes and no. As another poster said, for winter, you will have to
have a way to cover it or cut off the circulation so the cold air
doesn't get in.

LOL!
Nonsense. We have 35 below winters and I have never seen a turbine covered.
If it's venting an unheated space blocking it is down right dumb. It still
removes moisture from the space during the winter.

Funny but I HAVE seen them covered on the outside and it's possible
that even those not covered might have had some covering / blockage
from inside (dunno because I can't see the attic of course). I agree
that if you don't care about cold air getting inside, then no need to
do anything. And usually moisture isn't a problem in winter for
unheated areas.


You can rot the roof off a house if the attic isn't vented in winter. I've seen
a half inch of ice on the underside of roofs where the soffit vents were
blocked.


Agreed. See my reply given in this thread a minute or so ago.

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 14:21:07 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:

I have a small unfinished walk-in attic in my house in NY. It shares a wall
with an upstairs bedroom as well as part of the hallway. There is a small
double-hung wooden window at the far end of the attic space that I keep
partly open for ventilation purposes. The walls and ceiling (which is the
underside of the roof) had foil-faced insulation put in between the joists
by the previous owner (for whatever reason).
I have black roofing tiles on and the inside temperature during the summer
months is quite high. Sometimes I even put a dual fan in the attic window
for a few hours (on a thermostst) to exhaust the inside air.

I was thinking of maybe putting in a roof vent or even one of those turbine
fans on the roof.

Any thougths?

For the record, I live in the tiniest valley. The stream is only 1 or
2 feet deep and only 6 feet across most of the time, and the valley is
only a half mile to a mile wide and 30 feet deep, I think, so it is
pretty shallow. There are big trees on two sides of me.

And I get almost no breeze most of the time.

Before relying on wind to turn the turbine, check if there is wind.

If the turbine costs so much money, wind may cost extra.

Thanks,
Walter

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 21:45:29 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

rob wrote:
On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 15:53:41 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

CJT wrote:

Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a
great job.

If by turbine you mean those gadgets that spin in the wind, I
disagree; they seem pretty useless to me.

"Depending upon the diameter of the vents and the wind speed
outdoors, the turbines can expel vast quantities of humid air...

"A small 12 inch diameter turbine vent with a constant wind speed of
5 miles per hour (mph) can remove 347 cubic feet of air per minute
(cfm) from the attic space. A single 14 inch diameter turbine vent
that is subjected to 15 mph winds can expel up to 1,342 cfm of air!

"If the winds are still, the vents still allow air to drift up and
out of the attic space..."

A roof turbine operates at no cost, requires zero maintenance, and
lasts for many, many years.

Well yes and no. As another poster said, for winter, you will have to
have a way to cover it or cut off the circulation so the cold air
doesn't get in.

"Ventilating attic spaces in winter months is often more important than
venting them in summer.



Agreed. I don't think one should cover them up unless the attic is
finished and heated. For some reason, I was thinking of a finished
(heated) attic in my original post but didn't say that so it was a
misleading statement and not applicable in ALL situations.

On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 01:56:48 GMT, CJT wrote:

Robert Gammon wrote:
CJT wrote:

pe wrote:

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 14:21:07 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:


I have a small unfinished walk-in attic in my house in NY. It
shares a wall
with an upstairs bedroom as well as part of the hallway. There is a
small
double-hung wooden window at the far end of the attic space that I keep
partly open for ventilation purposes. The walls and ceiling (which
is the
underside of the roof) had foil-faced insulation put in between the
joists
by the previous owner (for whatever reason).
I have black roofing tiles on and the inside temperature during the
summer
months is quite high. Sometimes I even put a dual fan in the attic
window
for a few hours (on a thermostst) to exhaust the inside air.

I was thinking of maybe putting in a roof vent or even one of those
turbine
fans on the roof.

Any thougths?


Put up a turbine. A decent 12" one with ball bearings will do a great
job.


If by turbine you mean those gadgets that spin in the wind, I disagree;
they seem pretty useless to me.

They get installed on LOTS of homes along the Gulf Coast for that very
reason, to help pull air OUT of a HOT attic.

That's how they get sold, but I've never seen any indication that they work.



Agreed. I've had several homes and I can't say they worked that great
either. I won't say they didn't work but I can say it still got hot
up there. Nowadays, on the gulf coast (Texas), you see new home
construction using ridge vents and soffit vents instead of the
turbines.

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 14:21:07 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:

I have a small unfinished walk-in attic in my house in NY. It shares a wall
with an upstairs bedroom as well as part of the hallway. There is a small
double-hung wooden window at the far end of the attic space that I keep
partly open for ventilation purposes. The walls and ceiling (which is the
underside of the roof) had foil-faced insulation put in between the joists
by the previous owner (for whatever reason).
I have black roofing tiles on and the inside temperature during the summer
months is quite high. Sometimes I even put a dual fan in the attic window
for a few hours (on a thermostst) to exhaust the inside air.

I was thinking of maybe putting in a roof vent or even one of those turbine
fans on the roof.

Any thougths?


If you build a cupola, it will exhaust all the air you
can get into the attic. It will also let more light in,
give you a place to hide antennae, gauss-guns, or snipers,
and give you easy access to the roof when you have to
re-shingle the whole thing because someone put black
shingles on an unventilated deck.

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 16:39:23 -0700, pe wrote:

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 18:01:32 -0500, rob wrote:

A roof turbine operates at no cost, requires zero maintenance, and lasts for
many, many years.

Well yes and no. As another poster said, for winter, you will have to
have a way to cover it or cut off the circulation so the cold air
doesn't get in.

LOL!
Nonsense. We have 35 below winters and I have never seen a turbine covered.
If it's venting an unheated space blocking it is down right dumb. It still
removes moisture from the space during the winter.

The OP said that he had insulation just under the roof and along the
walls.

Perhaps everyone who has replied to him should examine his answer.

On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 01:41:02 GMT, "Moisés Nacio"
wrote:


rob wrote in message

Funny but I HAVE seen them covered on the outside and it's possible
that even those not covered might have had some covering / blockage
from inside (dunno because I can't see the attic of course). I agree
that if you don't care about cold air getting inside, then no need to
do anything. And usually moisture isn't a problem in winter for
unheated areas.

You are misinformed about moisture not being a problem in the winter. When
heat escapes from the thermal envelope into an attic, it must exit, or you
get condensation in the attic. It is simple physics of when cold meets
warm. Take for example a glass of ice cold liquid, sitting on a coffee
table at room temperature, it's not leaking fluid from the glass, but
sweats (condensation).

I have seen instances where homes had power vents and that's all. The
problem is, they don't come on in the winter. This caused thousands of

That's why the roof fan that I bought 23 years ago urged owners to
install a switch on the floor below, so they could turn the fan on
after a hot shower or something that put humidity in the attic. They
also urged people to install another switch to turn it off, when the
thermostat would turn it on.** They gave a wiring diagram, very
simple to use. I used one of those double switches on one box, but
mounted the box sideways, so the switches would be up and down.

**I use that in the early spring and the late fall to warm my house
with the daytime sun.

dollars worth of damage to the roof deck, insulation & wallboard.

Never block venting during the winter, unless you want condensation, rot,
and mildew.

This link will provide you a better explanation on how a house breathes.
http://www.airvent.com/professional/...s-iceDam.shtml

On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:07:20 -0500, rob wrote:



Agreed. I've had several homes and I can't say they worked that great
either. I won't say they didn't work but I can say it still got hot
up there. Nowadays, on the gulf coast (Texas), you see new home
construction using ridge vents and soffit vents instead of the
turbines.

That leaves electric roof fans and gable fans, and I can assure you
that the roof fans work.

On Tue, 18 Apr 2006 17:54:02 -0400, mm
wrote:

On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:07:20 -0500, rob wrote:



Agreed. I've had several homes and I can't say they worked that great
either. I won't say they didn't work but I can say it still got hot
up there. Nowadays, on the gulf coast (Texas), you see new home
construction using ridge vents and soffit vents instead of the
turbines.

That leaves electric roof fans and gable fans, and I can assure you
that the roof fans work.

Agreed but a lot of people don't want them now in south Texas
(typical 95 degree summer days) because it costs money inorder to run
them (net savings less) and require eventual maintenance. I used to
have power vents and they did work but used electricity and eventually
required some maintenance too.

rob wrote:
On Tue, 18 Apr 2006 17:54:02 -0400, mm
wrote:


On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:07:20 -0500, rob wrote:


Agreed. I've had several homes and I can't say they worked that great
either. I won't say they didn't work but I can say it still got hot
up there. Nowadays, on the gulf coast (Texas), you see new home
construction using ridge vents and soffit vents instead of the
turbines.

That leaves electric roof fans and gable fans, and I can assure you
that the roof fans work.


Agreed but a lot of people don't want them now in south Texas
(typical 95 degree summer days) because it costs money inorder to run
them (net savings less) and require eventual maintenance. I used to
have power vents and they did work but used electricity and eventually
required some maintenance too.

95/95 days are common (95 F and 95 RH), it is MISERABLE, even DANGEROUS
in attics that are not well ventilated, 120F+ and high RH. Got to get
in and out FAST and be WELL hydrated with Water, not Cola, Tea, or
Coffee when going up there to maintain a power vent.

Ridge and soffitt just eliminate the need. We all have to replace the
roof sometime, do it then. Ok, in cooler climate, a powered vent solves
the problem and cost MUCH less to buy and install.

On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:57:01 GMT, Robert Gammon
wrote:

rob wrote:
On Tue, 18 Apr 2006 17:54:02 -0400, mm
wrote:


On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:07:20 -0500, rob wrote:


Agreed. I've had several homes and I can't say they worked that great
either. I won't say they didn't work but I can say it still got hot
up there. Nowadays, on the gulf coast (Texas), you see new home
construction using ridge vents and soffit vents instead of the
turbines.

That leaves electric roof fans and gable fans, and I can assure you
that the roof fans work.


Agreed but a lot of people don't want them now in south Texas
(typical 95 degree summer days) because it costs money inorder to run
them (net savings less) and require eventual maintenance. I used to
have power vents and they did work but used electricity and eventually
required some maintenance too.

95/95 days are common (95 F and 95 RH), it is MISERABLE, even DANGEROUS
in attics that are not well ventilated, 120F+ and high RH. Got to get
in and out FAST and be WELL hydrated with Water, not Cola, Tea, or
Coffee when going up there to maintain a power vent.

Ridge and soffitt just eliminate the need. We all have to replace the
roof sometime, do it then. Ok, in cooler climate, a powered vent solves
the problem and cost MUCH less to buy and install.


I agree with you and apparently so do a lot of new home builders in
south Texas. I can't vouch for the power vents in cooler climates
from personal experience but I will accept the fact you have
experience on that. thanks.

pe wrote:
On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:57:01 GMT, Robert Gammon wrote:


rob wrote:

On Tue, 18 Apr 2006 17:54:02 -0400, mm
wrote:



On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:07:20 -0500, rob wrote:



Agreed. I've had several homes and I can't say they worked that great
either. I won't say they didn't work but I can say it still got hot
up there. Nowadays, on the gulf coast (Texas), you see new home
construction using ridge vents and soffit vents instead of the
turbines.


That leaves electric roof fans and gable fans, and I can assure you
that the roof fans work.


Agreed but a lot of people don't want them now in south Texas
(typical 95 degree summer days) because it costs money inorder to run
them (net savings less) and require eventual maintenance. I used to
have power vents and they did work but used electricity and eventually
required some maintenance too.


95/95 days are common (95 F and 95 RH), it is MISERABLE, even DANGEROUS
in attics that are not well ventilated, 120F+ and high RH. Got to get
in and out FAST and be WELL hydrated with Water, not Cola, Tea, or
Coffee when going up there to maintain a power vent.

Ridge and soffitt just eliminate the need. We all have to replace the
roof sometime, do it then. Ok, in cooler climate, a powered vent solves
the problem and cost MUCH less to buy and install.


Except a turbine is $40 and I can install one and be off the roof drinking a
beer in 30 minutes or less.

Turbines aren't perfect, they aren't attractive, but they are cheap and easy to
install and will help extend the life of the roof.

Not by much, IMHO.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

Perhaps I might be better served by an adequately sized power attic fan,
thermostatically controlled.

Walter
"CJT" wrote in message
...
pe wrote:
On Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:57:01 GMT, Robert Gammon
wrote:


rob wrote:

On Tue, 18 Apr 2006 17:54:02 -0400, mm
wrote:



On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 06:07:20 -0500, rob wrote:



Agreed. I've had several homes and I can't say they worked that
great
either. I won't say they didn't work but I can say it still got hot
up there. Nowadays, on the gulf coast (Texas), you see new home
construction using ridge vents and soffit vents instead of the
turbines.


That leaves electric roof fans and gable fans, and I can assure you
that the roof fans work.


Agreed but a lot of people don't want them now in south Texas
(typical 95 degree summer days) because it costs money inorder to run
them (net savings less) and require eventual maintenance. I used to
have power vents and they did work but used electricity and eventually
required some maintenance too.


95/95 days are common (95 F and 95 RH), it is MISERABLE, even DANGEROUS
in attics that are not well ventilated, 120F+ and high RH. Got to get
in and out FAST and be WELL hydrated with Water, not Cola, Tea, or
Coffee when going up there to maintain a power vent.

Ridge and soffitt just eliminate the need. We all have to replace the
roof sometime, do it then. Ok, in cooler climate, a powered vent solves
the problem and cost MUCH less to buy and install.


Except a turbine is $40 and I can install one and be off the roof
drinking a
beer in 30 minutes or less.

Turbines aren't perfect, they aren't attractive, but they are cheap and
easy to
install and will help extend the life of the roof.

Not by much, IMHO.

--
The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form .

On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 11:00:46 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:

Perhaps I might be better served by an adequately sized power attic fan,
thermostatically controlled.

Walter


They work but eventually they will require some maintenance and you
will be paying for electricity to save electricity.

Well, I'm trying to get the most bang for the buck. If the attic will be
stiffling (and it usually is in the summer even with the window open) then
I'd want to try to circulate and remove as much of that hot air as quickly
as possible. The turbine would probably take quite a while [longer] to move
as much air as the powered attic fan.
If my upstairs A/C is working against the heat build up in the attic and
surrounding room walls and roof top then I wonder if the extra electricity
to run the attic fan would save me the amount of extra energy expended by
the AC trying to cool the upstairs, as the attic space would have been
hopefully cooled sufficiently by the fan.
Does that make any sense?

Thanks,
Walter
rob wrote in message ...
On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 11:00:46 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:

Perhaps I might be better served by an adequately sized power attic fan,
thermostatically controlled.

Walter


They work but eventually they will require some maintenance and you
will be paying for electricity to save electricity.

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 22:31:39 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:

Well, I'm trying to get the most bang for the buck. If the attic will be
stiffling (and it usually is in the summer even with the window open) then
I'd want to try to circulate and remove as much of that hot air as quickly
as possible. The turbine would probably take quite a while [longer] to move
as much air as the powered attic fan.
If my upstairs A/C is working against the heat build up in the attic and
surrounding room walls and roof top then I wonder if the extra electricity
to run the attic fan would save me the amount of extra energy expended by
the AC trying to cool the upstairs, as the attic space would have been
hopefully cooled sufficiently by the fan.
Does that make any sense?

Thanks,
Walter
rob wrote in message ...
On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 11:00:46 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:

Perhaps I might be better served by an adequately sized power attic fan,
thermostatically controlled.

Walter


They work but eventually they will require some maintenance and you
will be paying for electricity to save electricity.



Your question makes sense but I can't answer that without knowing more
facts. Probably best to ask some local a/c guys where you are. Maybe
another thing to consider is a roof ridge vent tho its probably more
economical when you are replacing your roof.

On Thu, 27 Apr 2006 22:31:39 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:

Well, I'm trying to get the most bang for the buck. If the attic will be
stiffling (and it usually is in the summer even with the window open) then

I'm coming in in the middle of the thread. I have an unfinished attic
with no window, and a trap door between the attic and the second
floor.

I'd want to try to circulate and remove as much of that hot air as quickly
as possible. The turbine would probably take quite a while [longer] to move
as much air as the powered attic fan.
If my upstairs A/C is working against the heat build up in the attic and
surrounding room walls and roof top then I wonder if the extra electricity
to run the attic fan would save me the amount of extra energy expended by
the AC trying to cool the upstairs, as the attic space would have been
hopefully cooled sufficiently by the fan.
Does that make any sense?

I love my electric roof fan. It took 10 degrees off my second floor,
and the townhouse already had full width soffitt vents front and back
and a full width ridge vent. I don't use AC at all normally, live in
Baltimore, and when I bought the house the first summer, it was too
hot to go upstairs at all after work. I would sleep in the basement
and go upstairs in the morning to wash and get new clothes. After the
fan the upstairs was usable to change clothes, watch tv or work at my
desk, and sleep. A couple weeks a summer are still pretty hot.

The fan keeps the attic from ever gettting that hot. It goes on
around 10 or 11 in the morning and turns off between 6 and 10PM, so it
makes no noise when I'm trying to sleep.

There is so much circulation now that after 15 or 18 years I found a
layer of "lint" on all of the soffitt vent screens, like one find on a
clothes dryer screen but not nearly as heavy. None of my neighbors
had that. I peeled it off.

It's possible I need more insulation in the attic "floor". The
fiberglass only comes up to the top of the joists, and I thought that
was enough. I have to get more info about that.

If you refer to an attic fan, some will think you mean what others
call a whole house fan, a fan in the ceiling of the second floor, that
only works when it has gotten sufficiently cool out side, and which
some use while they are sleeping. Too much noise.

Thanks,
Walter
rob wrote in message ...
On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 11:00:46 -0400, "Walter Cohen"
wrote:

Perhaps I might be better served by an adequately sized power attic fan,
thermostatically controlled.

Walter


They work but eventually they will require some maintenance and you
will be paying for electricity to save electricity.



Your question makes sense but I can't answer that without knowing more
facts. Probably best to ask some local a/c guys where you are. Maybe
another thing to consider is a roof ridge vent tho its probably more
economical when you are replacing your roof.