2007-01-05 02:40:52 · 4 answers · asked by FIRE CAP'N 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Ridge vents are necessary to keep the shindles from cracking due to the temp in the atic. Your house breathes and the right amount of ridge vents and sofet vents are necessary to preserve your roof.. An atic fan just takes the air from the inside of the house and forces it into the atic. That air needs someplace to go. Out the vents
2007-01-05 03:00:04 · answer #1 · answered by Wearlon 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A ridge vent is no good unless you have soffit vents also. They are not hard to install if you have wooden soffit under the eves. If you have vinyl you should already have them there but according to who installed it, they may or may not have even cut holes in the wood for the airflow.
Even with a fan you need somewhere for the air to come into the attic or you still wont have much circulation.
The best to use are the solar powered fans. They only work when the sun is shining and that is when you need them. They aren't that hard to put in either and there is no wiring to do except the small amount from the solar panel and best of all there isn't even electric to pay for so it will work.
With a ridge vent it doesn't work until you already have a heat build up that creates a chimney effect but with the solar powered fan, it starts working as soon as the sun starts to hit it.
I am going to put 4 of them on my house this spring.
And during the winter you can unplug them to save the heat so there isn't as much transfer from the living quarters.
2007-01-05 11:10:16 · answer #2 · answered by dennis_phillips7 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ridge vents work off the principle of convection and operate for free. An attic fan requires electricity to run, can be noisy, and in my opinion does a better job of moving the air and keeping your attic cooler. Most newer houses now use ridge vents. Both systems would require soffit vents to allow fresh cooler air a way to get into the attic.
2007-01-05 11:18:00 · answer #3 · answered by Jeffrey S 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The only ridge vent I have ever noticed has been in my dad's workshop, however, I grew up with an attic fan in my house. It felt really great although it was kinda noisy. We ended up closing it off because it let in alot of allergens and my dad and I were highly sensitive to them. Keep allergies in consideration when thinking of this. I don't know about allergens in a ridge vent situation. Good luck.
2007-01-05 10:53:03 · answer #4 · answered by bellgoddess1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋