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Lots of things can cause your house to catch fire. If attic fans were the danger people are making them out to be, half the houses in Raleigh would have burned down by now.
I have two attic fans on my house. I guess I live on the edge...
Lots of things can cause your house to catch fire. If attic fans were the danger people are making them out to be, half the houses in Raleigh would have burned down by now.
I have two attic fans on my house. I guess I live on the edge...
I don't think anyone is saying that the main concern with attic fans is their safety, but it is one of the many good reasons not to have one.
Lots of things can cause your house to catch fire. If attic fans were the danger people are making them out to be, half the houses in Raleigh would have burned down by now.
I have two attic fans on my house. I guess I live on the edge...
I would be more concerned with pulling TWICE the conditioned air into the attic then.
The fact is ideally your attic would be the exact same temperature of the air outside. Ridge soffit vents don't provide that, there's simply not enough air flow via normal convection to negate the radiant heat transferred. And it has nothing to do with being in NC as I had the same thing in NY and in the summer the attic would get sweltering hot. I personally blame ashphalt shingles from soaking up the heat and re-radiating it. But that's my uneducated guess.
I'd bet a $100 that a radiant barrier would provide way more heat protection than ridge/soffit vents, attic fans, or any other thing. Again, just my uneducated guess.
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Originally Posted by gastric
The fact is ideally your attic would be the exact same temperature of the air outside. Ridge soffit vents don't provide that, there's simply not enough air flow via normal convection to negate the radiant heat transferred. And it has nothing to do with being in NC as I had the same thing in NY and in the summer the attic would get sweltering hot. I personally blame ashphalt shingles from soaking up the heat and re-radiating it. But that's my uneducated guess.
I'd bet a $100 that a radiant barrier would provide way more heat protection than ridge/soffit vents, attic fans, or any other thing. Again, just my uneducated guess.
You are quite right.
Ridge vents move air through convection. Warm air out at the ridge, with replacement air in at the soffits.
Ridge vents serve well to reduce moisture passively much better than cooling the attic.
Moisture reduction is an extremely valuable function, as anyone who has ever seen what excessive trapped moisture can do to plywood and lumber in an attic cavity will attest.
Ridge vents will not move enough air to cool asphalt shingles or framing members that absorb heat. Ergo, that heat will radiate, in all directions, including adding heat in the upstairs of the house.
That radiant barrier will reduce heat in the living area.
It may also shorten the life of fiberglass asphalt shingles as it re-directs heat back into them.
The fact is ideally your attic would be the exact same temperature of the air outside. Ridge soffit vents don't provide that, there's simply not enough air flow via normal convection to negate the radiant heat transferred. And it has nothing to do with being in NC as I had the same thing in NY and in the summer the attic would get sweltering hot. I personally blame ashphalt shingles from soaking up the heat and re-radiating it. But that's my uneducated guess.
I'd bet a $100 that a radiant barrier would provide way more heat protection than ridge/soffit vents, attic fans, or any other thing. Again, just my uneducated guess.
I agree. The basic idea is to keep the attic air the same temperature as the outside air... powered roof or gable mounted attic ventilation fans are necessary to accomplish this task on the hottest, sunniest days (unless you don't mind prematurely degrading your roof with a radiant barrier and losing beneficial heat gain in the Winter months... it's my opinion that radiant barriers provide the best return only on homes that use something more durable than asphalt shingles and in areas that don't have cold Winters). As long as all holes/penetrations between the attic space and top floor living space are sealed + any/all HVAC ductwork located in the attic is sealed, there will be no transfer or migration of conditioned air into the attic (these are both good things to do even if you don't have a powered attic ventilation fan). Issue solved, your home is comfortable, and you won't kill off AC compressors trying to keep your upstairs cool on hot, sunny Summer days. Adequate airflow across the attic space is necessary for these powered ventilation fans to work properly so it's important to install fans in the correct location and open up airflow within the attic, especially if the attic contains finished living space.
As long as all holes/penetrations between the attic space and top floor living space are sealed + any/all HVAC ductwork located in the attic is sealed, there will be no transfer or migration of conditioned air into the attic (these are both good things to do even if you don't have a powered attic ventilation fan).
While it would be ideal to have your ceiling plane and ducts perfectly sealed, it is definitely not a reality in 99% of homes and attic fans end up being a negative net benefit to the homeowner due to increased energy bills. Also, if radiant barriers were so detrimental to shingles why don't they void the warranty of shingles?
i had 2 put in, it was low cost to install low cost to run. work great.
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