Unlike ridge vents attic fans use electricity and need regular maintenance to keep working properly.
Do attic fans work with ridge vents.
After installing a ridge vent a homeowner might feel a temperature change says jerry alonzy a handyman working in canton connecticut.
Vents that run along the roof ridge are an alternative to those that exit through the roof decking or gables and if the ridge is long enough they may be the only roof vents you need.
Ideally this will lower the high temperatures that have built up in your attic.
The ridge vents allow for this moisture to escape so that you do not have a build up of this humid air threatening to cause damage to your roofing members and anything stored in your attic.
Ridge vents are a passive system simply allowing hot air to rise up through them rather than pushing it out as a fan does.
When you are deciding between a ridge vent or an attic fan consider the needs of the attic.
An attic fan is an active system that actually forces air out.
If air is drawn in through the ridge vent while it s raining it might pull rainwater in with it which could lead to leaking or mold in the attic.
It could reverse the natural flow of hot air out the ridge vent.
Combining an attic power vent fan with a ridge vent is usually not recommended because.
One static vent style is the turbine vent which uses wind to power its enclosed fan all it takes is a light breeze to rotate the blades and suck heat out of the attic view example on the home.
The prevailing winds and the amount of shade your house gets will also affect your results.
Attic fans can also make a lot of noise.
Choosing a ridge vent or an attic fan.
Attic ventilation fans also tend to be quite energy efficient in terms of their own operation.
Fresh air is pulled in from your soffits and or roof vent creating a draft through your attic.
This air is then exhausted through the fan to the outside.
Attic fans exhaust hot air from your attic to the outside.
Although mold and mildew are not as much a threat in the winter months it is still a genuine threat that you want to avoid at all costs.