Attic Air Flow Soffit

In addition insulation baffles must be installed at the point where the attic floor meets the roofline to prevent the attic insulation from migrating into the cavities and restricting the airflow from the soffit vents.

Attic air flow soffit. If your attic is well insulated the insulation might be plugging the spaces between rafters just above exterior walls. That means air can t flow from the soffit vents to the roof vents. I don t see a path for air flow. If the attic is insulated with fiberglass batts just pull back any that are blocking the flow of air.

Attic fans are intended to cool hot attics by drawing in cooler outside air from attic vents soffit and gable and pushing hot air to the outside. Aluminum or vinyl soffits eaves installed over plywood soffits that don t have venting holes. Baffles are available at home centers. View more soffit products.

This continuous air flow prevents rot under. The soffit vents allow convective air movement from the soffits of the residence to the ridge vent. Conversely if there are open soffit vents to allow free flow of air into the attic or cathedral ceiling roof space the negative pressure or vacuum created by the exiting attic air is more easily satisfied by inflowing cooler more dry outdoor air than it is by leaking air from the occupied space. If there s blown in insulation like ours rake back the fluffy stuff with a 3 or 4 ft long 1 x 6 or use a garden rake or hoe.

Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. Soffits are typically used as the exposed undersurface of the roof overhang above exterior siding. It s the ventilation support you need to protect your home from extreme temperatures and moisture. Soffit vents allow outside air to enter the attic while vents along the peak of the roof or in the gables exhaust air already inside the space.

However if your attic has blocked soffit vents and is not well sealed from the rest of the house attic fans will suck cool conditioned air up out of the house and into the attic. The soffit vents are now installed but you still need to make sure there s no insulation blocking the new vents. I took off two soffit vents only to find batt insulation from the vent back up to the inside of the attic. Install air chutes or clear them if they re clogged photo 1.

The solution is to add baffles which allow air to flow past the insulation photo 9. I need air flow in my attic badly. Insulation often clogs the space between the rafters blocking air from traveling to and from the soffit area. Never cover attic soffit vents with insulation use rafter vents and soffit vents to maintain airflow.