Powered Gable Vent Vs. Powered Rooftop Ventilator

redzthredz

My situation is I'm getting ready to install a new roof. Both the powered gable vent and the rooftop ventilator are putting out 1600cfm, so essentially they're equal. If I choose the powerd gable vent, I'll install it on the west exterior wall so the fan unit will be pushing the air through the attic and exhaust up through six 12 x 24 dormer vents.
If I go with the powered rooftop ventilator, the unit will be drawing air up through the eave vents and probably the closest roof dormer vent it gets installed next to.
Which installation would be better to displace the hot attic air?

Hope I gave enough info.
Advise and point of of view would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Red

genecarp

i like the rooftop ventilator, you can posistion it centrally, as with any venting system you must make sure there is enough are access for proper draw, backpressure is always a concern as well.

additionally, i prefer a whole house fan, in addition to venting the attic, you also have the added benefit of drawing cool outside air into the living area.

__________________

747

If thats the way you want to go. I wouldn't go with gable power vent. Instead go with a roof powered vent. Go with this specific roof powered vent.( airvent Premium Plus All Season)

neolitic

Don't know where you are (witness protection?),
but around here storms mostly come from the west.
I'd think sucking rain water in from the direction
of the prevailing winds would be a bad idea.
Generally you would want to exhaust the attic air
rather than try to pressurize it.
Personally I think you're always better off with a
natural convection system rather than relying
on mechanical venting.

__________________
Put your location in your profile!
(Sorry....it seems there really are dumb questions)

redzthredz

Thanks guys for the response!!!

Rooftop Ventilator it is. I do live in the So. Cal. area, 10 miles inland from the beach, so I don't get the natural off shore wind, I do get a nice early evening wind from the west.
I did plan on adding the whole house fan as a secondary method of displacing hot attic air, thanks for confirming.
As for a natural convection design, plenty of lower eave vents and the 6 higher rooftop dormers my architect designed into the project hopefully will suffice, the extra kick from a fan unit can't hurt.
I'll check the threads for any else I can possibly glean from.

Tanks! Tanks alot.

Red

rayh78

I vote for neither

Research has shown that powered attic vents don’t add to shingle and actually increase AC cost.

beelly

In a large house it is important to have a proper circulation of air. This is needed during the warm months to keep the house cool and during the colder months to ensure that no mold and mildew is created or dry rot takes hold. Most of these homes will have an attic or loft of some form which is often used to store things or just left empty. The attic is the place where most of the heat will go and it is important to ventilate the space adequately. One way to do this is to use solar powered gable ventilators and attic fans.

There are two major advantages of the solar powered gable ventilators and attic fans over traditional units. The first is that they are easy to install. The second is that they are free after installation costs.


Installation is quite straightforward. The most difficult part is putting the solar panel onto the roof. This can be done by a tradesperson or by a competent DIYer. Once the panel in installed it is simply a matter of connecting the ventilator and fan up to the leads from the solar panel.


This is much easier and cheaper to install than a unit that used grid electricity, especially if there were no electrical sockets in the attic.