Venting Attic Without Soffit Access

With old homes it can be very difficult to properly ventilate the attic for a variety of reasons.

Venting attic without soffit access.

The most common method is the static method. If i had an older home without soffits i would strongly consider just completely air sealing the attic and adding foam insulation totally removing the need for ventilation. Install special roof intake venting products that work at the lower edge of the roof decking underneath the first course of shingles. How to vent an attic with no eaves the function of soffit vents.

For an attic without soffit vents you may have the option to use gable vents instead. Smart vent a special roof eaves vent product that provides a 3 4 opening about 6 above the top of the roof drip edge. Problems when roof has no overhang. Venting solutions for roofs with no overhang or soffit.

For proper ventilation it isn t enough for air to simply get into your attic. One great alternative to a soffit ventilation system is to install an intake vent right at the lower edge of the roof. Normal vented air likes to enter the attic lower down near the bottom third of the attic and as it passes through it will exit higher up near the top third of the attic space. This method relies on convection which is a mode of heat transfer that is caused by the tendency of warmer air to rise.

They call this a venting drip edge. Typically you would have a gable vent on each end of the attic. In most cases all you have to do is remove about one inch off the top of the fascia the part that covers the end of the rafters on the roof install the drip edge finish with a vent that s on the top of the roof and you re good to go. In other words air flows through the attic space naturally without the use of mechanical means.