Attic Air Flow Soffit

Baffles are available at home centers.

Attic air flow soffit.

Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. I don t see a path for air flow. Our vinyl soffits provide the air intake needed for proper air flow in attics and for controlled temperatures indoors. Insulation often clogs the space between the rafters blocking air from traveling to and from the soffit area.

Soffits are typically used as the exposed undersurface of the roof overhang above exterior siding. I took off two soffit vents only to find batt insulation from the vent back up to the inside of the attic. 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. This continuous air flow prevents rot under.

Install air chutes or clear them if they re clogged photo 1. That means air can t flow from the soffit vents to the roof vents. 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 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.

I have about three feet of slopped ceilings in each room that mirror the roof slope and the insulation is between the roof and the room ceiling. The soffit vents allow convective air movement from the soffits of the residence to the ridge vent. Never cover attic soffit vents with insulation use rafter vents and soffit vents to maintain airflow. View more soffit products.

The solution is to add baffles which allow air to flow past the insulation photo 9. 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. If the attic is insulated with fiberglass batts just pull back any that are blocking the flow of air. 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.

Aluminum or vinyl soffits eaves installed over plywood soffits that don t have venting holes. The soffit vents are now installed but you still need to make sure there s no insulation blocking the new vents. 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. If your attic is well insulated the insulation might be plugging the spaces between rafters just above exterior walls.