Attic vents not enough

[Unregistered-Bandit]

I have a 2250 sq ft 1 story brick home in Houston, Tx. I have a steep roof with a ridge vent. The temperature in the attic is so hot on a regular basis that if you put a candle up there or a crayon, it will melt them. It is even hot to walk on the wood ‘deck’ that is up there without shoes. I considered buying a solar fan to mount on the roof, but my wife shot that down because it ‘would look funny as the only house in the neighborhood with something on their roof that is not normal’. Anyway, I was considering adding several fans around the house that would mount above some of the soffit vents that would help pull in some cooler air. I am also considering adding a radiant barrior.
Does anyone have any suggestions that may help me out? Are my ideas heading in the right direction? Should I install the fans?
Should I install the radiant barrior?
Thanks
Bandit

[homebild]

First thing to consider is if you have enough attic ventilation.

A rule is 1 square foot of attic intake and 1 square foot of attic exhaust ventilation for every 150 square feet of attic floor space.

If your ranch home is 26 x 50 feet your attic floor space is 1300sf. You would then need at least 8.7 sq of attic intake and 8.7 sq ft of attic exhaust minimum to cool the attic.

Unless your current intake and exhaust meets or exceed this amount, adding ventilation should be your first move.

Second, ridge vents have been found to become ineffective in venting attics depending on the type. ‘Roll” vents made up of mesh and vents that use plastic mesh can and do clog with dust and debris rendering them of little or no effect.

Having an older type ridge vent can often be no vent.

Check your and change it if needed.

Turbine vents provide the best and most attic ventilation but these also need to be combined with adequate intake vents for proper function. But your wife probably won’t like the ‘whirlybirds’ sitting on your roof.

Radiant barriers could keep your attic cooler but actually increase the temperature above the barrier lierally cooking your roof deck and shingles decreasing the life span of each.

Power vent fans can work if used in conjunction with proper intake vents, but they are costly to operate and will likely be on all the time in your region.

[Unregistered-billy]

first thing is to make sure your soffit vents are indeed open. go in the attic and look down along the bottom. if you can see a good amount of light then they are open.
there are also low profile roof vents.about 4″ high by 10″ square.
and put any larger vents on the backside of the roof.

[Unregistered-Dodgeman]

Take a small fan into your attic space along with a bottle of baby (talcum) powder. Shake the powder in front of the fan with it running, and then turn the fan off. The talcum powder will hang in the air and follow the air currents. It should drift up and out of the ridge vents if they are working.
But really, if it is 100 degrees outside, and it is a sunny day, it would not be unusual to have the attic space be in the 115 to 120 degree range. If it is 110 outside, then 125 to 130 degrees. I would suggest that you put a thermometer up there to measure the actual temperature rather than guessing at it by the fact that a crayon will melt. Why are you walking in your bare feet in the attic? 115 to 120 will certainly feel “hot”.
Radiant barriers will help, but NOT the kind you paint on. The barrier would have to be the type that creates a channel between the roof rafters for the hot air to channel up and out the ridge. However, I don’t know if it would be worth the investment.
Good Luck!
Dodgeman

[Author]

Posts