05-08-2009, 04:54 PM
I helped my brother put a ridge vent along the entire length of his roof. That helped a lot. I later installed a whole-house fan that sucked air from the kitchen and pushed it into the attic. This forced the hot attic air out through the ridge vent and sucked cool outdoor air in through the doors and windows. Between the two it went from 130 degrees to 105 degrees in the attic with a noticeable decrease in radiant heat from the ceiling. You could feel the radiant heat on your face when you looked up, before.
If you have enough vertical distance from where the cool air enters the attic under the eaves to where the air leaves along the ridge, through roof vents or gable end vents, the chimney effect will be enough. If you put in a fan powered roof vent but don't ensure enough intake area under the eaves, you won't get the full benefit of the ventilation.
If you have enough vertical distance from where the cool air enters the attic under the eaves to where the air leaves along the ridge, through roof vents or gable end vents, the chimney effect will be enough. If you put in a fan powered roof vent but don't ensure enough intake area under the eaves, you won't get the full benefit of the ventilation.