On day I'll need a new roof...

[mikester]

Right now my roof is very shallow and I have almost zero attic space.

I'm curious how this really shallow attic space might be impacting my ability to manage the temperature in my house. This time of year is about the only time where we are truly uncomfortable and I have vowed to install one of those nice quiet 'whole house fans'.

I had my sites on quite a large one to exchange the air in my house quickly and multiple times etc, etc...

Well I went up into the attic today which is to say I stuck my head in there. I've never been all the way up there because to be honest I have more space under the house in my crawl space. I know I can get a decent fan in there and it will be a few hours of hard work. I'm not immune to that really; I haven't been able to get anyone to call me back this time of year yet so I may be on my own. I'll get an electrician to do the electrical outlet up there.

Right now I'm looking at an airscape unit. I really liked their larger 4.4e with the wireless controls and the iphone app but I may not be able to fit that in there.

So home building experts here - tell me. How is this shallow roof impacting my comfort zone? One day when I need a new roof my hope is that I can build on with some additional space in it. I don't want to add another story but I do want to be able to go up there, have some attic storage and that sort of thing.

Thanks!

[RWebb]

yes - lots

now, price the cost of building a pitched roof and compare - just be sure you're sitting down first

[A930Rocket]

I used to install a whole house fan in all my homes. Makes a big difference in certain weather, but pollen season was a no go for me.

A simple timer, on/off switch or temp controlled switch are options.

Another idea to help control heat is a gable vent to circulate air in the attic. You'll need another vent on the other side or soffit vents to make it work. A buddy has this and it works well.

[tevake]

Mikester, we were looking into solving a similar overheating problem in our house a few years ago. Ours is an open beam design, so not the same. But after a very expensive rebuild of the roof, to include a vented airspace, additional layer of thermal reflective roofing material, and switch to shakes, from comp roofing. All adding up to a successful result and much less heat transfer to the inside of the house.

Then it dawned on me that I could have built racks and installed solar panels covering most of the roof for similar money, gained lots of thermal improvement and lots of kilowatts produced. just an idea that came too late for me. But might be worth checking out for yourself.

Cheers Richard

[onewhippedpuppy]

Is your current roof properly vented? Remember that you need soffit vents and the roof vents, that's the only way you can take advantage of natural convection to improve circulation and bring in cooler fresh air. This task is on my to-do list, as our roof has zero soffit venting but plenty of roof vents. As a result it gets scary hot in our second floor attic, which I know is having a serious impact on my A/C bill.

[look 171]

Mike there are several thing you can do to reduce the temp in the attic. I forget that if you have a flat roof or not? the trick is to get rid of some of the heat up there. Do you have room for a fan on the side to pull the hot air out of the attic? That's the cheapest and the simplest because there is no patching or leakage issues to deal with. They are usually hooked up to a themo switch. Once the unit is installed, you can get to the motor and everything from the outside (no more crawling back into the attic). With a whole house fan, you have to have exit vents big enough for effective flow (not very good for flat roofs). Whole house fans are the most effect IMO. I sometimes install small remote mounted fans that draw hot air from the ceiling into the attic. It helps cool the house down some. Again, cheap to install and they are super quiet as well. Some units are so quiet that home owners forget to turn them off (because they can't hear it running) and burn the motors over time. We install timers for those (electronic ones, of course). If you need to talk, you know how to get hold of me. I will be happy to walk you through it. it is a lot faster for me then to type with my two left thumbs.

Jeff

[Joeaksa]

I have one in my house, installed it a couple of years after moving in. Best addition I ever made to the house!

If its under 100 degrees outside, the fan is on providing nice ventilation to anywhere in the house I open a window...

[mikester]

Originally Posted by look 171

Mike there are several thing you can do to reduce the temp in the attic. I forget that if you have a flat roof or not? the trick is to get rid of some of the heat up there. Do you have room for a fan on the side to pull the hot air out of the attic? That's the cheapest and the simplest because there is no patching or leakage issues to deal with. They are usually hooked up to a themo switch. Once the unit is installed, you can get to the motor and everything from the outside (no more crawling back into the attic). With a whole house fan, you have to have exit vents big enough for effective flow (not very good for flat roofs). Whole house fans are the most effect IMO. I sometimes install small remote mounted fans that draw hot air from the ceiling into the attic. It helps cool the house down some. Again, cheap to install and they are super quiet as well. Some units are so quiet that home owners forget to turn them off (because they can't hear it running) and burn the motors over time. We install timers for those (electronic ones, of course). If you need to talk, you know how to get hold of me. I will be happy to walk you through it. it is a lot faster for me then to type with my two left thumbs.

Jeff

We have a slightly pitched roof. One issue is that half of our house is an addition so the roof was added on and 'merged' with the old roof. That means in the attic basically I can't get into the newer half of the attic/roof (circa '70s). There are no 'sides' just the traditional soffit venting and roof vents. I do need to get up there where I can and make sure that the insulation isn't blocking the vents. I think we can benefit from it just from the fact that it will bring the cool outside air into the house.

I can put a small, low noise fan up there for a few hundred dollars and probably a weekend's worth of work.

It's a small investment to risk.

[look 171]

Will power gable vents work? Do you have room for that? Use the automatic louvers to keep bug and birds out when the fan is not use during off seasons.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by mikester

We have a slightly pitched roof. One issue is that half of our house is an addition so the roof was added on and 'merged' with the old roof. That means in the attic basically I can't get into the newer half of the attic/roof (circa '70s). There are no 'sides' just the traditional soffit venting and roof vents. I do need to get up there where I can and make sure that the insulation isn't blocking the vents. I think we can benefit from it just from the fact that it will bring the cool outside air into the house.

I can put a small, low noise fan up there for a few hundred dollars and probably a weekend's worth of work.

It's a small investment to risk.

Anything to get that hot air outta there will help

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by mikester

There are no 'sides' just the traditional soffit venting and roof vents. I do need to get up there where I can and make sure that the insulation isn't blocking the vents.

If it's "blown" insulation, just go all around the house with a ladder and aim the bidness end of your leaf blower at the soffit vents at very close range.

It'll make sure the airway is free and clear.

[mikester]

yeah, not blown.

[look 171]

Blown inst. is no longer legal in city of LA. Just FYI

[mikester]

really? Why?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by mikester

really? Why?

It's probably "known to the state of California to cause cancer", just like every other product on the market.

[on2wheels52]

Doug Rye writes a colum in our electric co-op magazine dealing with making your house more energy efficient. He does not recommend the whole house fan. The louvers will be a major sourse of air infiltration.

Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas | Doug Rye's Column

Jim

[nota]

what color is the roof
tile shingle or other ?

we droped the el bill by painting the gray roof white

[911 Rod]

Proper soffits (Styrofoam spacers to keep the insulation away) and lots of roof vents.
The natural hot air rising will flush it out very quickly.
IMO this is all you need and the roof vents can be done from outside.

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by nota

what color is the roof
tile shingle or other ?

we droped the el bill by painting the gray roof white

^^^^^ The number one solution that would reduce heat.

Iphone app for a roof vent how did we ever manage our lives before....never mind, whatever.