If you want to ventilate your home, soffit vents are an excellent option. The question becomes: how many soffits are necessary for proper ventilation? The best course is to ask your local roofing contractor, but you must know the basics before talking to anyone. When you have the necessary knowledge, asking the right questions and discussing your concerns will be easier.
So to help, our roofing experts have put together a guide for homeowners. This article explains how to estimate the number and length of soffit vents necessary for a house.
We will first explain some basic details about soffits so you can understand everything better. Let’s start by ensuring whether your home needs soffits or not.
Do You Need Soffit Vents?
Soffit vents are intake vents that allow fresh air to reach inside the attic. If your home has eaves, you surely need soffit vents to ventilate your attic. Eaves are the extended parts of your roofline. Soffit boards cover the underside of the eaves, and fascia covers the front portion. If you can see eaves outside your attic, your home may already have vented or non-vented soffits under them.
Vented Soffits
The primary purpose of soffit vents is to improve the airflow in your attic. So, the vented soffits have perforations or precuts to allow the air inside the attic. They also come in the form of individual boards installed on the gable.
Non-Vented Soffits
Non-vented soffits are boards that cover the underside of the eaves without offering ventilation. They protect the rafters and plumbing from rain, snow, debris, and pests. You need them to cover the area that does not need ventilation.
A house may have both vented and non-vented soffits. Now, let’s understand how much ventilation your attic needs. The area of your attic space directly affects the type and number of soffits you need.
How Much Ventilation Does Your Attic Need?
Homeowners often overlook vital details, which leads to under or over ventilation. Both of these issues worsen your home’s airflow and can even hinder safety.
- As roofing experts, we will first consider your local building codes to set a standard measure. Generally, your attic needs one square foot of ventilation for every 150 square feet.
- Here is an example: Suppose your attic space has 1,800 square feet. Then you will divide it by 150 to determine how much area needs ventilation.
- 1,800 / 150 = 12 square feet. From this example, you will understand that 1,800 square feet of attic need 12 square feet of ventilation.
To determine how many soffit boards will fulfill your ventilation requirement, you must decide which type of soffits you will use.
Types Of Soffit Vents
Primarily, there are two types of soffit vents: Individual and continuous. Both serve the same purpose, but continuous soffits are gaining popularity because you don’t need to install many boards.
Continuous Soffit Vents
Continuous soffits run along the eaves in one piece, and you just need an expert to build and install them for you. The number of perforations or cuts on the boards should be accurate and have the proper size and gapping. They also come in a lot of appealing designs and colors. The most common materials to make continuous soffits are wood, vinyl, aluminum, and fiber cement.
Individual Soffit Vents
Since continuous soffits are the latest in the market, they have a modern touch. So many homeowners may still prefer the traditional, individual soffits. We generally place the individual or single soffit vents at the gable and embed more on the non-vented soffit boards at a proper distance. They work well to ventilate complex spaces such as a kitchen, divided attic space, bathroom, etc.
How Many Soffits Do You Need?
If you choose individual soffit vents, you may need 6 to 28 vents, depending on the size of your attic. On the other hand, when you select continuous soffits, you only need one soffit board per side of the eave. Typically, a house may need four continuous soffit boards for the attic. You must consult a local roofing contractor to completely understand what fits your home and budget.
There is one more fact that you must know about soffit vents. Without exhaust vents, intake vents will have no use. Often, people may forget that the two function together to facilitate air circulation.
How Intake And Exhaust Vents Work Together
Soffit vents will need exhaust vents on the roof, such as ridge vents and wind turbines. They maintain air circulation by driving the warm and unclean air out of the attic. Otherwise, the fresh air that enters through the soffits will remain stagnant, offering no ventilation. That’s why you need adequate exhaust vents on top of the roof.
Some people may find it a little hectic as roofing is complex work that requires technical knowledge and experience. Roofing contractors have to take proper education, examinations, and certification to become a professional. If you need soffit vents or want to discuss anything about your roof, our experts will be happy to help you.
Looking For Soffit Vents? Talk To The Experts
If you live in a state like Ohio, you understand how important it is to control your home’s temperature and humidity levels. Ohio has uncertain weather conditions, and many towns receive significant amounts of rain and snow. So, if you’re looking to improve your home’s ventilation but aren’t sure how to proceed, we are here for you.
At All Around Roofing, Siding & Gutters, we have been helping property owners for years. We are proud to be the most reliable and reputed roofing contractors in Dayton, OH. Our company aims to offer top-quality roofing services and educate people about their homes and buildings. All Around Roofing, Siding & Gutters has highly knowledgeable and skilled experts. We can advise you on what type of soffit vents are suitable for your home and the number of vents you may need.
If you feel we can help you, contact us at (937) 902-2839. We would be happy to offer you free consultations and roof inspections.
