How Not To Install A Gable Vent

Less than a minute to install this new louvered triangle gable vent. Onyx Xteriors aluminum gable vents

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Less than a minute to install this new louvered triangle gable vent. Onyx Xteriors aluminum gable vents are made to order for each install. This cuts out a lot of wasted time for cutting larger holes and re framing vent openings to fit the vent. The vent should fit the opening and not the other way around.

These attic vents come pre trimmed for saving time and money. When hiding the fasteners, the vent will be finished after install. When face nailing in the nail fin or flange, it will need additional trim to make it look finished. By placing the vent into the gable wall opening and screwing the fasteners behind the louver faces right through the vent walls into the stud wall framing, the screw heads will be hidden. Also, by using screws to fasten the gable vent into place, the vent is now also removable. When accessing some tight attics, there may be no attic access door to enter. Removable vents can regain the attic access from outside the home's attic. These can be opened and re installed as many times as necessary. https://www.onyxxteriors.com/info/install.php The triangle louver vents do not require sealing or flashing if installed on a gable wall covered with siding where the bottom flange is over or outside the siding. The front flange triangle vent is the most ordered and common since it's almost universal for installing a gable vent. Not only do they vent the most hot air from the attic due to their top loft placement, but require the least effort for installing. Choosing the shape of the gable vent may be influenced by the area of the home to be installed. So, what shapes are common for gable vents to be? https://www.onyxxteriors.com/info/measure.php Is there different flange, install or nail fin options for a gable vent? Most stucco, brick and window frame vent installs are best accommodated with a no flange vent that has no nail fin added. J channel trimmed vents are pre set for vinyl siding and Hardie Plank siding products or any siding similar, like metal siding. When dealing with new construction, a back flange may be more beneficial as it is installed then sided or bricked around. But the front flange is still the most common. https://www.onyxxteriors.com/info/flange.php Of course, feel free to call 901.281.2887 with additional questions or drop us a line at contactus@onyxxteriors.com

 

Do gable vents secretly allow squirrels access to the attic like a hidden doorway?

Let's ask Busta Nutt about his adventures of the roof life. Being a squirrel, he should be somewhat an expert on the subject.

Growing up, dancing across roofs was better than humans riding skateboards. Skateboards still keep humans on the ground no matter how fast or high they try to go. But as a young squirrel, Johnny used to come visit me. He wanted the ultimate air experience. He'd step out from the second story window and sit on the roof talking to me for hours about his high flying adventures on his skateboard. I'd just sit and listen. I didn't want to brag but us squirrels can really get some real air. One day I just took off down the roof and jumped. When I spread my arms as I left the roof runway, there was nothing but air for several seconds and the bliss of freedom was mine. I wasn't aiming for a tree this time. I wanted to soar all the way to the ground. Johnny sat in amazement. After landing I took a second to bow to him like I had really done something special. Johnny stood up and backed up to the peak of the roof with his skateboard in hand. Suddenly he dropped it and jumped on. He flew on that skateboard down the roof and right off. I could see and hear the excitement of the ultimate freedom even as brief as it is. But the giggles were different as he landed in the grass bouncing a few times. Happy giggles with a few groans added in. But the smile on his face was worth a million words. Yeah, next time I see him, he'll be in a cast with broken bones and probably grounded, for real. But for a few moments he was truly free. As a squirrel, we get to experience this every day.

Johnny was finally able to visit me a few weeks later. Yes, I had been watching his progress and pacing being worried that this human might have done something stupid just because I did. Yes, I jumped off the bridge or roof and little Johnny followed blindly. Even my mom jumped my butt for this stupid stunt. Anyways, We are once again sitting on the roof just talking and Johnny asks where I live. That is where I had to spill the beans about living with him and admitting my family was squatters without sounding too desperate.

I turned and looked at the old ragged gable vent behind us. It was falling apart and missing a few slats. But I told him it was a secret passage way to an enchanted attic. beyond this hidden doorway was a permanent fake snow filled loft of something like cotton candy that never melted. White, poofy and soft, it made the best bedding and you could nap anywhere you wanted. Also, this attic eutopia came with endless nut storage space as well as an endless supply and variety of bugs to snack on. We were never hungry or cold. This was paradise. I almost felt sorry for my other squirrel friends trying to build nests in trees from leaves and sticks. No roof over their heads and cold wet winters they could not stay dry. I wanted to show Johnny how cool the loft was but he was way too big to fit through the slats in the gable vent. So he sat peeking in as I ran around the attic showing him jumping on the insulation, so poofy and soft. No matter where I landed or even fell, it was so soft.

One day, there was a huge truck pulled into the driveway and it seemed they were taking everything out like spring cleaning but this time it was a lot of stuff like everything. Who know that much junk would fit in a house? This went on for about a week. Finally, the truck cranked back up and left. I think they accidentally packed up Johnny too. I never saw him after that day. I mean, Johnny was my friend, not theirs so why did they take him? And why were these new people so weird and rude?

I tried several times to greet the new human tenants and even tried offering them nuts as a house warming gift. I remember Johnny liking when I'd bring him pecans and he'd shell them for both of us to eat. Oh, that was real sweet meat in those nuts. But these new guys seemed to be bitter and hateful. They always had a newspaper in hand and when I tried to introduce myself, they tried to hit me with it. Glad I'm fast. The Sunday paper looks like it might hurt.

But the rudest thing they did was let a bunch of guys show up with ladders. These stacked stick looking things allowed the humans to run up and jump right onto the roof. What was going on? They even ripped out my secret doorway, gable vent, and measured it. It was chilly in there for a few nights until they got a new one. It looked real nice and made of some kind of metal. Maybe they were doing something nice for me and my family since we stood guard over the house and protected it from everything else? I watched as they placed the new gable vent in and screwed it off. But they left before knocking out a couple slats. I went over and pulled on a slat to see if it was removable. Nope. Maybe there was a secret button to make the entire vent open as a door? Nope. And almost got my head stuck between the slats trying to look inside and maybe wiggle through. Nope. There was some sort of wire mesh on the back of the vent that I could not get through. The old one did not have this. I want the old gable vent back. I tried so many things, and finally decided these new guys were just plain evil. They locked me and my family out for nothing. I personally think they might just be prejudice against squirrels. This is so wrong. My body wasn't made for living in trees.

https://www.onyxxteriors.com/QA/Do-gable-vents-secretly-allow-squirrels-access-to-the-attic-like-a-hidden-doorway.php

 https://www.onyxxteriors.com/QA/What-signs-should-I-look-for-that-my-gable-vents-are-not-operating-efficiently.php

What signs should I look for that my gable vents are not operating efficiently?

Why is my cooling bill is higher?

Summer cooling bills may vary with power price increases and the intensity of the heat that particular summer. But noticeable increases in a power bill without any other cause may be due to the attic over heating from improper ventilation. If this is a suspect, one way to verify is simply place a thermometer in the attic to monitor the temperature. Temperatures over 130 degrees suggests there beeds to be more ventilation or the current vents may be working against eachother. One common mistake is placing an attic fan on the exhaust vent instead of the intake vent. These vents will last longer and be less likely to malfunction if they are placed at the gable vent nearest the evening shade. This vent will become the intake vent for cooler evening air. The fan should be aimed towards the hot side of the attic where the opposing gable vent is. This will direct the hot air to circulate properly and exit. Placing the fan on the hot vent as an exhaust may overheat the electrical components and possibly catch fire. This method also does not circulate the stale air but only pulls or draws the heated air from the attic. Without circulated air, the attic will not stay healthy.

Why is my ceiling hotter than usual?

If the upper level rooms of the home are radiating more heat than usual, or if the ceiling seems heated in the summer, the gable vents may not be adequate or may not be the problem. First check to see if there is insulation installed in the ceiling / attic floor. This is the first heat barrier to protect the rooms from overheating. Yet, if the ceilings or outer walls sweat or seem to collect condensation, there may be too much insulation. The walls and ceilings (actually all the wood framing of a home) should never be sealed up air tight. The timbers and studs need to breath to dry out. At this point a contractor can advise and fix these issues. And believe it or not, insulation can be old or worn out by wind infiltration, settling over time and even the scurrying little feet of a squirrel compacting and chewing away at it.

Why is my heating bill higher?

During an average winter and the heating bill doubles without obvious utility bill increases, can be a sign or over venting the attic. Over venting will allow the attic to cool way past the heating capabilities of most heating units. Some attics have been found to be 30 degrees cooler than the freezing temps outside. This is caused by the attic over cooling at night and retaining this temperature into the next day even as the sun starts to heat up. When the attic temp is this much colder than the outdoor temp, it will cause moisture build up since the warmer air and cooler air collide instead of acclimate to combine slowly. If the gable vents are adequate in the summer, they may just need to be partially closed off in the winter. But never close off all vents. This is how excessive moisture is expelled from the attic. If this moisture sits too long, it will form mold and mildew and eventually enter the HVAC ductwork and the home's living areas.

Do I have busted gable vents?

Another common attic venting issue is when a gable vent is damaged. Catching this early on can be preventative maintenance before it causes serious damage to the home. The damage may be due to the composition, age of the vent or even an animal. Did you know that wasps and grasshoppers can and do chew through vinyl and fiberglass screens. They believe they are carpenters and that every vent needs a door installed for them and their friends. They do not care that you may not want bugs moving into your attic. Aluminum screen will deter most insects and can be easily replaced on the rear of the gable vent from the attic side. The eviction of nonpaying residents specifically with 4 legs and excessive hair can usually be as simple as applying hardware cloth (AKA 1/2 inch wire mesh) to either the rear of the gable vent or the face on the gable outside. Also pay close attention to any damage that may have occurred naturally. Storm damage and age may have caused a slat to sag or even fall out. Wood gable vents may have rot set in or galvanized may have rust to soon be dismantling itself. Some of these issues can be solved with simple repairs. Others may require replacing the vent all together. At this point, the chosen replacement should be one that will last a lifetime such as an aluminum gable vent.

 

Do gable vents work with soffit and cornice vents?

https://www.onyxxteriors.com/QA/Do-gable-vents-work-with-soffit-cornice-vents.php

For a natural ventilation of any attic and roof, there must be a cool air intake and a hot air exhaust. Mother Nature takes care of the rest. No electricity needed.

With gable vents placed at the highest level of the gable wall, they are usually the best heat exhaust vents the house could have. But soffit and cornice vents are where the majority of cool air enters to push the hot out. No matter the shape of the vent, at the highest possible point nearest the roof peak will vent the most of the heated air. This simple and Natural system is why it's been used and trusted for centuries to prolong the home's life. The two most important parts of a home is the foundation and the roof. The foundation holds everything up while the roof protects it all.

 

Can inclement weather restrict installing different types of gable vents for certain times of year?

https://www.onyxxteriors.com/QA/Can-inclement-weather-restrict-installing-different-types-of-gable-vents-for-certain-times-of-the-year.php

Year long as the weather changes, different product materials such as plastic or vinyl, wood and metals can behave differently for installing outside a home.

Can a vinyl vent be installed in the heat of summer? It can but vinyl and plastic vents have an elasticity issue as it gets hotter and will reach a certain temperature that they actually become pliable. If the install must be done in the middle of summer, it's suggested to do this early in the morning. The plastic material will be the coolest and stiffest at this point. The main issues that make the hotter installs troublesome are the vent itself being stretched while applying fasteners and also the snap ring being too malleable to holds its shape well enough to snap on and stay on. The slightest deformity of this ring can prevent the ring from being tight enough to lock properly. Later that day or even a day or two later, the snap ring may be found on the ground under the vent.

Is there any issues with vinyl gable vents being installed in the winter? Winter cold is actually the worst time to work with anything vinyl. The lower temperatures will do the opposite as heat. The plastic will harden to the point of being brittle. Using nails to fasten it to the wall and one wrong swing of the hammer can shatter the vent. Using a staple gun is definitely out as it will crack through the vent nail fin. Screwing is a bit safer, but use caution to not over tighten. This too can crack or damage the nail fin which is also the water flange on the vent. Last is the snap ring that has, by now, frozen to the point that it has to be applied very slowly and only one click at a time. Tapping into place may even snap the snap ring. Slow and steady may pay off in this instance.

Should wooden gable vents be installed in the winter? Wood gable vents are usually good for installing all year around. Just make sure the vent sits outside near the gable wall it's being installed in for more than 4 hours. Wood requires an acclimation period to reach a similar temperature as the surrounding wood it will be attached to to prevent excessive expansion and contraction from one or the other. If the wall is too hot and a cool wood vent is installed, the wall is expanded and the vent is not. This can cause fasteners to be pushed out slightly loosening the vent from the wall. If the wall is cool and the vent is hot and expanded, the fasteners will pull inwards and can cause the wood of the vent to crack with the fasteners now being too tight. In the winter, wood vents cannot be wet during install since they absorb and hold water. This cold water inside the wood can freeze even if the vent doesn't show it. Once a fastener is driven through a frozen piece of wood, it can crack under the pressure. This may not show up till spring when the vent starts drying in the sun.

What weather is best to install a metal gable vent? Metal vents are applicable all year long. The only real consideration is what material the gable wall is clad in. Brick is not affected by the changing of the seasons. Stucco is another material that can be worked on all year. Vinyl and wood exteriors do expand and contract with heat and cold and can be difficult in the winter. Steel buildings as well as aluminum siding has such a low expansion and contraction rate, they too are easy to work with in any weather. And even though these metal gable vents are so versatile, it's still suggested to not install on the hottest summer day after lunch. Or, if preferred, install between 3 pm and 5 pm if you enjoy the feeling of being sweat drenched and slapped in the face by the sauna heat being pumped out of the vent opening. And gasping for a cool breath of fresh air as you stretch and wiggle on the top of the ladder as that one single bead of sweat races down your spine and aiming for the crevasse below to make you dance on top of the ladder like a pro.

Can I use a fan for additional attic ventilation in addition of gable vents?

Should attic fans be used with gable vents? Certain attics may even require an attic fan due to lack of venting options. When proper ventilation isn't set up on some brick and stucco homes, adding a fan will help. Or if the home style will be taken away from by adding gable vents. Some HOA rules are against changing of any original designs that will visually reduce property values. This is not taking into consideration what improper ventilation will do to a home or how quickly this will reduce a property's value bringing down an entire neighborhood. In cases such as dealing with an HOA, proper planning upon your part can be the deciding factor. Bringing to the neighborhoods attention of the builder not properly venting most homes attics will give the upper hand in most cases for additional gable vents or venting options to be approved. As long as they are aesthetically pleasing. The HOA is only there to maintain the neighborhood's property values. They usually know nothing of structure or beyond the color paint allowed. But if you plan on being in your home over 10 years, this should be a high priority as preventative maintenance. Looks great now, but soon the roof is cooking inside and out, boards are swelling or rotting, plywood decking is being pushed and pulled until it buckles. This average $500 fix may cost $50,000 in just 10 or 15 years when the entire roof needs replaced.

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