Why would anyone care what a gable vent is made of?
There are many types of gable vents and most do the same thing, vent. Sounds simple, right? Well...
Vinyl gable vents are designed to usually vent small areas. Some are good sturdy vents and will withstand quite a bit of heat. But none will withstand a fire.
What about wood gable vents? They have been around the longest. Wood is great if it is properly taken care of. The biggest issue I have seen is that each slat is a landing for water to run off and most do not get painted as often as they need.
Metal vents? Well, there are several types of metals. Galvanized has been around for years and for years people have watched as their vents rusted out. Some people say steel. Steel has the same issue with rusting, it just rusts faster. Copper is an excellent metal for vents, but it is expensive and sometimes too soft for large vents.
Well, I guess that leaves aluminum. By nature aluminum is also too soft of a material for making gable vents. Stiffeners are used to make the slats rigid. Now these aluminum slats stand just as straight as on any other vent.
This is the gable vent it is replacing. The louvers are aluminum, but the frame is vinyl. Just looking at it, you would think the vinyl held up better from the fire than the aluminum. But the slats were forced down by a vinyl strip connecting the slats from the back. When the vinyl melted from the back, the aluminum slats were not strong enough to stand on their own. This vent is not a product of Onyx Xteriors.
When ordering your gable vent, it is important to check to see if the vent has any foreign or non compatible components. As you can see, vinyl and aluminum do not always mix well.
See more at shop.onyxxteriors.com
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