Attic Fan Vs Wind Turbine

For the attic fans to work at peak efficiency they need to be on a south facing roof slope if you live in the northern hemisphere.

Attic fan vs wind turbine.

My experience with the attic fan usually 1500 cfms is that they don t stay ahead of the heat production during full sun and only help in late afternoon. A turbine is installed directly on the top of a roof and uses wind power to suck hot and humid air out of the attic. Turbine vents use outside wind to power the spinning vent and allow airflow into and out of the attic. You would probably benefit more with the wind driven turbines than the attic fans.

These wind turbines rely on the wind in the environment to function. Ridge vents power fans traditional electric and solar powered wind turbines gable louvers and roof louvers. In general there are five types or categories of exhaust vents. Two types of attic ventilation vents compared turbine vents roof with turbine attic vent.

A solar fan doesn t rely on the wind and it actually has a more powerful motor in it so it keeps the temperature of your attic regulated regardless of wind conditions. Flat roof vents have no moving parts to break or squeak but don t vent as much air as wind driven vents. Turbine fans have angled slits cut into a capped cylinder which create a continuous fan blade. It is costing you to run the attic fans.

The wind rotates the fan blade causing air movement in the attic as air is pulled out through the. Solar fans don t require any electricity wind or attic pressure to spin. Wind driven roof vents will pull more air from the attic but only when the wind is blowing. A turbine has a series of vanes that spin as wind passes through them.

A solar fan is able to actively pull more air into your attic than a turbine can. If a cloud blocks the sunlight the fans slow or stop. These types of vents move more hot air and moisture out of your attic than box vents of course this is only when the wind is blowing. These raised vents are often seen spinning at the top of neighborhood homes and are very efficient.

Turbine vents are those ice cream cone looking vents that turn in the wind using a series of vanes like a weather vane allowing warm moist air to escape at the top of your roof. Unlike turbines this venting style does not have any moving parts. The sun does that. The ravc recommends never mixing two types of exhaust vents on the same roof above a common attic because it could short circuit the attic ventilation system.