Roof Without Soffit Vents

One great alternative to a soffit ventilation system is to install an intake vent right at the lower edge of the roof.

Roof without soffit vents. Typically you would have a gable vent on each end of the attic. They call this a venting drip edge. It will primarily depend on the roof. A company called air vent has created a patented product called shingle over edge vents.

With a soffit venting is not much of a challenge. Venting solutions for roofs with no overhang or soffit install special roof intake venting products that work at the lower edge of the roof decking underneath the first course of shingles. However if the home has no soffit it is quite a different matter. Where we inspect attics where even larger vent openings are provided in the soffits or eaves if the openings are intermittent we see wet and often moldy roof sheathing on those roof sections where no venting is provided the in between vent roof sections even though at other roof sections where vents are present the sheathing often looks clean and dry.

This moisture is released into the air inside the house from bathing cooking plants laundry and other causes. Even if you do not have soffits it may still be a good idea to install a ridge vent even if it s effectiveness is reduced without soffit venting. On the principle that hot air rises the accumulated heat and moisture would rise to the attic and out the roof vents. However without soffit vents that makeup air comes from indoors a situation that is not desirable in any season.

Their primary job is to provide an unobstructed exit for the heat hot air odors and moisture trapped in your attic. Smart vent a special roof eaves vent product that provides a 3 4 opening about 6 above the top of the roof drip edge. When the attic becomes part of the home to be heated and cooled open wall gable vents and roof vents are no longer feasible but the underside of the roof the sheathing and rafters can still get. This is usually a 3 8 inch piece of plywood that is underneath the overhanging portion of the roof that extends beyond the outside wall.

I m presuming that the roof has good eave detailing so that rain does not enter at the beam. Normal vented air likes to enter the attic lower down near the bottom third of the attic and as it passes through it will exit higher up near the top third of the attic space. The venting drip edge seems to be the easiest and most common way to go. What about edge vents.

It makes sense that the wettest spots are near the beam because that s the most likely site for humid air leakage from the indoors. Without exhaust vents this hot air and water vapor can lead to inferior indoor air quality and cause all kinds of problems from peeling paint to roof damage. For an attic without soffit vents you may have the option to use gable vents instead.