Proper installation of soffit vents

After determining the size and location that best suits your vent, you'll want to get on a ladder and climb so that you can reach the installation site. Use a saber saw or a circular saw, it's up to you to cut an even hole that's a little smaller than the vent that you're installing. This will ensure that it fits snugly into the space and doesn't fall out when air flows through it.

Check to make sure that your hole isn't obstructed by your roof's insulation or anything else. After that, secure your vent tightly into the hole. There you go! To stay safe during the installation process, make sure that you have someone beneath you to hold your ladder steady.

Also, since sawdust can get in your eyes while you're cutting your hole, you're going to need to wear an eye mask. Besides that, you should be good to go! While there are many ways to improve ventilation in your home, none are as effective for your attic as a soffit vent.

Now that you know how to install a soffit vent into the eaves of your home, it's time to learn more about these ventilation systems. Learn the questions that you should ask professional soffit contractors for easy assistance. Home Blog. Home Topics.

You should also consider replacing your old soffit vent with a new one if you have recently replaced the siding on your house. This will help ensure proper ventilation for both the look and function of your home. Soffit vents are necessary in most cases where a home has gable or hip roofs. They can also be used in cathedral ceilings, but this is not as common. Roof Trusses Types. If there's blown-in insulation, like ours, rake back the fluffy stuff with a 3- or 4-ft. Finally, to ensure that the airway to the vent remains open, staple a ventilation baffle to the plywood sheathing in each rafter bay.

For most of us, the attic is a place to store clothes, luggage, and old family photos, but for energy researchers, it's a hot topic of discussion. Building codes have called for increased attic insulation in the last several decades. Most experts contend that a well-ventilated attic keeps the house more comfortable in summer and guards against moist, heated air building up in winter.

There are also dissenting voices who say that the benefits of ventilation are overrated. For instance, attic ventilation is used widely in cold climates to evacuate the warm, moist air that escapes from the living space below.

If this air lingers, it can condense on the underside of the roof sheathing and rot it. A healthy airflow also helps with ice dams, which begin to form when warm air in the attic melts the snow from beneath and creates runoff that refreezes on the colder eave. Great, but neither of these problems is experienced in warmer climates. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. By Merle Henkenius. Pinterest Email Pocket Flipboard. Nancy Andrews If you're looking to install new ventilation in your house, you might want to consider a soffit vent.

Should I Add Soffit Vents? Step 3: Connect the Two Cuts Photo by Merle Henkenius When you near the end of the soffit, stop short and connect the two cuts with a sharp chisel or sabre saw.

Step 6: Remove Any Insulation From the New Vent Photo by Merle Henkenius The soffit vents are now installed, but you still need to make sure there's no insulation blocking the new vents.