Do you ever worry that your indoor air quality is worse than it should be? If you have these worries, and a professional checks the air quality and reveals it to be below par, you need excellent ventilation.
If you have a top ventilation system, it can help to remove unwanted aspects from your indoor air, including:
- Allergens, which are especially important if you or anyone in your household has an allergy.
- Stagnant odours from mould or unwashed clothes.
- Pollutants.
Also, proper roof ventilation can help your home’s interior by controlling the humidity in the house. This can reduce the buildup of mould within the house, reducing rot and the heavy structural damage that can come with it.
So you know that you need excellent ventilation for your roof, but the question remains: what do you choose?
A popular choice right now is wind turbine roof vents, which are passive vents that help to circulate the air in a home. They get their name because of the way they use wind power.
However, are turbine vents effective?
Continue reading our guide to discover how effective wind turbine roof vents are. We will detail what aspects impact their effectiveness, analyse common criticisms and look at how they compare with other ventilation systems.
What Are Turbine Roof Vents?
Before we can detail how well turbine vents work, we need to explain further what they are.
As mentioned, turbine vents are a type of ventilation system that goes on the roof, usually via installation from a roofing professional. However, we didn’t go into detail on how they work.
What Are the Main Functions of Turbine Roof Vents, and How Do They Do Them?
The primary purpose of turbine roof vents is to draw out moisture and hot air from the house. Doing this reduces the chance of rot and improves the indoor air quality. They also help to maintain indoor air temperature.
Turbine roof vents can do all this because they are passive ventilation systems, meaning they draw air from inside the house and expel it into the outdoor air. The wind turbines only move after the wind blows them, so they are not electrical, meaning they save more energy.
When the turbines remove stagnant air from the house, fresh air enters and takes its place.
They are usually an excellent alternative to using ridge vents. For example, if you need more ventilation for your attic space but can’t fit any more ridge vents, you can use a turbine roof vent product.
What Types of Turbine Roof Vents Are Available?
Three main types of turbine roof vents are currently available. They differ in how to extract warm and moist air from a house.
Here are the types of turbine roof vent products you can purchase:
- Spinning turbine vent products involve fins on the system that catch incoming wind and facilitate air in the attic space and the rest of the house.
- Cupola turbine roof vent products use convection to draw air out of the house.
- You can also get hybrid turbine vent products that combine various ventilation types.
What Do Turbine Roof Vent Manufacturers Usually Claim About Their Efficiency?
Manufacturers will always state that turbine vents are an incredibly efficient ventilation solution.
They often reference a turbine vent’s ability to reduce the likelihood of rot, regulate temperature in the home (including the attic) and improve the air quality.
Their claims of turbine efficiency can depend on the following:
- The design of the product.
- The size of the vent.
- Any features of the turbine vent.
What Factors Impact the Effectiveness of Turbine Vents?
Now that you know more about turbine roof vents, we can go into the factors that impact their effectiveness.
Here are the critical factors you must consider to determine the effectiveness of turbine vents.
Do Weather Conditions Impact Turbine Vents?
One of the slight drawbacks of turbine roof vent products is that they rely on consistent wind to work correctly and efficiently.
Therefore, the vents will work more consistently if you live in an area with high winds. However, if you live in an area with little wind, you will be better off using a different ventilation product.
Even if you live in an area with high winds, turbine vents may still be an issue because they may cause the turbines to spin too quickly, potentially damaging the system.
Does The Roof’s Structure Impact Turbine Roof Vents?
Depending on your roof’s structure, turbine roof vents will work excellently or inconsistently.
For example, if you have a steep slope on your roof, your turbine vent products will likely have stronger airflow because they have more exposure to the wind.
Also, consider removing anything near your roof that can obstruct wind flow, like tree branches. However, there are some obstructions you can’t remove, like other houses.
Finally, if your roof and attic have excellent ventilation, you may not need an excessive ventilation system; only include the completely necessary ventilation parts.
Does it Matter Where You Place Turbine Roof Vents?
You cannot place turbine roof vents anywhere on the roof; your placement needs to be specific and strategic. You must place them in an area of the roof where wind is most likely to hit.
If you have a larger house, you should consider installing more vents to optimise your home’s air quality.
Also, you won’t be able to optimise the distribution of fresh air if the vents are too close together. Because of this, you must space them apart correctly.
What Are Some Common Criticisms of Turbine Roof Vent Products?
Although turbine roof vents can be a massive help in improving air quality and removing moisture, they also come with their fair share of criticisms.
Here are some of the commonly stated cons of turbine roof vents:
- Many state that the performance of turbine-based roof vents needs to be more consistent to recommend them over other ventilation types.
- Some say that they generate too much noise and need a lot of maintenance, which adds to the up-front cost of purchasing them.
- Some state that the systems are less effective during weather like heavy rainfall or snow.
Are These Turbine Roof Vent Criticisms Accurate?
Despite these criticisms of turbine-based roof vents being common, they aren’t always completely accurate:
- Many systems have features that help to make up for lower wind levels, meaning that they still work as expected.
- Many modern turbine roof vent designs work efficiently without making too much noise. They also require you to maintain them less.
- Despite their struggling in extreme weather, modern turbine roof vent designs work excellently in more moderate weather.
How Do Turbine Roof Vents Compare With Other Ventilation Systems?
Many other ventilation systems can be alternatives to a turbine-based roof vent product, including:
- Mechanical fans, which are more consistent in extreme weather. However, because they consume electricity, they contribute to higher energy bills. Also, they are more expensive to install and maintain.
- Ridge vent and static vent systems require minimal maintenance because they are continuous ventilation systems. However, these systems won’t work without a good level of wind flow.
Other vent types include exhaust vents, box vents and power vents.
Final Thoughts on How Well Turbine-Based Roof Vents Work
In summary, turbine-based roof vents work well when you make the correct considerations. You must ensure you hire a professional installer who can advise you on the number of vents you need and where to put them.
When you make the correct considerations, you will have a wind turbine roof that can remove hot air from your home and increase the air quality.
If you want more advice on how to get the perfect ventilation system for your home, visit our blog on Evo Building Products.