Replies

1. 
   Steve_Hansen | Nov 21, 1999 06:45am | #1

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   Back when living "green" and Mother Earth was a leading magazine some folks vented their houses to the attic. The theory was a big attic fan would suck out the hot stale Summer air and cool the house. Bet the house in question was so equipped and one Spring the owners went consumptive and left the Winter blocking in.

1. 
   BillR_ | Nov 21, 1999 10:40pm | #2

   *More info please. One- or two-story house? How old? Fan in the attic? Which direction does the fan operate? Is the foam really a filter or is it a cap? What part of the country? Up north, during the solar scare of the 70s, some wiseguys would let heat build up in the attic during sunny cold days and blow it into the house.In the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park NY, there is a system of ducts connecting each bathroom (13 bathrooms at last count) up to the steel-and-concrete attic space that has several vents. Buoyancy with height, roof vent aerodynamics and wintertime fresh air intake all contributed to effective non-powered exhaust.

1. 
   Drew_Kirk | Nov 24, 1999 08:46am | #3

   *Single-story house, about ten years old, no fan in attic. California high desert about #37 degrees latitude. Not certain whether the foam insert is intended to function as filter or cap.Thanks for your response.

1. 
   Ken_Combs | Nov 30, 1999 08:22pm | #4

   *I had similar vents in a home in the Arizona desert. They were to allow air flow with all doors and windows closed when the roof mounted evaporative coolers where in use. These work really well, providing 20 degrees or so cooling in a low humidity climate. But air flow and exhaust is mandatory to allow the the evaporazation to occur and not build up a high humidity level in the home.

1. 
   Drew_Kirk | Dec 02, 1999 05:51am | #5

   *Evaporative ("swamp") coolers are the most common method of cooling here. Typically, we open windows to provide air flow and to direct the cooling. No problems with moisture build-up. I am beginning to think these ceiling vents were installed to replace the open windows, and then somebody went ahead and mistakenly insulated over them. I think I will go on and remove them. Thanks for the replies, guys.

2. 
   Norm_Kerr | Dec 02, 1999 10:33pm | #6

   *Hey, that evaporative cooling works great. I recommend to everybody to use it too for 'free' summer time cooling. Here's how you do it: get 100 year old trees and position them to the south and west of your house to block the afternoon, summer sun. I get 10 degrees reduction when the temp goes over 90 from the natural, evaporative cooling provided by the tree's moisture expiration (broad-leaf trees are best, like Maple). Best if they are tall enough to shade the roof too (over 30-40 feet).Down side though, they suck up to 100 gallons per day out of the soil. Its tough on the grass. So some of your summer "cooling budget" is in your lawn watering bill.But they sure look nice.Just thought I'd like to pass this tip on to anyone out there thinking about landscaping soon. ;-)

3. 
   Mad_Dog | Dec 03, 1999 02:50am | #7

   *Maybe they had cameras in them...MD

2. 
   Drew_Kirk | Jan 04, 2000 11:51pm | #8

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   A customer's home has vents in the ceiling of each room that are not connected to the heating or cooling systems. The vents are sheet metal boxes that fit between the ceiling joists, are covered with a plastic grill on the ceiling side, and contain a foam filter. The attic's fiberglass insulation covers the vents. Their purpose is obscure; the current owners - 3rd or 4th owners of the home - are baffled. So am I. Can anybody tell me what these vents are for? Can I remove them?