Replies

1. 
   Babe_Mardell | Sep 05, 1999 03:50am | #1

   *
   There are people today trying to foist this dismal technology off on the unsupecting. I am surprised that these ventless wonders have not jumped in, giving you directions to their false articles, books and websites, from which they make considerable sums of money. The failure of unvented roofs was well documented prior to World War II when German experiments with unvented roofs, resulted in the accumulation of hydrogen gas in attics. One such building, built by the architect Hindenberg, actually accumulated so much hydrogen in the attic that it floated across the atlantic and exploded. Without adequate attic ventilation exploding houses would be common.

1. 
   Fried_Linguine | Sep 05, 1999 04:43am | #2

   *Dear Jon,Since I'm the chief, cook and bottle washer when it comes to ventless without a clue. I would like to point out that working in unvented attics causes brain damage. Ask anyone who asks for my advice on the subject.Fried, on both sides.

1. 
   Gabe_Martel | Sep 05, 1999 05:02am | #3

   *Steady boys,Let the a**holes have their fun and they will move on when they don't get the desired effect and they are ignored.Gabe

1. 
   Rich_Beckman | Sep 05, 1999 09:03am | #4

   *To address the question, the only article that I recall in FHB in the past year or so that might qualify is in the most recent issue, September 1999, #125. The article is "Fixes for Damp, Moldy Houses" by Fred Lugano. Fred is a frequent contributor to this board and does argue in the article and on this board that attics should not be vented.Your question sounds like you remember the article from a while back. In that case, my guess is it was not in FHB.Sorry I am not more helpful.Rich Beckman

1. 
   Mike_Mahan | Sep 05, 1999 09:23am | #5

   *Jon,If I recall, there was mention of Fred's ideas in a column in the front of FHb, some time ago. Joe Lstiburek's paper on unvented attic performance appears in the proceedings of Thermal VII. Try a web search and see what you come up with.

2. 
   Joe_Fusco_ | Sep 05, 1999 07:17pm | #6

   *Jon,

   This topic has countless discussions here. Just do a search to get the "end-all" to it.

   Joseph FuscoView Image

3. 
   Gene_Leger_ | Sep 05, 1999 10:32pm | #7

   *Gentlemen. For an update on venting and not venting attics see Bill Rose's article, Issues related to venting of attics and cathedral ceilings. Published in ASHRAE's Transactions CD, proceedings of the 1999 ASHRAE Winter Meeting, held in Chicago, January 1999. And in the same _Transactions_ see Don Fugler's paper, "Conclusions from ten years of Canadian attic research."Also, L.F. Goldberg's paper, "A preliminary experimental assessment of the comparative thermal performance of attics and cathedral ceilings in a cold climate." H. Hens's paper "Heat and moisture response of vented and compact cathedral ceilings: a test house evaluation."Hill, W.W. Measured energy penalties from crawl space ventilation."Published in Energy Efficiiency in a Competitive Environment"in the 1998 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings.See also, K.E. Wilkes paper, "Effects of radiant barriers and attic ventilation on residential attics and attic duct systems: new tools for measuring and modelling." in the ASHRAE Transactions, in the proceedings of the 1998 ASHRAE Annual Meeting, held in Toronto, Canada June 1998. GeneL.

4. 
   Steve_Zerby | Sep 07, 1999 05:34am | #8

   *Hi Gene,Where might one locate copies of the aforementioned papers? I live in the middle of nowhere with libraries that aren't worthy of the name.Steve

5. 
   Phil_Undercuffler | Aug 14, 2000 11:49pm | #9

   *I am in the planning/permitting stages of an addition to my own strawbale home, and I remember, somewhere in the deep recesses of my brain, seeing an article in FHb on hot roofs. I am planning cathedral ceilings, 12" TJI's with dense-pack cellulose, and metal "pro-panel" style roof on z purlins. Can I forgo the usual vent space (difficult to maintain with dp cellulose) and use the space provided by the z purling between the ply sheathing and the metal roof to vent the structure?

2. 
   Jon_H._Thompson | Aug 14, 2000 11:49pm | #10

   *
   I read a piece in either FHB or JLC this past year that argued against the venting of roofs and/or attics. Can anyone tell me which publication and which issue it might have been in? Thanks