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Structural Inspections Contains discussions about the structural portion of a home inspection. This includes foundations, framing, etc.

 
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  #1  
Old 3/28/09, 11:51 AM
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Default Al Gore vent fans

Never saw this before. House had 2 solar ventilators for the attic. The house already had soffit vents, gable vents, and ridge vents. The same company that installed his reverse-osmosis water filter for $7000 (after an in-home water test on a municipal water system) installed these at $450 each.

They were nice, however. They run on low speed constantly all year long.

al-gore-vent-fans-032709-048.jpg



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  #2  
Old 3/28/09, 11:56 AM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Nice, I have not seen one yet.
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  #3  
Old 3/28/09, 12:02 PM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

According to a seminar I attended last month, these added vents are actually reducing the ventilation in the attic by taking the draft away from the soffit-to-ridge vent and replacing it with the mechanical vent-to-ridge vent thereby only exchanging the air in the peak of the attic instead of the whole attic.

The ridge vent will draw its air from the nearest source.



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  #4  
Old 3/28/09, 12:05 PM
Larry D. Kage Larry D. Kage is offline
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Quote:
Originally Posted by jbushart View Post
According to a seminar I attended last month, these added vents are actually reducing the ventilation in the attic by taking the draft away from the soffit-to-ridge vent and replacing it with the mechanical vent-to-ridge vent thereby only exchanging the air in the peak of the attic instead of the whole attic.

The ridge vent will draw its air from the nearest source.
Exactly, it is similar to adding gable vents to a home that is utilizing soffit and ridge vents. It comes in the gable vent and out the ridge vent bypassing the soffit vents and all the attic area in that direction.



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  #5  
Old 3/28/09, 12:25 PM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Quote:
Originally Posted by lkage View Post
Exactly, it is similar to adding gable vents to a home that is utilizing soffit and ridge vents. It comes in the gable vent and out the ridge vent bypassing the soffit vents and all the attic area in that direction.
Are you writing this up as a defect?



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  #6  
Old 3/28/09, 12:35 PM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Quote:
Originally Posted by jbushart View Post
Are you writing this up as a defect?
No. Just sharing with you. I wish I could afford a couple of them.

Conventional electric fans can actually suck conditioned air out of the living space, but these weren't that powerful.

I read the posts about the possible negative consequences. However, that hasn't been proven to me. The fans rotate on a very low speed. I tend to think that this added low-speed draw of air through the structure is beneficial. The warm air is at the top of the attic anyway, so whether the make-up air comes from the soffit or ridge, is inconsequential as far as I'm concerned. It was a pretty large attic. I don't think the draw of these 2 low-speed fans would be enough to cause all the ridge vents to act as intakes.



“The things that will destroy America are peace at any price,
prosperity at any cost, safety first instead of duty first,
the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”
Theodore Roosevelt


Joe Funderburk, CMI
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Inspecting Upstate SC & Charlotte Metro, NC
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  #7  
Old 3/28/09, 1:05 PM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Quote:
Originally Posted by jfunderburk View Post
No. Just sharing with you. I wish I could afford a couple of them.

Conventional electric fans can actually suck conditioned air out of the living space, but these weren't that powerful.

I read the posts about the possible negative consequences. However, that hasn't been proven to me. The fans rotate on a very low speed. I tend to think that this added low-speed draw of air through the structure is beneficial. The warm air is at the top of the attic anyway, so whether the make-up air comes from the soffit or ridge, is inconsequential as far as I'm concerned. It was a pretty large attic. I don't think the draw of these 2 low-speed fans would be enough to cause all the ridge vents to act as intakes.

From what I have studied, air will take the path of least resistance like water and electricity.

Accordingly, an opening 4 feet away from the ridge vent, even if it was designed to draw air out, will serve as a source of air as it is drawn out of the ridge vent by wind blowing over the house.

Should we ignore this until it appears in a code book, or inform our buyer of the concept and allow him to draw his own conclusion?



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  #8  
Old 3/28/09, 2:19 PM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Quote:
Originally Posted by jbushart View Post
Should we ignore this until it appears in a code book...
I plan to. I'm certainly not going to advise someone to remove or plug their ridge vents if a power ventilator is present.



“The things that will destroy America are peace at any price,
prosperity at any cost, safety first instead of duty first,
the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”
Theodore Roosevelt


Joe Funderburk, CMI
Alpha & Omega Home Inspections, LLC
Inspecting Upstate SC & Charlotte Metro, NC
NACHI ID: NACHI05120170
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  #9  
Old 3/28/09, 5:00 PM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Quote:
Originally Posted by jbushart View Post
According to a seminar I attended last month, these added vents are actually reducing the ventilation in the attic by taking the draft away from the soffit-to-ridge vent and replacing it with the mechanical vent-to-ridge vent thereby only exchanging the air in the peak of the attic instead of the whole attic.

The ridge vent will draw its air from the nearest source.

I agree.



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  #10  
Old 3/28/09, 5:26 PM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Quote:
Originally Posted by jbushart View Post
According to a seminar I attended last month, these added vents are actually reducing the ventilation in the attic by taking the draft away from the soffit-to-ridge vent and replacing it with the mechanical vent-to-ridge vent thereby only exchanging the air in the peak of the attic instead of the whole attic.

The ridge vent will draw its air from the nearest source.
Who did the seminar? What are their credentials? How did they make their conclusions--what testing did they perform? Where is the documentation?

Finally, if adding one or two power vents "actually reduces ventilation in the attic", how many power vents would you have to add to reduce ventilation to zero?



“The things that will destroy America are peace at any price,
prosperity at any cost, safety first instead of duty first,
the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”
Theodore Roosevelt


Joe Funderburk, CMI
Alpha & Omega Home Inspections, LLC
Inspecting Upstate SC & Charlotte Metro, NC
NACHI ID: NACHI05120170
www.aohomeinspection.com


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  #11  
Old 3/28/09, 7:14 PM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Quote:
Originally Posted by jfunderburk View Post
Who did the seminar? What are their credentials? How did they make their conclusions--what testing did they perform? Where is the documentation?

Finally, if adding one or two power vents "actually reduces ventilation in the attic", how many power vents would you have to add to reduce ventilation to zero?
These folks.



James H. Bushart

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  #12  
Old 3/28/09, 7:49 PM
Larry D. Kage Larry D. Kage is offline
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Quote:
Originally Posted by jbushart View Post
Are you writing this up as a defect?
Not unless I see detrimental effects like excessive moisture buildup or such but I do verbalize my thoughts on it to the client, if present.



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  #13  
Old 3/28/09, 8:33 PM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Jim that Air Vent seminar in St. Louis was good. Most of the home around here are not event right.



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  #14  
Old 3/28/09, 8:37 PM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Quote:
Originally Posted by ksitzes View Post
Jim that Air Vent seminar in St. Louis was good. Most of the home around here are not event right.
You got that right, Ken. I went to the one in Springfield (got my buck knife, too) and it really was an info-packed, fast two-hours.

These guys sell all of the different systems....but take great pains to see that their dealers understand which ones do the best job, and why.

I think Ken would agree with me that anyone who can get a chance to see their seminar (Free...and worth 2 hours of NACHI/ASHI CEUs) should attend.



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  #15  
Old 3/28/09, 9:25 PM
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Default Re: Al Gore vent fans

Quote:
Originally Posted by jbushart View Post
Still waiting for that scientific study publication link.



“The things that will destroy America are peace at any price,
prosperity at any cost, safety first instead of duty first,
the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”
Theodore Roosevelt


Joe Funderburk, CMI
Alpha & Omega Home Inspections, LLC
Inspecting Upstate SC & Charlotte Metro, NC
NACHI ID: NACHI05120170
www.aohomeinspection.com


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