Rooftop Wind Turbines and Installers

[Run_Amok]

Fellas,

I am considering replacing my current "air hawk" roof vents with the wind turbine style vents.

There is a drastic price difference between the two leading brands (according to Home Depot). Do you folks have a preference or experience you can share? Is the Lomanco worth the extra $$?

Lomanco (Model # BIB14BR) at $71.10
Master Flow (Model # AIC14WW) at $39.97

Any recommendations on an installer / contractor?

Thanks in advance!

Run

[sammm]

Don't buy a cheap turbine....it will squeak, rattle and creak (and you will hear it inside your house). Good ones are silent for the most part.

I don't know about brands, but see if you can find out what they are selling at roofing supply businesses.

[gabkwong]

I had the Masterflow before. They did not make any noises. However, on a windy day they made high pitch wind noise that kept us up. With the new roof, I go to the ridge vent. It is definitely less effective but is noise free and no more trips up there to cover them up for the winter months.

[sammm]

^You're never supposed to cover up a turbine. You still need airflow in your attic, even in the winter.

[Run_Amok]

Don't buy a cheap turbine....it will squeak, rattle and creak (and you will hear it inside your house). Good ones are silent for the most part.

I don't know about brands, but see if you can find out what they are selling at roofing supply businesses.

Good idea, sammm. I searched roofing supply companies and most sell Lomanco, some sell Air Vent. I think this is a good indicator that Lomanco is the way to go.

I had the Masterflow before. They did not make any noises. However, on a windy day they made high pitch wind noise that kept us up. With the new roof, I go to the ridge vent. It is definitely less effective but is noise free and no more trips up there to cover them up for the winter months.

Gabe, you may want to consider replacing your turbines instead of moving to ridge vents. From what I have read online, turbines are the most efficient passive vent available.

^You're never supposed to cover up a turbine. You still need airflow in your attic, even in the winter.

+1.

The last thing you want to do is stuff insulation in the vents. Ventilating attic spaces in winter months is often more important than venting them in summer. Water vapor from the inside of a home can drift up and into an attic space. If this water vapor is not quickly exhausted to the exterior atmosphere, it can often condense upon the cold roof framing members and the underside of the roof sheathing. It can get so bad that water can drip from the underside of the roof and when the temperature gets low enough, frost can actually form up inside the attic. Moisture conditions such as this can lead to wood rot and mold growth.

Depending upon the diameter of the vents and the wind speed outdoors, the turbines can expel vast quantities of humid air before it becomes a problem. A small 12-inch diameter turbine vent with a constant wind speed of 5 miles per hour (mph) can remove 347 cubic feet of air per minute (cfm) from the attic space. A single 14 inch diameter turbine vent that is subjected to 15 mph winds can expel up to 1,342 cfm of air! If the winds are still, the vents still allow air to drift up and out of the attic space, although not nearly as much.

It is also a myth that turbine vents remove warm air from attic spaces in winter months. If the air temperature in your attic space is very warm while it is cold outdoors, I maintain that you might have inadequate insulation and/or you are up in your attic on a bright sunny day where the radiant energy of the sun is heating the attic space.

[gabkwong]

Gabe, you may want to consider replacing your turbines instead of moving to ridge vents. From what I have read online, turbines are the most efficient passive vent available.
+1.

I had supplemental eave vents on two sides, so covering the turbines was OK for the attic. I know the turbine is the way to go around here in the Texas heat. My electric bill went down $20-30 a month after the install. My wife does not want to put up with the wind noise. Ridge vent is my only option. Lucky I have eave vents as supplement!

[Run_Amok]

I had supplemental eave vents on two sides, so covering the turbines was OK for the attic. I know the turbine is the way to go around here in the Texas heat. My electric bill went down $20-30 a month after the install. My wife does not want to put up with the wind noise. Ridge vent is my only option. Lucky I have eave vents as supplement!

Gotcha. Thanks for sharing your cost savings - it is a good motivator for me :)