Gable vent screens
KimPS
| Posted in General Questions on
I know gable vent screens help keep out unwanted critters and bugs, but is there purpose and value in smaller mesh screen to keep out the elements, water, sand, etc. along a coastal area or where it is windy?
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Replies
Kim,
Older houses with attics sometimes have gable vents. Newer homes usually don't -- the preferred way to ventilate an attic is with soffit vents and a ridge vent.
If you have a problematic gable vent, your first question might be: Do I even need this vent? One solution is to just eliminate the vent and patch the hole.
For more information, see "All About Attic Venting."
This is mostly on topic ---see https://disastersafety.org/ibhs/wildfire-vulnerability-vents-wind-blown-embers/
for a lab test report on wild fire and attic vent screens.
Also on the same site for videos of some of their test https://disastersafety.org/wildfire/wildfire-videos/
They are a part of the insurance industry, so I would expect these findings to make it into the code in the near future.