Turbine roof vents are known for their visual appeal, versatility, and ability to vent hot attic air effectively. They add value and style to any residential or commercial building.
While you might prefer turbine roof vents over other roof ventilation methods, it’s important to consider they come with their share of problems, especially if they’ve been on your roof for quite some time.
Roof turbine vents can develop a squeaking sound, leak, or stop spinning. This can happen later in life when the lubricant in the bearings has dried out and the flashing and vents are corroded or dirty.
What are Turbine Roof Vents?
Have you ever heard of the term whirlybirds? This term is used interchangeably with turbine roof vents, a form of roof vents fueled by wind. This mechanic style of roof ventilation does not require an electric power source but relies on wind to spin.
It possesses a wind-sensitive fan that, when it comes into contact with wind, turns and spins and in the process draws up hot and humid air from the attic and expels it outside.
You have probably seen some conspicuous round protruding knobs that keep on spinning on rooftops of commercial spaces or homes, right? Those are turbine roof vents.
Considering that warm air rises, this hot air is vacuumed from your attic and replaced by cool air from the outside. It is, in fact, this warmth that is responsible for the continuous spinning of the vents.
Benefits of Turbine Roof Vents
There are numerous reasons why turbine roof vents are the best fit for your home. Elucidated further below in point form are the merits of turbine roof vents and include;
Appropriate for Any Property Size
The size of your property does not influence the operation and effectiveness of turbine roof vents. They are not limited to use on small properties instead of ridge vents, another style of roof vents.
This is because turbine vents do not discriminate the size of the roof in contrast to ridge vents that may even require the entire length of the roof. For bigger properties, turbine vents would be an ideal option, only that the large roof would require more turbine vents installed.
It would be well be argued that the size of the roof would influence the number of turbine vents needed rather than eliminate turbine vents as a suitable roof vent style for that property.
Easy and Cheap to Install
The fact that turbine vents are not electric-powered helps you cut down on costs that would have been used to hire an accomplished electrician to help you set it up. So, when it comes to installation, this pocket-friendliness grants them an upper hand over options.
Their market price is generally economical, and this partly explains why they are a highly regarded option. The installation process is relatively easy and less unmanageable as opposed to ridge vents. Who wants an option that will be a hassle to install anyway?
They don’t Take a lot of Spaces
You probably wonder how this is possible for devices that tend to be utterly conspicuous from the ground, right? Some roof vent styles like ridge vents will require the whole length of a roof to perform efficiently.
This same section takes up several judiciously placed turbine vents, thus confirming that turbine vents indeed consume a smaller space.
They are Super Effective
The efficacy of turbine vents cuts across both low and strong winds conditions. When there is an appreciable amount of wind, turbine vents impressively vacuum out large quantities of warm air, expelling it out through the vents.
Even when the winds are still, turbine vents remain in action by allowing hot air to rise and disperse out of the attic, although not in considerable quantities. However, low winds do not necessarily mean that their efficacy decreases but rather still execute the job of drawing humid air pretty well.
Economical Running Costs
Turbine vents will require you to execute a simple maintenance procedure of regularly applying a suitable lubricant. This procedure in itself is pretty economical. You still remember that turbine vents are not electric-powered. This means that you will not have to be stressed by the ever-accruing electricity bill.
6 Common Problems with Turbine Roof Vents
Turbine roof vents indubitably have admirable benefits, as explained above. On the flip side, however, these mechanical devices may possess some characteristics that make them less ideal for your home.
Additionally, as commendable as they are, they are prone to mechanical problems that may affect their performance. Explained below in detail are common problems with turbine roof vents, their causes, and tips on how you can fix them and are as follows;
1. Only Effective in Windy Weather
Being devices fueled by wind, they sure are the ideal roof vent options in areas with good winds. So how is this a problem then? If you inhabit an area characterized by calmness, installing turbine roof vents would be a wrong move and a waste of finances.
This is because even though turbine vents do not have to entirely spin at top speed all day long, having them in areas that are mostly calm would mean inadequate roof ventilation for your home.
Also, bearing in mind the unpredictable nature of wind, areas with low wind levels would not be appropriate for this style of roof vents. Therefore, you ought to consider the wind levels of your area before settling for turbine roof vents.
2. They are not very Discrete
The conspicuous nature of turbine roof vents may tend to be a hitch for some homeowners. The fact that these vents stand out on rooftops as round spinning knobs made from highly noticeable material tends to not sit right with some individuals.
If you discretely like things, turbine vents may not be the perfect choice for you. Even when they are installed in color meant to match your roof, they are still visible from the ground level, and that is in no way discrete. Therefore, you should seek other roof vents like ridge vents that are out of sight.
3. They Require Periodic Maintenance
Turbine roof vents pride themselves on economic running costs because they utilize wind instead of electric power. However, being mechanical devices, they are prone to wearing out due to continuous usage. Generally, wearing out of an appliance after prolonged service could translate to maximal performance of the job it is meant to execute.
This wearing out is precisely what would happen the longer a turbine vent is used. Therefore, a turbine vent should not be left to deteriorate without having put in any maintenance efforts.
Neglecting the vent may even result in a common problem of squeaking as it spins, which may even become a bigger problem when you have to tolerate the irritant squeaks because you cannot switch off the vent since it is wind-powered.
Luckily, there is a way to help you avoid all these troubles by conducting simple regular maintenance routines. An example of a maintenance practice is the regular application of a lubricant on the moving parts of the vents to enable smooth performance. Alternatively, you can opt for other roof vent styles that will not require any maintenance routines like ridge vents.
4. The Roof Turbine Vents not Spinning
Finding out that your turbine vents smoothly operating are now not spinning will stir worry in you, right? However, even with a considerable range of possible causes differing from minor causes to more serious causes, the cause probably is common minor causes like obstructions such as dust and leaves or rust.
When this is the case, you can easily correct such causes by manually getting rid of the obstructions and replacing rusted parts, respectively. The reason for your roof vents failing to spin could be somewhat marginal, with causes like faulty flashing, loose connections, or unsealed joints, among others.
When such marginal causes are responsible, a more detailed approach elaborated in our roof turbine vents not spinning article would be necessary.
5. The Roof Turbine Vent is Squeaking/Making Noise
If you have never applied a lubricant to the bearings of your turbine vents, then the squeaks you hear should not surprise you. Alternatively, you may also be enthusiastic about maintenance practices, but the interval between lubricant applications is extremely long, probably because you forgot.
Either of the instances will result in squeaking turbine roof vents. The cause for this lies in the drying out of the lubricant in the bearings making several metal components grind against each other, producing the irritating squeaky noise.
Correcting this is easy since all you have to do is lubricate the components to allow smooth movement rather than rubbing against each other.
6. The Turbine Roof Vent is Leaking
This tends to stand out as one of the more serious problems you can encounter with your roof turbine vent. The possible causes are more marginal issues like unsealed joints and fasteners, loose connections, or improper flashing.
Upon general scrutinizing your turbine vent, it may appear to be in perfect working condition with even no fin missing. However, even with that being the case, you are sure that your turbine roof vent is leaking. The base of the vent is probably the root of the leaking problem.
Ruined, corroded, or bent flashing could be responsible for letting in wind-driven rain hence the leak. If you determine that the flashing is rusted, you might need to replace the whole vent because the flashing might be bearing holes that allow water intrusion.
Degradation of the seals on nail heads or other joints and fasteners could pave the way for water intrusion and hence a possible cause for your turbine roof vent leaking. You can sort this out by applying legitimate sealants like roofing cement or silicone caulk.
With loose connections, you need to secure the loose flashing against the roof using rust=proof nails or screws. You ought to ensure that the top part that spins is firmly secured to the standpipe to eliminate ways through which water can penetrate.
Conclusion
Turbine roof vents are indisputably one of the most effective ways of achieving superb roof ventilation. They reliably vent out hot air making temperatures in your home quite tolerable. They are also cost-effective to maintain them very prevalent, and they sure live up to their reputation.
However, these numerous and laudable boons do not make it impossible for turbine roof vents to develop problems. From easily correctable problems for DIY enthusiasts to more serious issues, this piece has exhaustively shed light on various turbine roof vents problems and gone out of its way to offer tips on how you can fix the problems. I sincerely hope it will be of great help to you.