LESLIE: Now we’ve got George in Texas who has a roof turbine question. What’s going on at your money pit?
GEORGE: Well, I’ve got a 2,600-square-foot split level house and there’s two turbine vents on one side and the other side has an attic fan – a motorized, electric fan, 14 inch. Now the motor burned up on the electric fan and I was wondering if it’d be wiser to replace it with a turbine or should I stick with the electric.
TOM: So you have how many fans in the attic space now?
GEORGE: One fan and two turbine vents.
TOM: Right. Well, turbine vents are very inefficient and a fan is generally a waste of money. So this is an unfinished attic space?
GEORGE: Yes.
TOM: What we would recommend is, rather than have turbine fans and attic vents – attic fans – that you have a passive ventilation system consisting of soffit vents at the overhang and ridge vents at the peak.
GEORGE: Oh, OK then.
TOM: Now, the ridge vent at the peak and the soffit vent at the overhang are going to work together because as wind blows over the roof of your house, the ridge vent will be depressurized and the air will be drawn out of that space; as it blows across the side of the house, it will be pressurized and air will be blown into that attic space.
GEORGE: Oh, I see.
TOM: So it kind of circulates 24/7/365 that way. You follow me?
GEORGE: Yes. And what kind of money are we talking about for a ridge vent?
TOM: Well, it depends. You know, it’s a carpentry/roofing project.
GEORGE: Yes.
TOM: But it won’t be terribly expensive. But that’s the best way to go.
GEORGE: Alright, appreciate your help.
TOM: Alright, George. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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