solar roof and attic vent fans

[dhquigley]

I have an attic vent fan on my roof that pulls air out of the attic when it gets over a certain temp. Debating replacing it now, but have heard conflicting stories about Tesla removing them versus working around them. Appreciate any thoughts.

 

[TSleuths]

They install ridge venting at the peaks. The convection cycle intakes air at your soffits and exits at the ridges. Likely its best to keep your fan as it can't hurt. Check your soffits for blockages due to blown in insulation, there should be a clear path for air to flow..

 

[jboy210]

I think you would best to check with Tesla about this.

If you do need to remove it you may be able to replace with a unit that exhausts out the side through the wall at the roof peak. Like one of these.
Google Image Result for https://www.doityourself.com/forum/attachments/ducting-air-circulation-ventilation-systems/43963d1419821726-where-visual-guides-replacing-rectangle-gable-attic-vents-sos-gable-vent.jpg

We have a couple of these on the ends of our roof. They do an excellent job of venting the roof and keeping it cool and more importantly dry.

 

[Doom Man]

Assuming you have air intake vents at the soffits, get a ridge vent instead, if that's an option as mentioned above. First, it'll look a lot nicer than having a gap in the panels for a vent. Second, most green builders recommend against powered roof vents, even solar-powered ones. Powered vents are an especially bad idea in a hot-humid environment, where the fans increase attic humidity, which is a bigger problem than heat. Here are two good articles on the topic:

Fans in the Attic: Do They Help or Do They Hurt? - GreenBuildingAdvisor

All About Attic Venting - GreenBuildingAdvisor

 

[SMAlset]

We have a solar roof vent that stopped working a few years ago. Still up. We're getting panels installed as opposed to the roof tiles but were considering whether to call a roofer and get it removed and the area reroofed before our solar installation. The roof has concrete tiles. The area's not leaking and removing it turned out to not offer us any more roof real estate for panel placement so we are keeping it as is for now. Might see if we can get the solar part replaced at some point as it did help reduce the attic temperature during the day. The solar panels will also now shade the roof so hoping we might get some relief from that. Only attic ventilation provided by the developer was those "birdhouse" holes under the eaves. If the timing were different on the life of our roof, we definitely would have removed and reroofed the solar attic vent and either gone with the ridge vent, first choice, or the gable version. Worth the nice clean roof look.

 

[diyguy]

Whatever solution you go with, be sure it screens blowing sparks from entering the house structure. Fire miles away can spread when the winds are right.