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- What are the benefits of roof ventilation?
- How does roof ventilation work?
- What's the best type of roof ventilation for my roof?
- Ridge Ventilation Options
- Roof Ventilation Options
- How much does my roof need?
- Roofs without ventilation
- How much does it cost?
- What about installation?
- Product & Specification Downloads
Roofs in Australia are subject to intense summer heat and extreme temperature variations, for example, a steel roof can easily reach 70° C on a hot sunny day.
Without ventilation these temperature variations cause moisture to build up leading to mould and water damage to your roof structure and insulation materials.
Damp warm air from cooking, showers and washing machines can also make its way into the roof cavity and increase the moisture content in the roof space.
Extreme temperature variations in the roof can also shorten the lifespan of your roof by imposing severe thermal expansion / contraction pressures on joints.
Roof ventilators can eliminate these negative impacts.
Well-designed roof ventilation will do the following:
- Maintain a dry, more equitable temperature in the roof cavity
- Reduce moisture and potential mould build up
- Prolong the lifespan of ceiling insulation
- Protect roof timbers from degradation due to moisture
- Enable your air conditioner to work more efficiently and effectively
- Reduce your power bills & enhance comfort levels in the house
The build-up of heat and moisture in the roof cavity increases the heat in the rooms below.
The result: increased electricity bills and wear and tear on your air conditioning system as it's forced to work harder.
This is especially true when your AC units are ducted into the roof cavity.
We supply a wide range of roof ventilation system solutions and products that make your home more comfortable, reduce your power bills and make your roof more durable.
Roof ventilation works by regulating the temperature and humidity levels in your roof cavity.
In simple terms, roof ventilation works because hot air rises.
When the hot air in the roof cavity is allowed to escape through a well-designed heat extraction and moisture control system then cooler (and drier) air is sucked into the roof cavity from outside via the eaves to replace it.
This maintains a more equitable climate throughout your home and prevents the build-up of moisture that occurs as a result of widely differing thermal conditions between outside and inside the roof cavity.
Pressure differentials caused by external wind movement also create a similar type of vacuum sucking out hot air from inside the roof cavity.
These two factors, thermal and wind pressure differential work in the same way for all types of roof ventilation products whether you choose to go with a powered or a passive roof ventilation system.
There is an enormous range of roof ventilation types for your home; each type has its advantages and in most cases the best choice for your needs will come down to energy ratings, architectural design, personal preference and aesthetics.
We supply all types including:
- Wind-driven Whirlybirds
- Solar powered Roof Vents
- Electrical roof mounted fans
- Passive ridge ventilation
One of the most critical questions to ask is does your chosen option provide enough ventilation for your given roof space?
You can read more about how to work out this requirement for your home lower down the page.
Ridge ventilation systems are a modern innovation that deliver super effective ventilation concealed from view under a normal looking ridge line.
Ridge ventilation systems are completely concealed and so enable you to benefit from clean uninterrupted roofing profile lines.
Ridge ventilation systems are generally tested and approved for the highest BAL and cyclone requirements.
Vent-a-Roof is one of the first concealed ridge ventilation systems in Australia.
Vent-a-Roof is a two-part system that is easy to install, requires no roof penetrations and contains no moving parts.
Vent-a- Roof is fully compliant with the latest 2019 NCC requirements, is BAL 40 rated, tested against severe wind-driven rain and is completely waterproof when installed correctly.
Vent-a-Roof is ideal for all common metal roofing types including:
- Roll top & Barge capping
- Ridges, Hips & Aprons
- Skillions & Parapet walls
- Insulated panels
Vent-a-Roof is made from 0.4mm Zinc Aluminium Sheet Steel and is available in all COLORBOND colours.
Vent-a-Roof is the ideal roof ventilation solution for new or existing commercial, light industrial, residential, and shed applications.
Vent-a-Roof delivers the following benefits:
- Improves roof ventilation with continuous airflow
- Keeps your rooms cooler in summer
- Lowers your energy consumption & power usage
- Reduces condensation, humidity and mould
- Meets Australian wind, bushfire and cyclone ratings
- Is incredibly cost-effective and attractive
- No moving parts so maintenance-free & noise-free
Vent-a-Roof is up to 60% cheaper than other commercial ridge ventilation options.
Hot air rises and is allowed to escape from the roof cavity through the Vent-a-Roof louvre system in the roof ridge.
This creates a vacuum that sucks cooler, drier air into the roof space via vents in the soffits or through the roof eaves.
Wind passing over the roof provides an additional pressure effect to enhance the amount of hot air pulled from the roof space.
A 2.5m section of Vent-a-Roof provides roughly the equivalent ventilation as a 300mm throat Whirlybird.
Vent-a-Roof is simple to install and delivers real cost-savings on installation and labour.
Rapid Ridge is the first Australian dry ridge ventilated roof system for tile roofs.
Rapid Ridge offers a passive ventilation system that can reduce your energy costs by as much as 43% and can be installed in less than half the time as traditional mortar and pointing installs.
A 4-part system enables an uninterrupted air flow underneath the roof. Ridge clips hold the ridge cap securely in place.
A batten holder holds the ridge batten in place and is resistant to wind uplift of 800 N/m. A fire-resistant fleece allows air movement whilst creating a weatherproof barrier.
An eaves comb filler sits under the last row of tiles to facilitate air flow under the tile roof.
The result: exceptional passive ventilation and lower installation costs.
This type of dry ridge fixing product has been widely used in Europe for many years; now it’s available in Australia.
Rapid Ridge has been tested by CSIRO for ‘Dynamic Weather Resistance’ to meet AS4046.9. You’ll enjoy zero post-install maintenance and you’ll love the clean roof profile too.
Whirly Birds have been a very popular roof ventilation choice throughout Australia for many years.
They offer tested, highly effective roof ventilation solutions for all roof types.
Whirly Birds are traditionally wind-driven, roof mounted exhaust fans that work by sucking heat and moisture from the roof space.
Popular Bradford/ Edmonds models include:
- Windmaster
- Supavent
- Turbobeam
- Turbo Ventura
Other highly popular Whirly Bird brand ventilators include the Ampelite Spinaway and the Ampelair (designed for industrial operations).
Roof mounted fans are typically powered by energy efficient electric motors.
These super quiet motors provide exceptional ventilation efficiency and a single powered exhaust fan can be enough to ventilate 127m2 of roof space and remove up to 647m3 of air per hour.
These ventilators offer reliable ventilation even when there’s no wind and have minimal operating costs.
The Bradfords range of electric powered fans includes the Airomatic with Smart IQ technology to detect heat and humidity levels in your roof and the Maestro BAL (rated up to BAL40).
Solar Star (a Solatube product) is a solar roof ventilation system that uses uses a whisper-quiet brushless DC motor powered by a 10W PV solar panel.
You get all the advantages of a powered extraction fan that’s powered by the sun’s free energy.
Installation is simple: takes less than 1 hour for a qualified installer.
Solatube claim that the Solarstar is 10 to 15 times more efficient at exchanging air than your average Whirlybird.
It boasts a sleek profile for near zero impact on your roof’s aesthetic appearance.
The polymer exhaust grille and fan and stainless steel mounting plates cannot rust and its performance is not dependent on variables such as the wind.
The Solar Star is bushfire compliant up to BAL29.
There are three models:
- V-Aero 250
- RM1200
- RM1600
We supply Solar Star roof flashings to suit all types of roofs.
Solar XVent is a Bradford solar powered roof ventilator for either metal or tiled roofs.
Solar XVent is powered by a 10W PV panel and the powerful brushless motor combined with a 9-blade axial fan delivers a maximum flow rate of 195m3/hr.
It’s rain tested to AS/NZS 4740 and performance tested to ISO5801 and the ASA housing is salt safe.
No wiring is required so installation is extremely fast and low cost.
It depends on a number of factors including the area of roof space, roof pitch, and exposure to prevailing wind.
Vent-a-Roof recommend 12m of Vent-A-Roof® ridge for the average 250m2 home to comply with the new standards NCC F6.4 and P3.8.7. for condensation control.
Ideally you'll want to aim for around 5 to 10 air changes per hour in your roof space.
As a general guide for wind driven ventilators, Bradfords recommend around one vent be installed for every 90m2 of roof space.
Four eave vents per roof vent should allow sufficient air to flow into the roof cavity.
Ideally, you should also add one internal ceiling grille, to allow any hot or moisture-laden air inside your home to pass into the roof cavity where it can be exhausted to the outside.
Solar Star recommends one V-250 model is adequate for roof with less than 100m2 of space whereas the RM1600 is capable of extracting 1800 M3 of air per hour.
A single Solar Star unit will equate to as many as 6 or 8 Whirly Bird ventilators.
The recommended number of ventilators for the Solar XVent on a regular shaped roof is one vent is sufficient for around 90m2 based on a ceiling to ridge height of 1.85m.
Bradfords recommend at least two eave vents per roof vent for optimal performance.
Builders and designers became aware of the need for adequate roof ventilation in the mid 20th century.
Increasingly effective sealing and insulation in roof cavities and internal walls trapped hot humid air in the summer and cold damp condensation in the winter.
That moisture build-up can damage timber framing, gyprock ceiling panels, electrical wiring and trigger a dangerous growth of harmful mould.
Without adequate ventilation the hot summer air in the roof space forces your air conditioning to work harder to achieve the desired levels of heat extraction and will increase your electricity bills and running costs as well as shorten the lifespan of the AC units.
Modern insulation and building practices create such as well sealed structure that adequate roof ventilation is needed more than ever.
That depends on so many factors that there’s no simple answer. SolarTube suggests that a quality ventilator will cost anywhere between $500 and $900.
Vent-a-Roof provide a very handy cost calculator here and as a rough guide it works out at about $600 per 15 linear metres of roof ridge line.
Roof ventilator installation is typically very straightforward and cost effective. Some models take as little as 30 minutes to install for a qualified installer.
Because you’re dealing with roof penetrations and it’s essential to adhere to correct waterproofing standards we recommend that you use a qualified installer.
Using a qualified installer means you’re covered for any manufacturing defects in the products as well as installation faults or issues.
We can provide supply only or full supply and installation quotes.
Talk to the experts at No1 Roofing & Building Supplies; we're committed to ensuring our customers get the best sales advice and service around.