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Heat Extraction & Roof Ventilation Upstairs

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4 Easy Steps To Increase Heat Extraction & Roof Ventilation Upstairs

Summer’s coming and it can be a very hard time for businesses and residential homes to cope with the heat in their roof space. Wherever you are in Australia, finding a good roof ventilation and heat extraction system to extract the heat and bring fresh cooler replacement air in, is always a challenge. When the weather gets up to 25 degrees and above, that’s when you will really notice your whirlybird struggling with the heat (especially if it’s a blistering hot day).

So today we’re gong to talk about how to effectively reduce the heat impact upstairs in your home or business and a few tips to take the strain off.

1.  Install a Solar Roof Ventilation and Heat Extraction System for Your Roof

HEG Solar Xtractor Roof Low ResThe very first step you need to take is to find yourself a roof ventilation unit to install onto the roof of your home. For best results, we recommend taking a look at the roof ventilation alternatives chart we put together which stacks up the most popular ventilation options available and will allow you to make a decision based on the technical aspects of each unit.

We highly recommend a solar ventilation unit, ultimately they deliver a far more efficient solution and are able to remove more heat from your roof space than the wind driven and powered options currently available. We’ve written multiple articles about why we believe solar powered ventilation is the way to go, so be sure to read some of our other blog posts.

2. Install a Number Of  Vents Into Your Ceiling

The second step you need to take is to install a number of vents into your ceiling to allow the air to be extracted out of your upstairs rooms and through the roof space/cavity by your new solar roof ventilation unit. As the air only has one path to escape from the room, the warm air will be drawn to the top of the ceiling where you roof vent is placed, and then from there through the roof space and finally drawn out through the fan.

The more ceiling vents you have installed the easier and quicker the hot air will filter towards your roof ventilation unit and out of your home. So for effective ventilation I’d normally recommend installing ideally one vent per room.

If you’re struggling to get one ceiling vent per room, get as many as possible into the upstairs area as they all help ensure an effective heat extraction system and ventilation from your upstairs areas.

3. Keep Upstairs Windows Closed and Downstairs Windows Open

This is a simple yet often overlooked step for a lot of households, make sure you keep those upstairs windows closed!

As simple as it may sound, it’s probably the most common reason why your upstairs isn’t being cooled down effectively via the heat extraction system, provided – of course –  you do have a good roof ventilator installed.

Th22761693e aim of the heat extraction game is to create a vacuum for the cool air coming into the bottom of the house, replacing the warm air at the top of the house so it exits through your solar ventilation unit.

By keeping your windows open downstairs you’re allowing the cool air to pass into your home. As it rises, it’ll begin to head upstairs and through your ceiling vents, into your roof space. If you didn’t follow step one, your roof space would end up full of hot air. and if you din’t follow step 2. the warm air rising from downstairs will get trapped upstairs.

But having installed your roof ventilation unit and ceiling vents, the warm air will exit through the roof fan, and out through the roof keeping your upstairs area nice and cool.

If you leave the windows upstairs open the replacement air for the roof ventilator will mainly be coming from these open windows – and will be warmer than if you follow step 3 – and get the replacement air from downstairs.

4. Sit Back and Enjoy

Finally you can enjoy your roof ventilation unit sucking out all the hot air from your upstairs bedrooms and your roof space. You can sit back and look forward to summer coming without worrying about the heat bothering you and your family or the stress associated with high air conditioning bills.

But be careful though! A roof ventilation unit is exactly that: roof ventilation! It will not be a replacement for your air conditioner blowing cool air into your home. The best you can achieve is temperatures close to outside ambient temperature in your roof space. So make sure your expectations are realistic to avoid disappointment!

Our next post will talk about the topic of how roof ventilation may increase the efficiency of ducted air conditioning systems.

We are also planning a post for: Why ventilate your roof at night – and how?