Dear Jimbo,
I understand what you are saying.....I do not disagree, but I think that even though there is more sq ft of sofitt perhaps, there may still be less resistance from the closer ridge vents is some cases.

As to the backdraft situation, it has actually happened and is not too much of a stretch. I've inspected many homes where just having the bath vents and exterior exhausting range hood going caused a backdraft situation on a gas water heater or furnace. You could actually see it fogging a mirror when held next to the draft vent of the heater. With homes being tighter now it happens easier then when homes were more drafty.

As you asked, here are some interesting articles on the subject of not using powered attic ventilators.....

Home Energy Magazine :: Drawbacks Of Powered Attic Ventilators
Advanced Energy
http://tinyurl.com/66qq8jv

Hope you enjoy them, they are interesting.

BTW, I think the solar tubes are great in some homes, as long as they are quality ones and installed properly so as to not cause a roof leak.

Respectfully, Frank

Installation
 

Frank- I love you man! :D

D0 you think the Solar Guys are a quality product and just to summarize as I do not understand all teh psts, is a solar fan a goo or bad idea? Just basic language for me please.

Frank says no Carguys says yes, I think yes, but the first thing to install is a radiant barrier in the attic, if not satisfied then the fan.

But if I install a fan it will be ducted down near the attic floor to mitigate any short cycling.

My understanding is a cooler attic is a cooler house? No one is hanging out in their attics so I am just trying to ascertain the exact reason to put anything in the attic to keep it cool, aside from obvious reasons to keep air circulating to maintain the things you keep up there? I am getting a little lost on this discussion and I scored 15/100 on mechanical reason so I am struggling with all this.

Jane,
Mine is only one opinion, and I certainly do not intend to criticize any other business here. To answer your question, yes, I do think their solar tubes are a quality product. If I were having one installed by someone, I think I would strongly consider them, as they do a lot of work here, and I would assume they would stand by their work.

I have seen too many times when someone hires a fly by night, unlicensed, uninsured contractor who does substandard work and by the time problems show, they are long gone. Doing business with a company that has strong roots in the area is almost always a good idea.

My personal home faces 115 degrees southeast and has a floorplan that seems to lend itself to having bright, open rooms. I have neighbors whose homes seem to just be dark......then they have solar tubes installed and they look great and change the whole look of the house. I like solar tubes MUCH better then regular skylights, which can be prone to their own set of problems.

So to answer your question, my personal opinion is Solar Tubes can be a nice addition to homes that have dark rooms. They should be installed properly by trained people to minimize the chance of a roof leak.

I personally would NOT buy solar powered vent fans for my home for the reasons stated in my earlier posts.

I hope that helps.

Respectfully, Frank

The attic can get very hot, 120-maybe 160 degrees.

That heat is what you want to lower with the items already mentioned.

If you don't you will use more energy $$$ cooling

So yes "your understanding is a cooler attic is a cooler house"

Thank you. We face SW, we get nice light in our home but there are certain spots like bathrooms and a hallway with no windows that only have electric lights. I also things a few other places could use some mroe natural light. I like a happy environment and sunshine to me and natural light is happy. Thank you all for your explanations.

Sorry to throw a monkey wrench into this topic but no one mentioned roof color.

If you have white or a lite color you beat out fans and radiant barriers

read more from Fl solar energy.

Yes, a cooler attic is a cooler house. Even with all the insulation mentioned in previous posts, the attic heat (as much as 150 degrees or so) will transfer down the studs into the walls, so less heat is less transfer. The answers can be simple but a lot depends on the type roof you have (hip or gable). I have on my house and believe in the powered attic fan (or gable fan as appropriate) and think the solar fan does not have enough power to pull enough air out, especially if you have ridge vents. My fan is both manual and automatic so I can control it. I have also sealed my roof with white elastomeric sealant and that alone has reduced the temps by at least 20 degrees on the hottest of days. The roof fans, solar or powered, will not work as well if you have the ridge vents for the reasons posted. Absent the roof ridge vent, they will pull from just the soffits and produce better air flow if the proper cfm (cubic feet of air movement) is obtained. Back in the 50's or so, most Florida houses had white roofs when there was no air conditioning. I know as I grew up in Florida then. It was the standard. Apologies if this has added to the confusion!

Well I gambled and went with the 22 inch solar attic fan and put in five solar tubes, two in the Master bath, one in the guest bath, one in the laundry and one in the kitchen. One day I will let you know how it all works. We have a red roof. i appreciate all the input, it is all so interesting, the diversity of opinion. I like the idea of solar and was at a house party for Canada Day in Seattle that was solar powered. It swayed me to try it. If it does not work I will re-read all these posts and try another idea!

So with a light colored roof, you benefit more than the barriers and fans can provide with a darker roof? What about a light roof AND the barrier/fan combo? Sure seems like that would be the best of all.
Don

garage solar fan???
 

I'll start off by saying this is our first summer in The Villages, and to thank every one for the info here, and that we are loving it!
My problem is the hot garage, I like spending time out there, my man cave and all.
I have talked to two contractors and got two choices.
One, vent the bottem of the garage doors, and install a power vent in the garage ceiling, pulling the warm air from the garage into the attic. Cost about $525. This work would be covered under the permit we have in effect from the solar light they just installed. By the way the solar light is great!
The other option is a solar powered vent with a duct pulling the warm air from the garage to the atmosphere. Cost about $900 plus another $65 for another permit.
Any opinions??
Frank, I would realy like your input.

I believe the air in the attic is hotter than in the garage. Why not just open the garage door and install a ceiling fan?

Maybe against the building code to exhaust ait into attic, but you can use a small duct thru roof, then cut vents into bottom of door for intake or just open it.

The air near the bottom of the door should be cooler than the top.