DIY Vents: This Quick Trick Could Save Your Home from Wildfire

[@edaten4205]

Thanks for this great video!

[@paulmaxwell8851]

The big challenge is ensuring attic spaces get enough ventilation. 1/16 metal screen blocks almost all airflow and results in higher summertime attic temperatures. Fire safe yes, but an an unventilated attic brings its own problems. I'm presented with this dilemma on my own home.

[@NathanOliver222]

Good point. However, Vulcan Vents use a "14 mesh". This results in approx. a 3% reduction in airflow vs 1/8th mesh. Not too bad in my opinion. I've seen other brands having only about half that airflow. Yikes!

[@maringchannel]

Great tips! Thanks for sharing this tutorial.

[@FIRESafeMARIN]

Glad it was helpful!

[@leslil5590]

What does Fire Safe Marin and Kazoo from Fire Farms think about the thin aluminum crawl space vent covers that easily attach on vents? They essentially block "all" airflow/embers/flames. Would you recommend removing them in the "non-fire season"/winter/rainy season to allow for air flow?

[@yuttyboy3]

Woody Harrelson has a DIY channel! Awesome!

[@FIRESafeMARIN]

😂

[@ThomasElmore-dh7pu]

I am a little concerned… Wouldn’t you need to increase the surface area over the screen as you decrease the dimensions of the holes because the decrease in dimensions of the screen material is going to reduce the amount of air circulation under your house, and possibly, therefore increase the humidity and/or moisture accumulation in the crawlspace.

[@FIRESafeMARIN]

Hi @ThomasElmore-dh7pu. Particularly in the more temperate climates where we live, attic spaces are typically warm spaces and therefore dry spaces, so some decrease where airflow is otherwise currently adequate shouldn’t be a problem. Moisture-related degradation problems could develop should a roof leak occur, but if that were to happen, even ventilation to code may not be sufficient. With crawl spaces, it would depend on soil moisture conditions, but there are other mitigation strategies that could be used in crawl spaces that could dramatically reduce the amount of required venting. For both attics and crawl spaces adding vents is always an option, although usually not a very satisfying one. You will note that in the IBHS NFPA one-page document here: IBHS Attic and Crawl Space Vents Wildfire Fact Sheet

[@NathanOliver222]

Vulcan Vents have about %3 reduction in airflow vs 1/8th mesh. You wont find better airflow.

[@bluebird9193]

Vent rims are behind stucco. Cannot remove them.

[@humblecourageous3919]

@Brett Gorden For our upper eave vents, we chipped a very small amount of stucco away and put Vulcan Vents right over the old vent attaching the edges of the vent to the eave rafter. (We had our house re-stuccoed 20 years ago so it had some extra stucco on the vents.) We put in two half round dormer retrofits on the roof. We had to buy Ember Safe vents for our garage vents. They fit right into the cavity and had extra metal to screw into the stucco.

[@NathanOliver222]

Vulcan Vents sells just the honeycomb and ember mesh as a comb. This stuff can be installed on the back side of your vents, if you have access.