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 The SmartVent technology is a “total attic ventilation system” including components for ridge and eave vents. These components can also be used to easily ventilate other difficult to ventilate roof areas (e.g., dormer roofs, jack rafters at valleys, etc.). The product is a corrugated polyethylene plastic that comes with a synthetic fabric water guard to prevent bulk water and insect entry. SmartVent installs much like other roof venting products at the roof ridge. At the eaves, the SmartVent is installed on top of the roof (not under the soffit) and underneath the roof underlayment and cladding. It vents air from the drip edge through a gap in the roof sheathing. The product is about ¾” thick at the air entry (lower) edge, tapers to 1/8” thick at the top edge and is sized similarly to that of a standard composition roof shingle.
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SmartVent can be used in new or existing construction applications to provide code compliant or improved roof ventilation. Excessive heat in the attic can result in decreased life expectancy of asphalt or composition shingle roofing, so ventilation is recommended by shingle manufacturers.
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Wind-driven rain that penetrates roof vents and damages home interiors is a source of property damage during hurricanes and severe storms. SmartVent provides an integral weather guard (synthetic fabric) that restricts bulk water movement through the vent.
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The most obvious change in practice from the installation of continuous soffit vents is that the product is installed at the roof sheathing (top of the roof) and covered by shingles or roof cladding. The eave installation requires an open and continuous slot in the roof sheathing. Installation in new construction could possible by tasked to the roofing subcontractor while the framing carpenter would likely be tasked with locating the slot in the sheathing through which the system vents at roof eaves.
The SmartVent product can also be installed to provide ventilation to jack rafters along valleys and other hard to vent areas of a roof, such as the top of a shed roof intersecting at a building wall.
The cost of a three-foot section is $9.75 which is more than comparable lineal foot sizes of a continuous soffit vent material and roof edge drip cap. Cost can be offset by the utility of the product in specific design situations, as well as, its multiple uses for drip edge and ventilation.
Proper roof ventilation may prolong the life expectancy of roof cladding, promoting building durability. SmartVent may be more resistant to penetration by wind-driven rain than traditional eave soffit louvers which are open to the elements.
SmartVent has been approved by Texas Department of Insurance (Product Evaluation RV-39, Effective May 1, 2007) for roofs sheathed with structural plywood and pitched from 4/12 up to 15/12.
A national model code evaluation by ICC-ES is pending at the time of this writing (04/2008).
None available.
The product installs much like a roof shingle using standard roofing nails. It comes in 36” lengths and 10-1/2” width and is placed directly on the roof deck over a gap in the roof sheathing that aligns with the location of the vent path in the product. The SmartVent has an integral drip edge The vent may be installed along an eave; the top edge of a shed roof where it meets a wall; at the ridge of a roof; or other locations such as dormers or valleys. After the SmartVent is applied to the roof deck, underlayment and shingles are installed over the product using 1-3/4” long roofing nails to ensure that the nails penetrate the roof vent and roof sheathing.
Standard tools (saw or utility knife and straight edge) may be used for installation. The product has a built-in hinged section that can be bent for ridge and similar applications.
Not Applicable
SmartVent is a method of providing roof ventilation where traditional methods can’t be easily implemented due to design, lack of sufficient soffit area, or climates prone to wind driven rain penetration of soffit louvers. It may be useful for retrofit applications.
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