Which way do soffit vents face

[rocks911]

Which way do the fins point, toward the house or away? It looks like most I see installed are facing toward the house but it seems to me thats not taking full advantage of the potential for the vent to catch the wind. Why point the opening toward the house?

[pushkins]

You can ask 10 people that same question and get a perfectly split decision, it really comes down to personal preference. Wind/air movement hits the house then is directed back outward thus being trapped by the vent flange on it's way outward OR wind/air movement hits the vent flange on it's way to the wall either way air enters the soffit vent.
The thing to really remember here is that it's not what air is forced into the vent, soffit vents work by air being pulled into them, this happens by hot air trapped in the attic rising, going out the roof vents, this creates suction dragging air in through the soffit vents.

Personally I face then inwards, basically because over a period of time they tend to collect dust and can be hosed off fairly easily without too much water penetration.

[rocks911]

That makes sense.

Unfortunately I dont think much air gets pulled into mine because of several reasons. I just purchased my home a year or so ago. It is about 12 years old. I started pulling my vents because the temperature in my attic was off the charts. In the roof I have passive vents, and the soffit vents were builders grade cheapies. The holes cut to accommodate the vents were much smaller than the vent itself and all were clogged with insulation that ran all the way down to the vent, all of which is to say there wasn't much air exchange.

Why cant buidlers do a better job?

I'm now in the middle of trying to improve this situation which means pulling every vent, cutting the hole larger and pulling the obstructing insulation then replacing the vent with a better version with larger fins.

I mean really why in this day and age do I have to go back and redo something like this? I live in Dallas and during the summer the heat is nearly unbearable.

I guess I've gotts get to work on the roof vents also, maybe turbines?

[pushkins]

From the attic side pull back the insulation and insert insulation baffles between the rafters/trusses, these are available in the insulation aisle of Lowe's/HD. They are specifically designed to allow airflow past insulation while holding the insulation where it needs to be.
The use of these is common code nowadays.

[Hube]

Rocks911; the position of the fins on a soffit WILL NOT make any difference to the air flow into the attic. Remember tho' to make sure you have sufficient venting area in the high part of the roof,

Note; the slanting effect of fin positions will have no effect on the INTAKE of air. But when it comes to the OUT GOING air (supply) it does play a sinificant part in directing the air stream to various areas such as walls, windows,etc.

Fin position can also make the interior inside the vent "sight-proof" ,in other words, if installed properly it will hide whatever is beyond the vent.

[rocks911]

Hube, that makes sense.

pushkins, I know thats how it is done correctly, but with the angle of my hip roof and the length of the soffit reaching that area from the attic is darn difficult and I'd say in some areas impossible.

Thanks for the replies, it's helpful

[Trim Plus]

Hi rocks911,

As far as why in this day and age are things not as they should be is as Our (trimplus(dot)biz)saying goes: "the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of the low price is forgotten". People just want the lowest price they can get so the contractor does what they need to do, but it might not be done right.