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Home/Service Areas/Louisiana/Kenner/Roof Ventilation

Roof Ventilation in Kenner, LA

Big Easy Roofing sorts out attic ventilation across Kenner and east bank Jefferson Parish. Most roofs here already carry plenty of exhaust. What they are short of is intake, and that is why adding another vent so often changes nothing you can feel.

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$400 to $2,500Estimated correction
Intake decides itFor any vent without a motor
Ridge plus another ventThe pairing that backfires
Written scopeBefore anything is cut in

Kenner roof ventilation at a glance

Attic ventilation is one system with two halves, air in at the eaves and air out near the ridge. The half that is usually short is the intake, and adding more exhaust rarely fixes that, because a vent without a motor can only move the air something else lets in.

Estimated correction

$400 to $2,500

Driven by how much intake has to be opened up, what exhaust is already there, the roof shape and access. Every figure here is an estimate, not a quote.

A passive vent cannot exceed intake

A powered one is different

A turbine or a ridge vent has no motor, so each can only move the air the soffits let in. A powered fan is another case: it has enough suction to pull air from wherever it can find it, and on a starved attic that includes the conditioned house below.

Ridge vent plus a point vent

The pairing that backfires

A ridge vent runs continuously along the top. Put a turbine or a powered fan on that same plane and the point vent can find the ridge slot before it finds the eaves. Two turbines together, or two static vents, do not have that problem.

A seized turbine still works

As a static vent

One that has stopped turning has not stopped being a vent. It keeps the weather out the way a static vent does, it has just lost the wind assist. What is worth checking after a storm is whether it is still physically there.

Blocked soffits are the usual find

Insulation, paint, or never cut

The most common ventilation fault we find is intake that is present on paper and blocked in practice, usually by insulation pushed into the eaves, by paint over the perforations, or by soffit that was never cut open behind the vent.

It is usually part of a bigger job

Because the roof has to be open

Doing the intake side properly often means working at the eaves, so ventilation is normally corrected during a reroof or a repair rather than as a standalone visit.

Every figure on this page is an estimate, not a quote, and is subject to Big Easy Roofing sign off. Cost and timescale depend on size, pitch, access, weather, materials and whatever is found once work starts, so call Big Easy Roofing on (504) 800-8196 and we will come out and give you an estimate for your own roof.

Every figure on this page is an estimate, not a quote, and is subject to Big Easy Roofing sign off. Call Big Easy Roofing on (504) 800-8196 to have the ventilation on a Kenner roof looked at properly.

What each vent actually does, and what it cannot do

Vents are not interchangeable and they are not cumulative. These are the ones on roofs around here, what each is genuinely good at, and the limit nobody mentions at the point of sale. The last column is the one that decides whether it will work on your roof.

Vent typeWhat it does wellWhat it cannot doOnly works if
Soffit or eave intakeLets air into the attic, low down where it should enterNothing on its own, it is the supply sideIt is actually open behind the vent and not packed with insulation
Ridge ventExhausts along the highest line, evenly, with no moving partDraw more than the intake allowsThere is matching intake at the eaves, and it is the only exhaust on that plane
TurbineExhausts, and spins in wind, with a small assist over a static ventCreate intake, or work usefully on a starved atticIntake is adequate and it is not sharing a plane with a ridge vent
Static box or louvre ventExhausts simply and cheaply, nothing to seizeCover a large attic on its ownEnough of them are fitted high enough, with intake to match
Powered attic fanMoves a lot of air, fastBe harmless on a starved attic, where it can pull conditioned air out of the houseIntake is genuinely adequate first, which is the part usually skipped

Every figure on this page is an estimate rather than a quote. The pattern across all five rows is the same: four of them are exhaust, only one is intake, and the intake row is the one most roofs are short of.

Turbines, honestly

Turbines are everywhere on roofs in this region and they are the vent people ask about most. They are not a con and they are not a cure. A turbine is an exhaust vent with a moving part, and what it can achieve is set by the intake underneath it rather than by the turbine itself.

What it is genuinely doing

Exhaust, with a wind assist

When wind crosses the cowl it spins, and a spinning turbine moves somewhat more air than a static vent of the same opening. That is a real benefit and it is a modest one. On a still, humid day it is close to a static vent with a lid.

What it cannot do

Invent intake

No exhaust vent creates air. If the soffits are blocked or were never opened, a turbine pulls against a closed system and achieves very little, and a second turbine doubles the hardware without changing the air supply. A powered fan on that same attic is the one to watch, because its motor can find makeup air from inside the house.

The pairing that actually backfires

Ridge vent plus a point vent

A ridge vent runs in a continuous line along the top of the plane. Put a turbine or a powered fan on that same plane and the point vent can end up drawing from the ridge slot a few feet away instead of from the eaves, which cuts into what either one is doing for that section. Two turbines together, or two static vents, are ordinary and not a fault.

Where this fits the paperwork

Usually inside the reroof

Louisiana requires any municipality or parish that issues construction permits to permit and inspect roof construction and reroofing, at R.S. 37:3737(I), so vents changed during a reroof sit inside that job. For a standalone vent change the Kenner Permitting Office answers it, on (504) 468-4062 option 1, Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

How to tell whether yours is doing anything

Look at it from the ground on a breezy day and see whether it turns freely. Then go into the attic on a hot afternoon, and check whether daylight is visible at the eaves along the run, not just at one end. Blocked intake is far more common than broken exhaust.

If the attic is noticeably hotter than the outside air and the soffits are dark, the fault is almost certainly the intake side, whatever is fitted at the top.

What bad ventilation looks like from inside

Sheathing that is stained or damp on the underside, rusted nail points, insulation that is matted down, and a musty smell that is worse in summer. Those are moisture signs rather than heat signs and they are the expensive ones.

They also look like a leak, which is why it is worth having the difference settled. Leak detection separates water coming in from water condensing inside, and the two have completely different fixes.

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Why this matters more on a Kenner roof

Kenner is hot and humid for most of the year, and an attic that cannot move air holds that humidity against the underside of the roof. The damage from that is slow, hidden and usually found during another job rather than reported by the homeowner.

Humidity is the real load, not just heat

Warm moist air rises into the attic from the house below and, with nowhere to go, condenses on the coolest surface it can find, which is generally the underside of the sheathing overnight.

That is why ventilation problems show up as damp decking and rusted fixings rather than as a temperature complaint, and why they are so often mistaken for a roof leak.

A sealed up attic ages the roof from below

Sustained heat and trapped moisture work on the deck and the underlayment from the inside while the sun works on the covering from the outside. The covering usually gets the blame.

Where the deck is already marked, that belongs on the record before any new covering goes over it, which is what a roof inspection is for.

It is cheapest to fix when the roof is open

Opening up intake at the eaves is straightforward while a reroof is in progress and fiddly as a standalone visit, so the sensible time to correct ventilation is when other work is already scheduled.

Between times, keeping the soffits clear and the exhaust turning is ordinary maintenance, and it costs nothing to check.

Big Easy Roofing Process

Four steps, and the first two happen in the attic rather than on the roof, because that is where the fault almost always is.

A roofer checking whether daylight is visible at the soffits from inside an attic
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01

01 Check the intake first

In the attic, along the full run of the eaves. Blocked, painted or uncut soffit is the most common finding and it changes everything downstream.

02

02 Record what exhaust is already fitted, and where

Ridge, turbines, static vents, powered fans, and which attic plane each one serves, because a ridge vent sharing a plane with another exhaust vent is the usual fault, rather than simply having more than one.

03

03 Write the correction and the value

What intake is being opened, what exhaust stays, what comes off, and the figure, with any damp or marked decking named before the work starts.

04

04 Correct the intake side, then match the exhaust

In that order. Exhaust is sized to the air that can actually get in, not the other way round, and the finished arrangement is photographed for the record.

Everything else we do in Kenner

The other Big Easy Roofing services we run in Kenner, each with its own crew and written scope, and more of them going live here page by page. Ventilation is usually corrected as part of a larger job rather than on its own, because the roof has to be open to do the intake side properly.

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Kenner Roof Ventilation FAQs

What a turbine really does, why adding another one rarely helps, and how to tell whether the fault is the intake.

Topic

Question not here?

Ask us about the ventilation on your Kenner roof. No charge and no obligation.

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Do roof turbines actually work

Yes, within a limit that is rarely explained. A turbine is an exhaust vent that spins in wind, and a spinning turbine moves somewhat more air than a static vent of the same opening. What it cannot do is create intake. On an attic whose soffits are blocked it pulls against a closed system and achieves very little.

Should I add a second turbine

Usually not. If the first one is not achieving much the reason is almost always intake, and a second turbine doubles the hardware without changing the air supply. Opening the intake side is the fix, and in most of the jobs we price it costs less than adding another vent.

Can I have a ridge vent and a turbine together

On the same attic plane it is a bad idea. The nearer opening becomes the easiest air source, so the turbine can end up drawing from the ridge vent rather than from the eaves, which cuts into what either one is doing there. Two turbines together, or two static vents, are ordinary.

My turbine has stopped spinning, does it matter

Not in the way people expect. A seized turbine still works like a static vent and keeps the weather out, it has just stopped getting the extra wind driven pull. What actually matters is whether it is still intact after a storm, because one that is missing or visibly damaged can leave the base exposed.

How do I know if my intake is blocked

Go into the attic on a bright day and look along the eaves for daylight at the soffits across the whole run rather than at one end. Insulation pushed into the eaves, paint across the perforations, and soffit that was never cut open behind the vent are the three usual causes.

What does a ventilation problem look like

Damp or stained sheathing on the underside, rusted nail points, matted insulation and a musty smell that is worse in summer. Those are moisture signs, and they look enough like a roof leak that it is worth having the difference settled before anyone prices a repair.

Does changing vents need a permit in Kenner

Where vents are changed as part of a reroof it sits inside that job, and Louisiana requires any authority that issues construction permits to permit and inspect reroofing, at R.S. 37:3737(I). For a standalone vent change, ask the department on (504) 468-4062, option 1, Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, rather than taking a roofer's word for it.

What does fixing ventilation cost in Kenner

Estimated at $400 to $2,500, driven by how much intake has to be opened up, what exhaust is already fitted and the access. Every figure here is an estimate and a written price follows a look in the attic.

Fix the half of the system that is actually short before buying another vent

Almost every attic we open is short of intake rather than exhaust, and almost every quote a homeowner has already been given is for more exhaust. We check the soffits first, record what is fitted at the top and which plane it serves, and write a correction that sizes exhaust to the air that can actually get in. If your turbine is doing nothing, we will tell you why rather than sell you a second one. If you would rather start in writing, tell us what the job involves and we will come back with an estimate.

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Roof Ventilationin Kenner