Whirlybird/Turbine vent & rain

[BrianStark]

Need some advice...

My home has three whirlybird/turbine vents on the roof. Normally, when there is wind and rain, no water will enter the attic space due to the blades moving around.

However, when there is rain and no wind, water can enter the attic and land on the insulation since the blades are not moving.

Last night and today there was/is rain with very little wind, which allowed some moisture to land on the insulation inside my attic. Underneath one of the vents, I placed a large black plastic concrete mixing tray to catch any future rain drops that enter the attic.

Is this really the best solution? Obviously, if I have a large tray to catch the water, the problem of the attic insulation getting wet is avoided or reduced (until the tray fills up, which is unlikely here in San Diego), but it seems like there should be a better way to keep the water out of the attic space in the first place.

thoughts anyone?

thanks,

Brian

[Uncle Cracker]

Used to live in a house that had 2 of those things (we do get a little rain here in FL). They looked like they should leak, but in 10 years, I never noticed much in the way of water infiltration. However, when the pivot points began to squeak they had to go! I'd say your placement of a shallow pan is a good solution, though. I would add some sort of drip ridge "downhill" of the roof cutout, so water doesn't run down the sheathing or trusses and drip off someplace else, but instead will hit the drip ridge and go right into the pan.

[Tom Slick]

I've seen people cover them with trash bags and duct tape. not decorative but effective.

[BrianStark]

However, when the pivot points began to squeak they had to go! I'd say your placement of a shallow pan is a good solution, though. I would add some sort of drip ridge "downhill" of the roof cutout, so water doesn't run down the sheathing or trusses and drip off someplace else, but instead will hit the drip ridge and go right into the pan.

Hi, the pivot points were squeaking, but after a couple of treatments of WD-40, the squeaking is gone. The roof is flat, so the idea of a drip ridge won't help in this case.

For now, I will pick up some extra trays today and check out the newer whirlybird vents. The fact that I have to keep applying lubricant to my whirlybirds is probably NOT a good thing. I may be in the market for some new ones soon, although when I was up on the roof a few days ago, all of the whirlybird vents do seem to spin ok. If I can find a whirlybird on display, I might be able to compare the ease of spinning a new one versus what I have.


Brian

[JR]

Hi, the pivot points were squeaking, but after a couple of treatments of WD-40, the squeaking is gone.

I just wanted to make sure you understood that WD-40 is not a lubricant. It's a solvent. It can be very useful for freeing up a frozen/balking connection, but you should use grease on that pivot.

JR

[pelligrini]

Grease will last longer than a squirt of WD-40. I finally used a better lubricant on my vents a few years ago and I haven't had to reapply since.

[BrianStark]

I just wanted to make sure you understood that WD-40 is not a lubricant. It's a solvent. It can be very useful for freeing up a frozen/balking connection, but you should use grease on that pivot.
JR

Thanks for pointing that out. I now need to get back up there and add some lubricant to the pivot point.

Brian

[Hellrazor]

Beware what/how much grease you use. Resistance is your enemy on turbine vents. Try a silicon lube, kroil or a bit of spray lithium grease.

[gsmittle]

Beware what/how much grease you use. Resistance is your enemy on turbine vents. Try a silicon lube, kroil or a bit of spray lithium grease.

I used a little of the spray-on white lithium grease on mine. I lived in that house for 15 years and never noticed any rain coming in through the vents. We had a pitched roof; maybe the flat roof is the problem?

I'm not quite awake yet--that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

g.

[iceman61]

My father has had the same type vents on his roof for 40 years & we have never noticed any signs of leakage. Also as a note, I have installed quite a few of these on roofs & I have never gotten a call back due to leaking. I don't personally have these on my house.

After seeing the post replies, they lead to what I was thinking from the initial post. The leaking is most likely associated with the squeaking you are/were hearing. Rust causing the sqeak is also inhibiting the turning of the turbine. The design of the turbine is such that even the rain hitting the turbine without accompanying wind will turn them.

You may also want to do a spot check on your eave vents to make sure nothing has stopped them up, like bird or squirrel nests or insulation. The air that turns these is not just from the wind blowing across your roof. It is also from the air flow going through your eave vents into your attic, then out through your turbines.

All the previous post on lubrication are right on target. WD-40 is not a lubricant. It's good for getting freezing parts moving but then you need to lubricate with something better.

[Hellrazor]

I used a little of the spray-on white lithium grease on mine. I lived in that house for 15 years and never noticed any rain coming in through the vents. We had a pitched roof; maybe the flat roof is the problem?

I have never seen a turbine vent on a flat roof before. A flat roof install might impact the way the water is channel out of it. I wonder how they flashed the vent too..

We have flat roofs at work and I hate them with a passion.

[BrianStark]

I have never seen a turbine vent on a flat roof before. A flat roof install might impact the way the water is channel out of it. I wonder how they flashed the vent too..

We have flat roofs at work and I hate them with a passion.

I am not particularly fond of my flat roof either, but the property has some other redeeming qualities about it. Water channeling is not perfect. After some recent rain I got up there and took pictures. Water does puddle in some areas, but for the most part the water runs off. Flashing for the turbine looks ok -- standard flashing that comes with the turbine under the mineral cap roof. Soffit vents around the perimeter are not blocked, allowing air to come into the attic from below the roof line and move up through the turbine vents to reduce moisture build-up.

Brian

[ironhat]

You were probably going to do this anyway but a nudge never hurts. When you pull the revolving turbin in order to grease it be sure to use a fine steel wool to remove the rust and any oxidation that can cause resistance. JAT.