Easy Whirlybird Roof Turbine Install

Today, on Workshop Edits, I'm installing a set of Whirlybird Roof Turbine vents to help vent heat and moisture build up in my attic. Thanks for checking it out!



MATERIALS

2 x 12" Black Aluminum Whirlybird Turbines - https://amzn.to/3zlCIeH

Roof and Flashing Sealant (Black) - https://amzn.to/3zIcWmi

Roofing Nails

TOOLS

Power Drill / SawZaw - http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

Jigsaw- http://amzn.to/2p1bfvK

Pry Bar - https://amzn.to/3bnfb4X

Other tools: Hammer, Tape Measure, PPP gear, Straight Edge Level, Rubber Mat

Please reference this video for all of the below information, extra tips, FAQs, and more!

I live in Southern California - very hot summer days await you every late June, pretty much all of the way through late September. My 65 year old house did not have any vents for our attic, meaning that the heat build up was very intense in the summer, up to 130°+ in the attic, which made my HVAC system work overtime and was continuing to deteriorate the interior and exterior of the roof faster due to excessive heat and moisture build up.

The first thing you'll need to do is make sure you have soffit vents (photo 1) - this allows a current to be created for new air to be pulled in and then vented out the top.

Measuring for these Whirlybird Turbines is based on the model you have. My roof is such that I had 2 x12" turbines, which covered 1500 square feet of attic space (more than my house), and if you're using 2, you'll measure in one quarter length of your roof on each side, and about three feet down based on the pitch of your roof.

The directions are very clear on this, so just make sure you read your specific model's instructions.

Easily the part I was most nervous about and I'm sure you were too - cutting big holes in your perfectly good roof.

Here is the tip - measure where you need to go, then go inside your attic (if you can), and drill a big screw up through the roof directly in the middle of your rafters, that way you're not hitting them when you cut our your larger hole. It also then allows you to grab the piece of roof and pull it out once you cut it free.

Use the roof mount to mark your circle out, drill a large pilot hole with a drill, and then a jig saw with a decent blade to cut out the roof. Then put your mount back in place to ensure its a proper fit.

The system is universal to your roof pitch and comes with an angling template to determine what pitch your roof is and therefore what angle to twist the cylinder piece so that eventually, your turbine will sit parallel to the ground (not your roof). You then will screw in the cylinder to the mount at the angle that matches your pitch (I think mine was a 6 on the scale).

The mounting bracket attaches to the turbine with just a few screws (don't drop these!).

Use a pry bar to lightly pull up the shingles surrounding your hole. Then do a dry fit of the roofing mount to assure everything fits - the goal here is to slide it underneath your upper most roofing shingles so that the pass over it (and therefore water will also), and then the bottom will sit on top of the shingles so water runs off it and over the roof.

Once the dry fit is in place, apply a heavy bead of roofing sealant to the underside of the mount, and slide into place. Secure using 8-10 roofing nails around the base of the mount - there are not holes for these, so just do your best guess!

Assuming you followed the previous directions of measuring your pitch roof and securing in place properly, you can then twist it to level it off - remember that you're leveling this off parallel with the earth, not your roof pitch - that way the turbine eventually sits parallel to earth.

Using the same sealant, go over all of your nails so that they are water tight, and follow the instructions to seal off the interior parts of the mount (this includes where the cylinder meets the roof mount, and the part where the cylinder rotates so that you can level it off) - easy, but if you're bad with sealant like me, its a little messy.

Last step is easy! Take your turbine and mount it on top of the cylinder - it will secure to it with three screws (don't drop these either!) - if you've done things right, these will sit "floating" and spin freely. They only require about 5mph of breeze to get spinning.

I was pleasantly surprised to see mine start spinning immediately after mounting!

If installed properly - under shingles, with sealant, and level, these should last a very long time (these actually have a lifetime warranty) and are fully water proof and critter proof by design.

Based on how big your roof is, rinse and repeat the entire process with more turbines and enjoy having your attic hopefully stay cooler and prolonging the life moving forward!