Ventilated Attic Access Covers | Attic Ventilation | Air Flow Through Attic Scuttle Hole

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Ventilated Attic Access Covers

Hi Itchy,

I have a couple of quick questions.

1. I have an access/scuttle hole in my garage ceiling. Presently it has a piece of drywall covering the opening. This was done by the contractor who built my house. My question is should I put a piece of 1/4" x 1/4" chicken wire in it's place so that there is some sort of air movement in the ceiling?

2. Should I leave this chicken wire in place during the winter months? Please note the garage ceiling is not insulated. I'm thinking "Yes" as a little piece of 1/2" thick drywall is not going to make much difference when it comes to heat loss. Oh yes, I forgot to tell you that I live in Ottawa, Ontario Canada., so we do get some pretty cold weather.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Warmest regards

Tim

Hi Tim

So, the attic access is in the garage that is not insulated. I'm assuming you don't have much in the way of lower ventilation in your garage. As long as you don't plan on insulating your garage it would be fine to construct a chicken wire attic hatch cover. Or you could also construct one with wire mesh. I've ran across those before but never one made of chicken wire.

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Don't worry about the cold weather as the air that comes through the garage may be warmer than the air coming through your existing ventilation. My only concern is if you have any plumbing in the walls or attic portion of the garage. You're garage may become colder than what it normally would be with all of the cold attic air coming through. You don't want any pipes to freeze. Another thing to consider would be insects entering the attic through the ventilated attic cover.

With that said don't worry about it affecting the comfort level in your home as it won't change any of the effectiveness of your existing insulation.

Good luck with your project and please let me know how it works out for you.

Related Tips and Advice:

How To Insulate A Attic Cover
How To Blow Insulation Into A Attic
Checking Walls For Insulation

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