Vents that let air in
Eave vents (also called soffit vents) are slotted strips or round grilles in the lining under the eaves. They're the usual intake on Australian houses, and they're cheap to add if your eaves are lined and accessible.
Gable vents are louvred openings high in the triangular end wall of a gable roof. On older homes they often do double duty, letting air in on one end and out the other when the wind blows across.
Vents that let air out
Tile vents replace a standard roof tile with a vented one in the same profile and colour. They're low-key, suit tiled roofs where you don't want anything sticking up, and are often used on heritage or street-facing slopes.
Ridge vents run along the peak. On steel roofs it's a vented ridge capping; on tiles, vented ridge caps or a ventilated ridge system. They're easiest to add during a re-roof.
Static vents are fixed, covered openings, often dome or box shaped. No moving parts, nothing to wear out, and they work with no wind.
Whirlybirds use the wind to spin a turbine and pull air out. They're common and cheap, and have their own page on whirlybirds.
Solar and powered fans move air whether or not there's wind, which helps on still, hot days. Bradford says one powered vent can do the work of several wind-driven ones, though they cost more and have a motor to maintain.
Not a roof vent: exhaust fan outlets
The cowls on your roof above a bathroom or rangehood are outlets for ducted exhaust fans. They vent the room, not the roof space. If a bathroom fan has no duct and no outlet, it's probably blowing steam into the roof space, and adding roof vents won't fully fix that. Ducting it outside is the cheaper first step.
Matching vents to your roof
- Tiled roof, no visible vents wanted: tile vents or vented ridge caps, with eave vents for intake
- Steel roof: whirlybirds, static vents or vented ridge capping, flashed to the sheet profile
- Re-roofing anyway: ask about continuous ridge and eave ventilation while the roof is open
- Hot roof space on still days: a solar fan, with intake sized to match
- Bushfire-prone area: ask which vents and ember screens suit your property's rating
- Moisture or mould problem: duct exhaust fans outside before adding roof vents
- Older home with fibro vents or ventilating ridges: ASSEA lists these among asbestos cement roofing products, so have them tested before anyone removes them
What you can look at, and what needs a roofer
You can
- Look along the eaves from the ground for existing vent strips or grilles
- Spot what's already on the roof from the street, such as whirlybirds, cowls or vented tiles
- Check from the manhole whether bathroom fans are ducted
Leave to a roofer
- Swapping in tile vents or vented ridge caps
- Cutting and flashing static vents, whirlybirds and fans
- Cutting eave vents into the lining
- Mains wiring for powered fans, by a licensed electrician
Our take
On a tiled roof where looks matter, we'd use tile vents on the back slope plus eave intake, and skip anything that sticks up. On a steel roof, a couple of whirlybirds or static vents high on the roof do the job for most homes. Whatever the exhaust, we'd want the roofer to show where the intake is coming from before agreeing on a number.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.