Power roof vents

[Donald]

New roof last summer with a new power roof vent (flying saucer).

Fan worked for almost a year. Now it doesn't.

It's a brand Air Vent inc.

My non conductive tester funds voltage after the thermostat.

Looks like the fan has a rectangular capacitor.

Guess I need to test the capacitor first and if thats not it then it's the fan motor.

I thought these kind of fans would last at least 5 years. Hopefully 10.

 

[Nukeman7]

It appears that the Air Vent, Inc. brand products have a 5 year to Limited Lifetime warranty.

Air Vent Warranty Document

 

[George7941]

They have bush bearings, not ball bearings. They never get oiled and the original oil will only last so long.

 

[Gyro Gearloose]

Check for non conductivity through the motor leads. Even with a bad capacitor you should still have conductivity. I would be shocked if the motor didn't include a thermal overload switch, which may have called it a day.

 

[Lubener]

Motor likely is spent.

I had a Broan roof vent which lasted 30 years with one motor replacement after about 20 years as it started to bind some. . Last year I replaced it with the same model Broan fan when my roof was replaced. The motor is oilable and gets a shot of oil once a year.

 

[tbm5690]

My understanding is that these all have short lifespan on the motor. My Lomanco was replaced 4 years ago and just recently when it turns on it has become quite loud and vibrations can be felt through the walls below it. I'll have to climb up and deal with it next Spring at this point.

Had I known better when I had the roof replaced in 2018 I would have had them get rid of the power vent and go passive.

 

[zzyzzx]

Made in China?

 

[50yr Street Mech]

I had 2- flying saucer roof vents installed in 2016. Fan motors go by the name of Master Flow. Have adjustable thermostat's. I have them set at 85 degrees. Pretty big motors. Maintenance free. So far , so good....coming up on 10 yrs. In the summer, they come on around 10am and don't shut off till midnight. Got lucky so far. Maybe these were hecho en Mexico instead of China. LOL

 

[Donald]

I had 2- flying saucer roof vents installed in 2016. Fan motors go by the name of Master Flow. Have adjustable thermostat's. I have them set at 85 degrees. Pretty big motors. Maintenance free. So far , so good....coming up on 10 yrs. In the summer, they come on around 10am and don't shut off till midnight. Got lucky so far. Maybe these were hecho en Mexico instead of China. LOL

I believe Master Flow is the name of GAF roof vents.

 

[Lubener]

The old saying applies that you get what you paid for. The $100 units don't hold up too well. The better ones have motors with oil holes for lubrication. Without, they stiffen up and overheat in a few years.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Thanks ...I have GAF roof vents with Master Flow exhaust motors. Actually, the contractor I used thought I was nuts puttin 2 of them in. I told him, there is not a single tree anywhere near this house for shade. Put 2 in. They work quite well suckin the heat out. Actually bearable to get up in the attic in the summer if I wanted something, like that old used spare Denso radiator for my CRV.

 

[Donald]

The contract for my new roof stated GAF roof vents. I got Air Vent Inc.

There are only so many things you can check up on when getting a new roof.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Donald, let's be real here, you're lucky enough to get a roof done in between rain showers / storms. If the Air Vent Inc. ones fail 5 -8 years from now, YOU can get the GAF roof air vents prior to the job, and have the contractor install them. You will save money on the contractor markup too. You know they always add $50-$60 to pad their pocket.

 

[Donald]

Donald, let's be real here, you're lucky enough to get a roof done in between rain showers / storms. If the Air Vent Inc. ones fail 5 -8 years from now, YOU can get the GAF roof air vents prior to the job, and have the contractor install them. You will save money on the contractor markup too. You know they always add $50-$60 to pad their pocket.

It leads one to wonder if other roof components they installed on the roof were really GAF.. GAF has a warranty based upon all the roof components bring GAF.

Given that the roof vent housing is Air Vent Inc I would not want to rip off the housing to replace it with a GAF branded power roof vent. So I am stuck with replacing the Air Vent Inc motor whenever it breaks.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

What can I say Donald, tell them to come back and put the GAF ones in ??? That's an option, but you'll end up paying for it. They'll just tell you the GAF wasn't available at the time. Maybe you'll get lucky. I know it gets plenty hot in Delaware, and they'll be runnin. A decision you'll have to make. Did you get the GAF in writing ????,,,,or just verbal.

 

[CarbonToast]

This problem is why I went with a vent scheme using unpowered and no moving parts. You might be ahead to just redo the venting adding additional unpowered vents. This way its not a recurring problem.

If you're up north, idk why you need powered vents. I do understand the appeal. However it seems like something marketing came up with.

 

[Donald]

What can I say Donald, tell them to come back and put the GAF ones in ??? That's an option, but you'll end up paying for it. They'll just tell you the GAF wasn't available at the time. Maybe you'll get lucky. I know it gets plenty hot in Delaware, and they'll be runnin. A decision you'll have to make. Did you get the GAF in writing ????,,,,or just verbal.

It's in writing.

 

[Donald]

This problem is why I went with a vent scheme using unpowered and no moving parts. You might be ahead to just redo the venting adding additional unpowered vents. This way its not a recurring problem.

If you're up north, idk why you need powered vents. I do understand the appeal. However it seems like something marketing came up with.

This section of the roof does not have enough linear feet of ridge to properly vent the area. And no gable ends.

The original roof had both ridge and a power roof vent. But it was explained, it's one or the other, not both. Otherwise when fan is running it will just pull in air from the ridge vent and not the soffit vent.

The house has all these funky kind of roof lines to make it an attractive looking house. Rather than a traditional colonial style house with a plain roof. The funky roof lines means more waste when shingling so the roof costs more.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Make them replace them Donald. Friggin contractor's, I hate them. Always looking for a short cut !!! Just tell them you're having problems with the garbage they installed, and you want what you paid for. You gotta be a Pain in the a-s about it, make up a bogus spread sheet showing failure dates or temperature failure dates., excessive vibration, etc ,,,,,,and just keep buggin them. They'll do it to shut you up. Now is a good time to to get it done. Summer is over.

 

[zzyzzx]

Make them replace them Donald. Friggin contractor's, I hate them. Always looking for a short cut !!!

That's when you find out that the warranty only covers the part and not the labor. And the labor charge is equal to or exceeds what it would cost for you to have whatever contractor of your choice would charge for parts and labor.