Gable End Vents

Water entering the attic space can soak the insulation and can lead to collapsed ceilings. Water can get in where roof covering is lost, through attic vents and through soffits. Gable end vents and soffit failures are the two main areas in the ventilation system that often let water into the attic.

Even though gable end vents may have louvers designed to keep water out, they are not designed to keep out water driven by hurricane force winds. The louvers would have to be at least 6 to 10 inches high to keep the water out. Gable vents should be covered from the outside with approved opening protection materials or sheets of plywood or a fabric shutter material.

As an alternate, you can cover the vents from inside the attic; but, if you do this you will need to seal any places where water could dribble down into the wall. Whichever approach you select, you should also take precautions to seal the “shutters” to the trim boards around the edges of the gable end vent. Attaching stick on weather stripping to the “shutters” so it is compressed between the shutter and the trim boards would be a good way to provide the desired seal.