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using soffit and ridge vents, or not?

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BigMoneySteve

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Jan 5, 2013
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Slaughter, La
Need a little advice from you guys,
I have a 30X50 post frame building up with concrete already poured in.
Nothing inside is finished yet.
The building was put up with soffit vents and a ridge vent. The big question here is if I decide to cover the soffit and ridge vent and encapsulate the inside with spray foam what will I be giving up? I'm torn between insulating the conventional way using soffit and ridge vents or just spray foaming it. I may be adding a/c and heating later...

Thanks, Steve...
 
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IHI

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Iowa
What type of roof, plywood and shingles or steel panels typical of pole barn construction?
 
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IHI

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Iowa
BigMoneySteve said:
Steel panels...

fyi...the building is not a barn but a reg building.
Click to expand...

Steel panels aren't going to really matter what route you go. The best route would be to spray foam everything, walls, and underside of roof panels essentially turning the attic into a conditioned space...less likely hood of condensation on those cool mornings when attic space would be warmer than outside ambient temps...it wont affect the life of the panels like a hot attic does on shingles.

It's almost scarey how effeicent it is to heat/cool a building that is entirely spray foamed, they are very tight. I live in the upper Midwest 5 months of summer, 7 months of cool and cold temps, and friends with shops spray foamed can literally keep their buildings warm with a candle..well, heat trickling in from a man door that's attached to the main building.
 
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IHI

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BigMoneySteve said:
are you saying cover everything? Ridge vents and soffit?
Click to expand...

If you spray foam the backside of the metal roofing and seal the walls and roof transition area so the entire structure is spray foamed bottom to top with no seam per say...yes you don't need soffit vents or ridge vents because you just turned your attic into a conditioned space. The only mode you'd have to make is running a trunk line from your heating and cooli g system up into the attic...same thing we have to do when building additions over crawlspaces...we have to seal it tight and run a trunk line into it.
 
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rsa

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Gary S

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Talk to local people and find out what works in your area. It will be different in different parts of the country.
Here, soffit vents work great and ridge vents are a disaster. The first winter storm with decent wind will fill up an attic through the ridge vents with 3-4 feet of snow before you know it. You don't have snow to deal with, so find out what works in your area.
 
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