Shed ventilation is so important all year long, but especially so during the winter months since you’re not opening windows. To properly ventilate your shed, here are a few tips for the entire year.
Ventilating your shed provides proper airflow and is important in your shed to prevent mildew and fume buildup from chemicals that you may store in your shed. Mildew can build up if airflow is too passive, making your sheds walls rot slowly so that you don’t notice it until it’s too late.
Photo Credit: www.erinandpaul.com
If you store chemicals, like gasoline, paint and paint thinner, or other items that you use only occasionally, you can make yourself sick when working on other projects.
Good shed ventilation is key to preventing these issues.
Good vents in your shed are an absolute must, even if you are only using it for storage. Without a good venting system, your shed can experience mildew rot on the building itself.
There are two types of vents that will fit the bill: wall vents and ridge vents.
A wall vent lets fresh air in and dirty air out. In discussing the creation of air flow, it doesn’t mean forced air. Multiple wall vents will allow regular air circulation in and out of your shed, giving your walls and stored items the necessary air circulation they need to stay fresh.
Like humans, sheds need to vent their emotions to help battle stress. Without vents, sheds would lose their cool!
Depending on your style of shed, you may need a ridge vent. Ridge vents are typically installed at the peak of a sloped roof. This style of vent allows air to escape through the ceiling, making it good for high ceilings, peaked roofs and attic areas. Use multiple ridge vents for larger sized sheds.
Ridge vents are often found on shingled buildings. Photo Credit: www.westkentuckygaragebuilders.net
Let’s say you’re looking for extra light and air. A venting skylight can be just the right addition. Adding this accessory will allow extra light for you to work with, as well as good circulation for your shed.
Naturally, a window or two never hurts when you’re looking for extra circulation. Windows are great for extra airflow during seasonal weather. They are also great for a multitude of other reasons. They create airflow, sunlight, and make your shed look more attractive.
In the event that your shed needs additional airflow, besides simple passive airflow, you can install something like a whirlybird roof vent, or a turbine air vent. The turbine is activated by a slight breeze inside the turbine, which vacuums out the hot air. The hot air is then replaced by cooler air coming in through the lower areas of the shed.
Turbines are useful if your shed experiences high condensation, causing mildew buildup, or if you regularly work with a lot of chemicals. A simple ceiling fan can also create this effect as well. If you need air circulation only occasionally, a small fan can also do the trick.
A whirlybird roof vent or a turbine can reduce hot air in your shed. Photo Credit: www.solarwhiz.com.au
Another option for additional airflow is a power gable vent. This type of vent allows more control for times when you may want less airflow, such as the wintertime when it gets much colder.
Power gable vent can help create additional airflow in your shed. Photo Credit: www.Ebay.com
As you can see, air circulation is important and also fairly simple to do in your shed. Be sure to find one or two ways to keep the air circulating in your shed so you can breathe easily!
