how to cover hole left by attic fan

[rache...@hotmail.com]

I'm looking for ideas on how to cover over the hole in roof that used to be covered by the attic fan cover before that cover blew off last year (the fan itself broke and was removed years ago). I don't want a new fan, I just want some permanent way to cover the hole, preferably without lifting shingles and felt, to avoid creating any leaks.

Last year I tried a round plastic toy sled, same size as the old fan cover, tied down with cheap poly cord through four holes drilled in the perimeter of the sled, and that held for about a year until the poly cord loops frayed and the sled blew off yesterday.

Any ideas? Maybe just a metal lid or flashing bolted to the existing attic fan frame? Or is there much better cord that could fit through the 1/4" perimeter holes in the sled and would last for 10 years under UV/sunlight/wind? Of course the sled itself might become brittle under UV and not last that long... (I figure in 10 years the roof would need replacing anyways and then the roofer can just put in a new piece of plywood over the attic fan hole.). The cover would need to support snow, up to 12"-18" deep (house is near NYC).

Thanks.

[Dan Espen]

Assuming you don't have home repair skills:

Call roofer and get it fixed right.

Anything else (like a sled) is going to leak and cause more damage.

--
Dan Espen

[hrho...@sbcglobal.net]

On Tuesday, November 12, 2013 10:12:37 AM UTC-6, rache...@hotmail.com wrote:
> I'm looking for ideas on how to cover over the hole in roof that used to be covered by the attic fan cover before that cover blew off last year (the fan itself broke and was removed years ago). I don't want a new fan, I just want some permanent way to cover the hole, preferably without lifting shingles and felt, to avoid creating any leaks. Last year I tried a round plastic toy sled, same size as the old fan cover, tied down with cheap poly cord through four holes drilled in the perimeter of the sled, and that held for about a year until the poly cord loops frayed and the sled blew off yesterday. Any ideas? Maybe just a metal lid or flashing bolted to the existing attic fan frame? Or is there much better cord that could fit through the 1/4" perimeter holes in the sled and would last for 10 years under UV/sunlight/wind? Of course the sled itself might become brittle under UV and not last that long... (I figure in 10 years the roof would need replacing anyways and then the roofer can just put in a new piece of plywood over the attic fan hole.). The cover would need to support snow, up to 12"-18" deep (house is near NYC). Thanks.

You need to hold whatever cover you finally decide upon with wire or metal, not a "cord". Your local hardware store should have wire smaller than 1/4 inch that would last for many years.

[tra...@optonline.net]

I agree for a long term solution.

There isn't a way to do this right without lifting shingles.
Lifting shingles is no big deal, it's done all the time for
repairs. Basic procedure is to cut a piece of sheathing to
fill the hole, use suitable rafter size lumber to make
pieces to bridge between two existing rafters to hold the
sheating. Nail in place, then put shingles over it. It's not
a huge job, nor difficult. Unless you can't get access for
some reason.

For a temporary solution, I recently had an attic fan
cover rip apart. I'm going to have the roof redone in
the next couple years. The fan frame and cover supports
were still in place. I bought one of the plastic pans
made to go under a water heater. It was the perfect size.
I just drilled holes in it and secured to the 4 support
brackets, using the original screws. Put dabs of silicone
caulk over the screw heads. For temporary it's fine. But
longer term there are issues like how UV susceptible it is,
etc.

[Dan Espen]

Roofers use blue plastic tarp.
Use scrap wood about 2 inches wide
nailed down around the edges
to hold it down.

This is not a permanent solution.

--
Dan Espen

[Frank]

When I needed a new roof, roofer replaced my non-functioning fan with a
vent. Not really hard to do yourself if not old like me ;)

[CRNG]

On Tue, 12 Nov 2013 08:12:37 -0800 (PST), rache...@hotmail.com wrote
in <e6df31e9-2312-4cd3...@googlegroups.com> Re how to
cover hole left by attic fan:

>I'm looking for ideas on how to cover over the hole in roof that used to be covered by the attic fan cover before that cover blew off last year (the fan itself broke and was removed years ago). I don't want a new fan, I just want some permanent way to cover the hole, preferably without lifting shingles and felt, to avoid creating any leaks.
>
>Last year I tried a round plastic toy sled, same size as the old fan cover, tied down with cheap poly cord through four holes drilled in the perimeter of the sled, and that held for about a year until the poly cord loops frayed and the sled blew off yesterday.
>
>Any ideas?

Can you get another sled and some better tie down rope?
--
Web based forums are like subscribing to 10 different newspapers
and having to visit 10 different news stands to pickup each one.
Email list-server groups and USENET are like having all of those
newspapers delivered to your door every morning.

[Oren]

On Tue, 12 Nov 2013 08:12:37 -0800 (PST), rache...@hotmail.com

wrote:

>Any ideas?

- fix the roof (before insurance agent finds out :)

- fill the hole with a "Solatube tubular daylighting devices..."

"...Solatube products unite the sun with advanced engineering to bring
beauty and comfort to your home. Our revolutionary daylighting and
Smart LED systems utilize patented optical technologies to brighten
interiors with natural light while our energy-efficient attic
ventilation systems make your living space more comfortable. And that
makes your home a better place to live."

<http://www.solatube.com/residential>

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
Wouldn't you know that roof has decking and shingles?
Sounds like you are very cheap!

[Fat-Dumb and Happy]

Fix it right, I suggest at least 15 inch tires for a permanent solution,

http://atomictoasters.com/2013/01/what-ever-became-of-tires-on-a-trailer-house-roof/