How do whirlybirds work, and can they really help with the heatings and cooling of your home?
The short answer is yes, whirlybirds are highly effective at regulating the temperature within your home. But how, and how do they compare to other alternatives? Let us explain.
What is a Whirlybird?
A whirlybird is a cylindrical dome that spins with wind and breeze, creating a vacuum which extracts warm air from your ceiling cavities. As one of the most popular roof ventilation systems in Australia, you’ve probably seen plenty of them before.
On sunny days as your internal roof gets hot, whirlybirds work to remove the excessive warm air, helping to ensure your home and living areas maintain a comfortable temperature.
They are an affordable insulation choice, as they are relatively inexpensive to purchase and have installed, and have the added benefit of not requiring electricity. This can really help to save you money on cooling and heating your home in the long run. What’s more, they rarely require maintenance or repair services unless damaged in very severe weather conditions.
How Whirlybirds Work
Whirybirds have mechanical turbine fins that wind pushes into and causes them to spin. This allows heat in your ceiling to disperse, helping to ventilate that air in your home, making the inside a comfortable temperature.
There are two main types of whirlybirds in Australia – mechanical whirlybirds and traditional wind-powered whirlybirds. The latter is the most popular of the two, and is a great eco-friendly, economical home cooling solution.
Hot air in your home rises into your roof, and as the turbine fins of the whirlybird spin, a vacuum is formed that sucks up the air and pushes it out of your house or office.
Usually, more than one whirlybird is required to effectively cool a home, with more whirlybirds required for larger spaces. Fortunately they are usually designed in a way which does not let rain water enter your roof and ceiling cavity.
How Many Whirlybirds Do You Need?
The amount of whirlybirds you will need in your home or business space will depend on a variety of factors, including the size of your home (in square footage and floors), and your surrounding environment. As a rough guide, you can expect to need 1 whirlybird for every 50 square meters of roof space. Generally, 1 to 2-bedroom homes will need 2 roof vents for optimal airflow. For a 3 to 4-bedroom house, 3 whirlybirds are required, and for a 4-5-bedroom house, you should aim to install 4 or 5.
How to Install a Whirlybird
When increasing the roof vents in your home, you should use the services of a reputable, professional whirlybird installer and roofing expert whenever possible. This investment will save you from having to get up on the roof yourself and risk injury. Improper installation can be if your roof isn’t properly ventilating, and can cost your money from needing your whirlybird reinstalled, repaired or replaced. That’s why it’s always safe to leave your installation to the licensed professionals.