How to Fix a Drafty Roof Vent

Roof vents can present a problem when they allow cold air into your home. The vents that often cause a problem are in the kitchen above your stove. The vent usually goes up through your ceiling and roof through a cabinet.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Go up into your attic first before you start to fix a drafty roof vent. You need to make sure that the vent pipe goes all the way up through the roof and goes to the outside of your home. You don't want the vent to be depositing moisture into your attic. If you find the vent doesn't go all the way outside, take care of this by extending the duct pipe through the roof.

2. Visit your local home improvement store and purchase some rigid foam insulation. (Measure the roof vent pipe you need to fix so that you'll know how much insulation to buy.) A 1-inch thickness will be enough to fix a drafty roof vent. Even if your drafty vent pipe runs through a cabinet, it will be safe to insulate in this way. There won't be enough heat build-up to be concerned with a fire-hazard.

3. Use a sharp utility knife and a straight-edge blade to cut the foam insulation. Cut it to size and form it around the vent pipe in order to fix a drafty roof vent. Secure the insulation with duct tape if needed.

4. Build a simple box to cover the insulation if you think it is an eye-sore. Some drafty roof vents are not inside cabinets or closets. If they are exposed in the open room, you may prefer to hide the insulation. A simple box made from 1/8 or ¼ inch plywood (finish grade) will do the trick.