Named after the Roman god of fire, Vulcan Vents are designed to protect your home from fires and any rogue embers that can ignite your home. This post will cover everything there is to know about Vulcan vents and how to make your home fire resistant.
How do Vulcan Vents work?
Before we get too deep into the weeds, let’s start with how Vulcan Vent technology works.
Vulcan Vents have a standard vent design that you’d find in any home. But unlike other vents, Vulcan Vents have a quarter-inch aluminum backing covered with an intumescent coating. The coating is hexagon-shaped, and when it’s exposed to flames or high temperatures, it swells up to protect your attic from a fire.
The Vulcan Vent coating responds quickly to a flame. In fact, the vents swell in under five minutes to snuff out a flame before it’s able to penetrate an attic or any other part of a home where Vulcan Vents are installed.
Can I update any vents with Vulcan Vents?
Because they come in standard shapes and a variety of sizes, you can retrofit any home with Vulcan Vents. From your gables to your foundation, any vent opening can be covered with a Vulcan Vent.
Is there any airflow restriction?
One question we get about Vulcan Vents has to do with airflow, and that’s a fair question. Because the intumescent coating swells up, some homeowners are worried that they’d have airflow restriction. But that’s not the case! Vulcan Vents are only designed to swell when temperatures reach approximately 700 degrees Fahrenheit or when exposed to direct flame.
In normal conditions, Vulcan Vents will perform just as well as—if not better than—traditional models.
Who can install Vulcan Vents?
DIY-ers may be tempted to install their new vents by themselves. While it is possible, we don’t recommend it. Since you may need to make additional cuts to accommodate your new vents, it’s best to leave installation to our professionals at Nor-Cal Maintenance Inc.
In addition to installing your vents, our team can perform an in-depth inspection to advise how to further safeguard your home against wildfires. We also perform a variety of other services, like gutter cleaning, power washing, window maintenance and more, to ensure your home is in tip-top shape.
What else can be done to make my home fire resistant?
Having Vulcan Vents installed is certainly one of the best ways to fireproof your home, but there are plenty of other answers when it comes to how to make your home fire resistant. Other things you can do include installing double- or triple-pane windows, removing excess vegetation surrounding your home and using fire-retardant materials when building or upgrading your house.
For a complete list of how to fireproof your home, contact our pros at Nor-Cal Maintenance Inc. We’re happy to provide free estimates for all of our services or teach you more about Vulcan Vents. Remember, we’re not quite out of wildfire season yet, so call today to keep your home as safe as possible.