Gable Vents

Gable vents built to protect.

Gable vents are the vents on the exterior walls of a home’s attic to allow for proper airflow. In the summer, the home may be cooled with air conditioning but heat rises, getting caught under the roof. The same can be said of the winter, however, extreme temperature shifts are even harder on an attic’s open space. Gable vents provide necessary ventilation to deter condensation which can lead to mold and mildew.

The difference between gable vents and ridge vents and soffit vents (also exterior vents under the roof) is that gable vents are meant to show, adding an architectural element to the home. However, this doesn’t mean that the vent openings should stay vulnerable.

Providing necessary attic ventilation,
but self-closing when it matters most.

Our fire and ember-resistant continuous vents for soffits provide the needed ventilation into attic space down the entire length of the soffit. 

Vulcan Vents are ideal for new construction in various materials and retrofit kits are available for existing continuous vents on the home. Strip vents such as ours do not use airflow-interrupting baffles, resulting in more venting per square inch. Our continuous vents for soffits feature a stainless steel ember screen and intumescent matrix that closes in the event of high heat. 

 

fire Resistant Continuous Vents - Providing necessary attic ventilation but self-closing when it matters most
EverKem Fire Stop 814

Use EverKem Fire Caulking

  1. We recommend using EverKem 814+, intumescent fire caulking with all installation of Vulcan Vents.
    • Our round eave vents are the exception: EverKem 136, mortar based caulking should be used when mounting hardware isn’t an option and flanges are minimal.
  2. INSTALLATION: Prior to installing the vent, run a bead of EverKem behind the nailing flange to ensure an air tight seal where the vent meets the building material. This ensures that no gaps are present between the vent and your building material where flying embers might enter!

For ordering information, visit out our Store Locator for nearest retailers.

Vulcan Vents are fire-stopping gable vents.

Make sure that the most exposed areas of the house have adequate protection in place in the case of ember attacks. The Vulcan Vent is equipped with a stainless steel ember-catching mesh screen and a honeycomb intumescent coating that expands and blocks flame intrusion and ember intrusion in high temperatures from a wildfire. 

The Vulcan Foundation Vent Flange Types: Vulcan gable vents let your attic breathe while providing essential ember-resistant technology. Plus, they look great! The ventilation system on a home should be the first line of defense when wildfire is near while still providing aesthetics. 

Vulcan gable vents will lead to the most efficient ventilation under roofing. On hotter days, lower vents can intake relatively cooler air when there is sufficient venting above the vents (soffit vents, eave vents, continuous vents) while exhausting hot air through vertical gable and dormer vents.


gable vent with stainless steel ember-catching mesh screen
closeup photo of fire-resistant vent honeycomb

Home safety starts with fire-resistant venting.

Due to an ember-catching mesh screen and an intumescent coating that expands in high heat, the Vulcan Vent is prepared to protect a house from dangerous embers and flames. The fire and ember-stopping technology are positioned behind the louvers, making for a safe and attractive gable vent. 

Vulcan Vents can be easily installed in a variety of construction material including:

  • Wood Siding
  • Stucco
  • Mil Core
  • Foam Back
  • Fiber Cement

Vulcan Vent Ember-Resistant Vents Include:

  • G90 hot dipped, galvanize steel (unless customized)
  • 304 stainless steel ember mesh
  • Vulcan honeycomb matrix with 1 hour intumescent coating
  • Galvanized pest abatement screen (some models excluded)

Gable Applications: Flange Styles

These installation examples showcase various flange styles and how they can be used to layer into a gable end application. We offer various flange styles for new and existing construction. Because our louvered vents are extremely durable and storm resistant, they also make a great choice when used as a foundation / crawlspace vent!

Flange Front Gable Vent

Stucco Gable Vent

Foam Back Gable Vent

Fiber Cement Gable Vent

Retrofit Applications

Pick the right flange for the job!

Not all flange styles are ideal for retrofit applications. This is due to certain flange styles being designed to go behind your building’s exterior cladding. If your shingles or stucco is existing for instance, it would be difficult to get the nail flange behind that material. If removing the existing vent is possible, a trusty “Flange Front”, or FF style is often used.

Retrofitting, or “home hardening” are terms often used when upgrading, or replacing an existing vent with a fire and ember resistant vent. There are many methods used to accomplish that goal.  We offer gable vents with a “retrofit flange”, designed to be installed over the face of an existing gable vent. [not shown]  However, there are other options to consider.

We offer our Vulcan Honeycomb Matrix (VM Series) as a standalone product. This is our most flexible option. Installation is simple; simply cut to fit and then, install from the back side of the existing vent. This method can be used to retrofit gables, dormers, and even foundation vents. You can find the instructions here.

Need a little help? Head over to our Installers page to see our rapidly growing list of trusted contractors that can tackle the job for you!

Vulcan Vent
Features

Fire Resistant Retrofits kit - Honeycomb matrix closing technology - built into galvanized steel frame

Honeycomb matrix closing technology with ember-catching screen mesh built into galvanized steel frame

Fire Resistant Retrofits kit - Baffle-free design for maximum airflow (NFVA) to keep your home dry

Open louver design for high airflow (NFVA). Protection from wind-driven rain and snow with a classic look.

Fire Resistant Retrofits kit - Designed to meet the new California Building code State Fire Marshal

Designed to meet the new California Building code State Fire Marshal (OSFM) 12 Chapter 7A of the California Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fire code program

Fire Resistant Retrofits kit - Passed the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E2886

Passed the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E2886 to effectively block ember entry

It’s time for your home to protect itself.

 * For coastal environments, copper, stainless or powder coated finishes are highly recommended. *

Flange Styles

Standard Finishes

G90 Galvanized, Stainless, Copper, Bonderized

Mfg. Part # Description NFVA(square inches) Flange Style Cut Out(inches) Spec. Sheet(download) Sample Image
VG1412FB 14" x 12" FOAM BACK FLANGE recessed 1-1/2" 58 Foam Back 14 X 12 download icon view icon
VG1412FC 14" x 12" FIBER CEMENT FLANGE recessed 3/8" 58 Fiber Cement 14 X 12 download icon view icon
VG1412FF 14" x 12" FLANGE FRONT 58 Flange Front 14 X 12 download icon view icon
VG1412FM 14" x 12" FLANGE MIDDLE recessed 1-5/16" 58 Recessed 14 X 12 download icon view icon
VG1412R 14" x 12" RETROFIT FLANGE recessed 2-5/8" 58 Retrofit 14 X 12 download icon view icon
VG1412S 14" x 12" FLANGE SET BACK 3/4" STUCCO 58 Stucco 14 X 12 download icon view icon
VG1418FB 14" x 18" FOAM BACK FLANGE recessed 1-1/2" 86 Foam Back 14 X 17.5 download icon view icon
VG1418FC 14" x 18" FIBER CEMENT FLANGE recessed 3/8" 86 Fiber Cement 14 X 17.5 download icon view icon
VG1418FF 14" x 18" FLANGE FRONT 86 Flange Front 14 X 17.5 download icon view icon
VG1418FM 14" x 18" FLANGE MIDDLE recessed 1-5/16" 86 Recessed 14 X 17.5 download icon view icon
VG1418R 14" x 18" RETROFIT FLANGE recessed 2-5/8" 86 Retrofit 14 X 17.5 download icon view icon
VG1418S 14" x 18" FLANGE SET BACK 3/4" STUCCO 86 Stucco 14 X 17.5 download icon view icon
VG1424FB 14" x 24" FOAM BACK FLANGE recessed 1-1/2" 115 Foam Back 14 X 23.5 download icon view icon
VG1424FC 14" x 24" FIBER CEMENT FLANGE recessed 3/8" 115 Fiber Cement 14 X 23.5 download icon view icon
VG1424FF 14" x 24" FLANGE FRONT 115 Standard 14 X 23.5 download icon view icon
VG1424FM 14" x 24" FLANGE MIDDLE recessed 1-5/16" 115 Recessed 14 X 23.5 download icon view icon
VG1424R 14" x 24" RETROFIT FLANGE recessed 2-5/8" 115 Retrofit 14 X 23.5 download icon view icon
VG1424S 14" x 24" FLANGE SET BACK 3/4" STUCCO 115 Stucco 14 X 23.5 download icon view icon
VG148FB 14" x 8" FOAM BACK FLANGE recessed 1-1/2" 29 Foam Back 14 X 7.5 download icon view icon
VG148FC 14" x 8" FIBER CEMENT FLANGE recessed 3/8" 29 Fiber Cement 14 X 7.5 download icon view icon
VG148FF 14" x 8" FLANGE FRONT 29 Flange Front 14 X 7.5 download icon view icon
VG148FM 14" x 8" FLANGE MIDDLE recessed 1-5/16" 29 Recessed 14 X 7.5 download icon view icon
VG148R 14" x 8" RETROFIT FLANGE recessed 2-5/8" 29 Retrofit 14 X 7.5 download icon view icon
VG148S 14" x 8" FLANGE SET BACK 3/4" STUCCO 29 Stucco 14 X 7.5 download icon view icon
VM1424 14" x 24" NFVA DEPENDANT ON OPENINGS Dependant Retrofit, Vulcan Matrix N/A download icon view icon
VM2424 24" x 24" NFVA DEPENDANT ON OPENINGS Dependant Retrofit, Vulcan Matrix N/A download icon view icon
VM4824 48" x 24" NFVA DEPENDANT ON OPENINGS Dependant Retrofit, Vulcan Matrix N/A download icon view icon

Happy Clients
Testimonials

Susan Oddo
Susan Oddo
2023-12-04
We called to find out if the Vulcan vents would meet the California ember retardant standards for fire. Nate Oliver took our call and spent nearly half an hour providing us with in depth information, guiding us through their website to view and discuss each alternative and even taking us to another website to view the Vulcan product on it. He discussed different options for installing the vents and the specific type of caulk we needed that also met the fire-wise requirements. Then he guided us to the section where we could download the documentation for our insurers. We came away from this conversation with exactly what we needed and the documentation to back it up. I can't say enough good things about Nate's customer service. His knowledge was remarkable, his eagerness to ensure that we ordered the exact right vent was so reassuring, and we immediately posted the Vulcan Vent information on our neighborhood Facebook site so that others in our fire-prone area can obtain the right products for their venting needs. If I could give 10 stars I would.
Sandie Hewston
Sandie Hewston
2023-11-15
After a few months of having the new Vulcan Vents installed in our eaves, I am extremely impressed with the updated design. The 1/8” fine mesh on the outside prevents insects from getting into the ‘honeycombs’ and the 1/4” mesh on the inside adds coverage from attic side to the ‘honeycombs’ without reducing airflow. The ingenious design allowed plenty of airflow to the attic through this past summer, but if a fire were to come our way, it is comforting to know that these same vents will expand and close off, preventing embers or direct flame from being able to enter the attic. A bonus to the design, as you can see in the picture below, is that the thickness of the vent prevents being able to see into the attic and preventing attic insulation from getting pushed up against the outside screen, which somehow tends to happen whenever access is made to attics. Aesthetically and design-wise, these vents provide a solid home hardening solution that is easy to install. These vents are a must in my opinion for any homeowner who has any plants near their home that could generate significant heat during a wildfire. The combination of the 1/8” mesh and the coating that expands and cuts off all airflow into the attic when exposed to radiant heat are the perfect combination to prevent embers, radiant heat, and direct flame from entering the attic space. My experience with this local company (Loomis, California) is that they have excellent customer service and go above-and-beyond to ensure that their customers are satisfied with the quality of their product.