How To Install A Whirlybird Turbine Vent On Your Shed Roof

In addition to the turbine on top you should have an intake vent on either end of your shed to let the air in.

That will make the turbine 2 or 3 times more effective. Any sort of eave vent will do.

Here is an example of a 8×16 screened vent made of aluminum. Just cut a slightly smaller hole through the siding and mount it with screws.

I suggest you put it up high to keep it from being blocked by items stored close to the floor or up against the wall.

A 12 inch turbine like this is plenty large enough to ventilate almost any size shed.

The turbine has 3 main pieces.

The flashing, the middle adjustable base and the turbine it’s self.

It should also come with a few screws and a nut, bolt and clamp in a separate plastic bag.

The first thing to do is to determine where the trusses are because you don’t want to be cutting around or through a truss.

Place the flashing up as high as possible but not into the ridge cap because there will be a too many nails there to deal with.

Place it just below the ridge cap and in between the trusses.

Use a pencil or nail to mark the inside of the circle where you will cut the hole.

You want the hole to be slightly larger than the outside of the ring on the flashing so the shingles will fit around it. If you hold your pencil or nail at an angle it will mark the hole correctly.

Drill a pilot hole through the roof large enough for the saw blade you will be using.

Now go down and look inside to double check that the pilot hole is where you expect it to be, about half way between the trusses.

If it’s off then you can still make changes at this point.

Use a jig saw or sawzall and cut a hole in the roof.

Now take a flat pry bar and loosen the shingles where the flashing will go.

Lift the underside of the shingles up a little then go on top and remove the nail to prevent tearing it.

Slide the flashing under the shingles and up into the cut out.

But make sure the edge marked bottom is on the bottom.

Nail underneath the shingles where possible and directly through the flashing on the lower half.

You can put a little caulking on the nail heads for as an extra precaution.

You will need to know the pitch of your roof to be able to adjust the base properly.

My regular gable roof sheds are all 3/12 pitch so line the number 3 hole up with the line on the base and install the screws.

Now twist the top half of the base around until it’s level in both directions.

Install the clamp that locks the base in place.

The turbine has 3 mounting points which will line up with 3 holes in the base.

Use a screw to secure each of these mounts to the base.
Now check that it spins freely and doesn’t touch the sides of the base.

If it does then push the turbine a little to one side or the other to adjust it so that it spins freely.