We have a "mini attic" in addition to the main attic. The mini is above the 1st floor kitchen and on the same level as the 2nd floor. It has an access door in the bedroom closet.
My wife would like to use it to store off-season clothing and other items. But during the summer months, it's probably 120 degrees in there, so I'm concerned about using that space for storage.
We recently had the shingle replaced and the roofer cut a ridge vent, but it still gets pretty hot in there. There's a small (8" x 11") gable vent in the exterior brick wall. I was thinking of attaching a gable vent fan to exhaust the hot air.
But I just read something that said that's a bad idea. The concern is that you'll end up pulling conditioned air in from the nearby rooms and cause the AC to work harder. Because the mini attic is not air-tight, that sort of makes sense.
So should I skip the vent fan? Is there another way to cool that space bit? Should I be concerned about using it for storage if I can't cool it down?
Best Answer
You'll increase energy costs and only make it marginally cooler. The only way this could work is to fully insulate and make it part of the conditioned space. But the kitchen ceiling/attic floor is not designed to support any kind of real loads, so it's only practical to store very lightweight items anyway.
So what lightweight items can you store there? If conditioned space, anything that will fit through the access. If not conditioned, only items that can withstand extreme heat without degradation could be stored there. I would not store any valuable clothing in that kind of environment.