Bug screen/rainscreen isn’t done here in zone 6a?
I’m doing a exterior insulation retrofit while re siding my 1953 house in South Dakota which is very unusual for our area. (R 13 Fluffy, zip, 2″eps, drainwrap with rain & bug screen topped by lp smartside) I was just reading up on the Coravent SV-5 Siding Vent that my contractor picked out for the bugscreen. I was reading mixed reports with many references to a U channel or window screen or even just no bug screen. Now my anxiety is hitting, please quickly inform me of whatever I should know for my climate zone of 6A. Siding starts tomorrow and I’m terribly nervous arranging this myself without experienced guidance assisting me other than this forum. My contractor is enthusiastic but inexperienced with rainscreens as they are rarely done in these parts. Thank you for any input! Please please dont hold back anything, I need all the help you can offer.
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It all depends on what bugs you are trying to keep out and from where.
Corovent works reasonably well for most but won't keep smaller critters out. It also doesn't protect the edge of the foam.
Overall the best screen is perforated J trim that starts behind the foam across the vent gap and all the way to the siding.
Tia, sounds like you've got a contractor who's motivated to figure this thing out. The Coravent is a great product for the bottom of your rainscreen--it's like a bundle of small soda straws but ALSO has a finer fabric-type covering that will deter smaller bugs. Like Akos said, it's best to not have the bottom edge of the foam exposed towards the ground--his idea of the perforated trim is great if you have the time and patience to source that. In a pinch, your contractor could just bend aluminum coilstock into a j-shaped channel to wrap around the bottom edge of the EPS.
tia,
A link to the product Akos and Andy are referring to: https://www.menzies-metal.com/vent-flashings/perforated-j-channel-rain-screen-low-back/