Frequently Asked Questions
V2 Vents are one piece of a larger home-hardening approach:
- Install V2 Vents to close off wind-blown ember entry points
- Clean gutters and add gutter guards, so flammable debris doesn’t collect on the roof and eaves
- Manage trees and vegetation on the property
- Clear the 0-5 ft zone around the home (some insurers set the bar at 6 ft — further out is still better)
- Apply safety film to windows, so they’re less likely to fail if exposed to a flame front (UV-tinted versions are available too)
- Use fire-resistant or flame-retardant paint on wood siding and decks — available through Fire Free Coatings and Safer Building Solutions
- Give wood decks and balconies extra attention — embers accumulate there easily; a home-hardening contractor can walk through the options
- Don’t skip sheds and other outbuildings
- Consider sprinkler or water-projection systems for broader property defense
Home hardening works as a system — no single upgrade does the whole job, but stacked together they meaningfully improve a home’s odds in a wildfire event.
Other Resources
Cal Fire’s Ready for Wildfire is a solid starting point for home-hardening guidance.
Yes, with one caution: keep paint off the stainless steel ember mesh on the back of the vent and off the honeycomb face and perforated vent surface — clogging either one defeats the point of the vent. The intumescent coating still reacts normally to heat and flame even when painted over.
Standard vents use G90 galvanized steel frames, so follow normal surface-prep steps for painting galvanized steel.
V2 Vents carry the highest airflow of any fire and ember-resistant vent on the market — commonly 2 to 4 times the airflow of comparable vents, depending on model.
Airflow isn’t a minor spec. Undersized ventilation traps moisture, invites dry rot and mold, and drives up energy costs — and if attic or foundation ventilation falls short of local code, it can mean an expensive retrofit down the line.
Higher-airflow vents mean fewer vents needed to hit code minimums, which lowers both material and labor cost on a retrofit.
‘NFVA’ stands for net free ventilation area — the square-inch measurement your local building code uses to determine how much open ventilation an attic or foundation space needs.
V2 Vents function as normal ventilation day to day and as a fire barrier when conditions call for it.
- The ember mesh at the back of the vent is a passive physical barrier — no activation needed, working continuously regardless of conditions.
- The V2 Matrix — the patented honeycomb layer with an intumescent coating — handles flame and hot gas. Under extreme heat, the coating expands and seals the vent opening shut.
The intumescent coating on the V2 Matrix begins reacting at roughly 450°F, with full expansion around 500°F.
Yes. Any intumescent material activates once and needs replacement after that — it doesn’t reset. Worth keeping in perspective: if a home has been exposed to enough heat to trigger the coating, windows, seals, siding, paint, and trim are likely candidates for replacement too.
The exterior-facing screen — 1/8 in on current models (1/4 in on older stock) — always faces outward. On continuous vents, the perforated steel face is the exterior side. The fine stainless steel ember mesh always faces the building’s interior.
Installation follows the same method as any standard vent — the difference is what’s built into it. Any licensed contractor with general carpentry and construction knowledge can install V2 Vents without specialized training. Licensing requirements for the work itself vary by state, so check your local jurisdiction’s rules.
Use EverKem 814+ intumescent fire caulking on every V2 Vents installation, with one exception: round eave vents use EverKem 136 mortar-based caulking where mounting hardware isn’t practical and flanges run minimal. Run a bead behind the nailing flange before installing the vent — this keeps the seam between vent and building material airtight, closing off any path embers could use to get in.
V2 Vents are built for passive ventilation — air moving naturally, not pushed by a fan or blower. Pairing them with a powered system creates a practical problem: the fine ember mesh, sized to catch small embers, also tends to catch other debris a powered system pulls through it.
Dryer vents specifically are exhaust-only and lead to a closed system (the dryer itself) rather than ventilating an attic, eave, or foundation space the way V2 Vents are designed to.
Yes. For retrofits where disturbing an existing vent isn’t practical, or where a custom vent order doesn’t pencil out, the V2 Matrix — the honeycomb core paired with the stainless steel ember mesh — is available as a standalone product (the FSVM series) in multiple sizes, cut to fit the opening and installed from the back side of the existing vent. See Retrofit Vents for the full lineup.
Yes, across most V2 Vents product types. Check the relevant vent-type page for a custom-vent request option, and contact our team directly for quotes and lead times.
V2 Vents’ continuous vent line (FSVSC) works as a ridge vent (ridge cap not included), and doubles as strip ventilation for soffits, balconies, and walkways.
For ridge applications, share your roof pitch with our team when placing an order, so flanges can be bent to match.
Every V2 Vent is assembled in the USA.
WUI stands for Wildland-Urban Interface — the zone where development meets wildland areas prone to wildfire. States classify WUI areas by risk level and likelihood of burning, and that classification, combined with other factors, determines a location’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone. V2 Vents are built to meet vent requirements across WUI zones and California’s fire hazard severity zones.
Yes — V2 Vents carry a limited 30-year warranty.
Yes — the V2 Matrix honeycomb technology is patented.