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A whirlybird bolted onto a roof with no intake is a spinning ornament. We size your roof, check the eaves can feed it, fit the right number of units in the right spots on tile or Colorbond, and prove the airflow before we leave – with photos.
Tick two or more and it is time to book — every one of these gets worse, never better, on its own.
A whirlybird is a wind-driven turbine that sits at the high point of your roof. As it spins it draws air out of the roof cavity – the space between your ceiling and the tiles. On a summer day that cavity gets dramatically hotter than the rooms below it, and that heat radiates down through the ceiling all evening. In winter the same space traps moisture, which is why insulation goes damp and the roof space smells musty.
Here is the part most installers skip. Air cannot leave a roof cavity unless replacement air can get in. That intake normally comes through the eaves. A roof with sealed or blocked eaves can have three whirlybirds on it and move almost nothing – the turbines spin in the wind and pull against a vacuum. Every FreshDuct assessment checks intake first, because a unit that cannot breathe in is a unit you paid for that does nothing.
It is passive, so it costs nothing to run, has no motor to fail, and works in exactly the conditions you want it to – windy summer afternoons and cold, moving winter air. Solar-powered roof ventilators are the alternative for still, sheltered sites; we fit both and will tell you which your roof actually needs.
The common rule of thumb is one unit per 50 to 100 square metres of roof space, which puts most Melbourne homes at two to four rather than the single unit a lot of people start with. Roof pitch, orientation, existing vents and how much intake the eaves provide all shift that number, so we measure the roof rather than guess from the street.
Placement matters as much as count. Units go high – near the ridge, where hot air collects – and are spread so the whole cavity is drawn on, not just one corner. On a hipped roof that usually means spacing them across the main run; on a gable it can mean one per face. We also look at what is already there: an old seized unit is often worth replacing in the same visit rather than working around.
The turbine is the easy part. What separates a dry roof from a leaking one is how the base is flashed into the roof covering. On a tiled roof a tile is cut and a lead or flexible flashing is dressed under the surrounding tiles so water sheds over it, never under. On Colorbond the base is sealed to the profile of the sheet and screwed through the rib, not the pan. Either way the unit is levelled so the turbine spins true, because a base fitted to the roof pitch without correction is the squeak you will hear for the next ten years.
We photograph the flashing before we leave, because it is the one part of the job you cannot inspect from the ground and the one part that matters most.
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Anyone can bolt a turbine to a roof. This is what turns it into ventilation.
Tile or metal, single or double storey, and what you are noticing inside. Photos help if you have them.
We measure the roof, check the eaves for intake, and count what is already up there. Firm quote follows.
Units fitted high and spread, flashed to the roof covering, levelled and spun up.
You see the flashing and the finished install. Payment only when the job is done.
Real reviews from verified FreshDuct customers — find hundreds more on our Google profile.
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
“Cannot say enough about Gabriel and his team. They were very professional with their job. He taught me what I am supposed to know about vents and how to take care of them. They did an amazing job.”
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
“Our ducts had not been cleaned in 9 years. I was really happy with their professionalism and speed. They respected our house rules and the air in my home is really fresh and clean.”
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
“Outstanding service! Manny was very professional and polite. This is by far the most thorough cleanup that we have experienced. All vents were cleaned and sanitised.”
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
“Adam and his team were professional and very service oriented. They provided detailed before and after pictures to confirm the work and effort. Highly recommend FreshDuct.”
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
“Tom and Eddie did an outstanding job cleaning my air ducts. I scheduled my appointment yesterday and the job was completed within 24 hours. Very satisfied with the service.”
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
“We had pet stains and a bad smell in the carpet and air ducts. After FreshDuct visited, the house smells fresh and clean again.”
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
“Our house flooded in the storms with over a metre of water. FreshDuct came recommended by our neighbours and arrived the same day.”
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
“They were clear up front about pricing and exactly what was included. Very thorough from start to finish.”
Branded vans, uniformed technicians, professional equipment — the team your neighbours already know.
Yes – when they are sized to the roof and have intake to draw from. The failures people talk about are almost always one undersized unit on a roof with sealed eaves. Sized properly, with the eaves able to feed them, they move a large volume of hot or moist air out of the cavity every hour, for free.
The rule of thumb is one per 50 to 100 square metres of roof space, so most Melbourne homes land at two to four. Pitch, orientation and existing vents move that number, which is why we measure before quoting rather than guessing from the kerb.
It depends on the number of units, your roof type and whether existing units need removing, so we quote firm after a quick assessment rather than publishing a number that will not match your roof. No call-out fee, and you pay only after the job is done.
It lowers the temperature of the roof cavity, which is the heat source radiating through your ceiling all evening. The rooms below feel the difference most at night, and the air conditioner has less to fight. It will not replace insulation – the two work together.
Yes – and this is the part Melbourne homes need most. A cold roof cavity traps moisture that condenses on timbers and settles into insulation. Ventilating the space keeps it drier, which protects the insulation and stops the musty roof-space smell.
A quality unit, levelled properly, is close to silent. The squeak people associate with them is either a cheap bearing or a turbine fitted off-level so it wobbles. We level every unit and use quality bearings, and if one squeaks we come back.
A correctly flashed unit does not. Leaks come from poor flashing – a tile not dressed properly, or a base sealed to Colorbond in the pan instead of on the rib. Flashing is the part of this job we photograph, because it is the part you cannot see from the ground.
Both, and older profiles too. The unit is the same; the base and flashing method change with the roof covering, and that is where the skill is.
Wind-driven units are cheaper, have no electronics, and suit most Melbourne roofs, which get plenty of moving air. Solar-powered ventilators earn their place on very sheltered sites or where you want guaranteed airflow on still days. We fit both and will recommend based on your roof, not our margin.
Usually replace. A seized turbine is worn bearings, and a new unit with fresh bearings and a proper flashing check costs little more than reviving an old one – and comes with a warranty.
Yes. A whirlybird ventilates the roof cavity; it does nothing for the steam in your bathroom, which needs an exhaust fan ducted outside. And if your bathroom fan currently dumps into the roof cavity, a whirlybird is not the fix – re-ducting the fan is.
The units carry their manufacturer warranty and FreshDuct backs the installation – if flashing or fitting is not right, we come back and make it right. Payment after the job, so you are never paying for a promise.
FreshDuct installs and replaces whirlybird roof ventilators across metropolitan Melbourne, 7 days a week – weatherboards in the inner north, brick veneers through the east and south-east, and newer estates out west. Tile and Colorbond, single and double storey, with proper height access rather than a ladder.
Melbourne roofs get both extremes: summer days that turn the cavity into an oven and long damp winters that leave it sweating. A ventilated roof space stays cooler when it is hot and drier when it is cold, which protects insulation, timber and plaster – and takes load off heating and cooling all year.
Roof ventilation is a system with two halves: exhaust at the top and intake at the bottom. Most quotes only sell the top half. We check eaves and soffits for intake on every assessment, and if they are sealed or blocked we tell you before you spend money on turbines that would sit idle.
Because FreshDuct also installs and removes insulation, cleans roofs and gutters, and ducts exhaust fans properly to the outside, a whirlybird job can be part of a whole roof-space fix: ventilation, insulation and any misdirected bathroom exhaust dealt with in one visit.
Same-day slots most days, 7 days a week, right across metropolitan Melbourne — and if your suburb is not listed, it is almost certainly still covered. Just ask.
Fans ducted outside – never into the roof cavity you just ventilated.
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A roof assessment, a firm quote, and units that are sized, placed and flashed properly – photographed before we leave. No call-out fee, 7 days across Melbourne.
