Natural Ventilation

Air movement through the sanctuary during the warm summer months helps to keep the building cooler when the outdoor temperature is uncomfortable.

1. Open the ceiling hatch in Bell Tower. This hatch is hinged and drops down. Unfortunately it cannot be removed. Leaving this to hang open allows air to come in the ridge vent and flow through open hatch.

2. Block open the door from the Bell Tower to the Sacristy.

3. Block open at least one door from the Sacristy to the Sanctuary.

4. Block open the door to steeple from the balcony.

5. Open the hatch in steeple. This hatch is not hinged. Lift it straight up and slide off to the side. It is not necessary to slide it off completely and leaving it slightly overlapping the hatch opening will make it much easier to put back after the summer.

6. Optional: Open doors on second floor to the balcony, this helps to move air on the second floor too. With balcony doors open, do not open second floor windows as this will short-circuit the air flow from the Bell Tower leaving less air movement through the Sanctuary.

With a continuous path for air to move, hot air flows up the steeple and out the vents drawing in cooler air through the Bell Tower. This works though the night lowering the temperature inside the building. During the daytime hours hot air still escapes through the steeple, and relatively cooler air outside the Bell Tower is drawn in.