If you are a handy person and want to do a whirlybird installation DIY for metal roof, you can avoid paying the whirlybird installation cost. Once you have purchased the wind turbine, its time to install it on your roof. In this whirlybird installation DIY guide we will cover exactly how to install the wind turbine on a corrugated iron or metal roof in South Africa.

If you have not yet purchased one, you can check out our range of commercial wind turbines and industrial wind turbines below.

Watch the video below for installation instructions

Below is the equipment needed to do the whirlybird installation

A ladder or other access to the roof
Battery drill or drilling machine and extension cable
Marking pen
Angle grinder or tin snips capable of cutting your roof sheet thickness
Socket to drive 5mm tek screws (commonly 8mm hex)
Any additional flashing if not a ridge cap position fitment

You will also need these materials not supplied with your unit

Tek screws 5mm diameter x 20 long
Sealing washers to suit

There are a few decisions to make before starting your whirlybird installation. You will need to decide on the exact positioning of your wind turbine or turbines. The ideal position is to fit the base plate of the roof vent as far as you can under the ridge capping.

Step 1

Mark the positions you have chosen on the bottom of the ridge cap. Remove the fasteners holding the ridge cap in the positions you are to fit the base plates.

Step 2

Push the base plates in UNDER the ridge cap. Then line it up carefully. You need to mark the position in which you require the hole to be cut.

Step 3

Remove the plate and cut the hole carefully. It is your choice as to whether to use an angle grinder or tin snips. An angle grinder is quick, but noisy and messy.

Step 4

If you choose to use a trim ring on the underneath roof, now is the time to fit it. Take your trim ring, it is too big to fit through the hole.

You have 2 options:

The first is to lift it from inside the building with a piece of string.
The second option is to cut the trim ring though in one place and feed it through the hole or lift it through the hole with a string. Hold the trim ring in place and attach from the outside (using tek screws and sealing washers) in the trough (NOT RIDGES) of the IBR. We recommend at least 4 screws.

Step 5

Install the base plate on top of the roof. Fasten with Tek screws and sealing washers onto the ridges (NOT TROUGHS) of your roof sheet. Remember to replace the fasteners holding your ridge cap. If you use pop rivets they will do the job, but are not first choice as they may leak. Also they do not have the ability to pull the sheets together as they are set.

Step 6

When this is done, place the whirlybird on the spigot of the base plate.

Step 7

Rotate the 2 halves of the neck in relation to each other, as well as rotate the whole neck in relation to the base plate to adjust the unit so that the rotor (LID) is horizontal. You may choose to make a little jig so that a spirit level can be used for levelling.

Step 8

When you are happy everything is correct, put Tek screws through the holes in the bottom of the neck and spigot.

Step 9

Screw Tek screws through the hole in each of the 4 securing strips.

Step 10

At this point you are done with the DIY whirlybird installation. You can get down from the roof and admire your beautiful whirlybird installation. You can look forward to 10 years of hassle free operation. This concludes our how to install a whirlybird on a metal roof guide.

Read more on industrial roof ventilation or solar roof vents