Ember Mesh Installation for San Diego County Homes

Reduce your home's wildfire risk with ember mesh vent screens.

Wind-blown fire embers can travel miles ahead of a wildfire, and if they find their way through unprotected vents on a property, those embers can ignite a fire inside your home.

San Diego has seen it firsthand: in the 2007 'Witch & Guejito Fires', embers ignited about 75% of the destroyed homes.

Click here to get an instant estimate for ember mesh vent screen installation. The instant estimate gives you a rough price range based on the number of vents on your property. Actual pricing can vary based on vent type, accessibility, and surface material. For confirmed, itemized numbers, use the contact form at the bottom of this page to schedule a free on-site estimate.

If you have questions, click here to send us a message.

Total Screen installs ember mesh, a non-corrosive stainless-steel mesh designed to block dangerous fire embers while still allowing vital ventilation to your attic and roof spaces.

What Is Ember Mesh?

Ember mesh is a fire-rated mesh screen designed to be installed over every exterior vent on a property.

Total Screen installs ember mesh manufactured by Wildfire Defense Mesh, a material that meets California's Chapter 7A building code for wildland-urban interface areas, and is therefore suitable for homes seeking insurance compliance, including the California FAIR Plan.

You can read more about our ember-resistant vent screens right here on our site.

Ember Mesh Sizes: 1/4 vs. 1/8 vs. 1/16

Not all vent screening qualifies as ember mesh. The size of the mesh openings determines whether wind-blown embers get through, and many older San Diego County homes still have vents screened with 1/4-inch (or larger) openings.

1/4 Ember Mesh Is Not Sufficient

1/4 ember mesh is not sufficient to stop dangerous fire embers. Embers pass right through openings that size, and burning debris can even burn through the mesh on a 1/4-inch screen.

1/8 Ember Mesh Is the Minimum

1/8 ember mesh is the minimum recommended for wildfire protection. It's also the largest opening size allowed under California's Chapter 7A vent standards for wildfire-prone areas.

1/16 Ember Mesh Is What Total Screen Installs

The 1/16 ember mesh we install is even stronger at resisting ember ingress, and its tighter stainless-steel weave still allows the airflow your attic and crawl spaces need year-round.

Jump to our contact form to have Total Screen upgrade your vents to 1/16 ember mesh.

How Ember Mesh Works

Most wildfire-related house fires start indoors, and 2 out of 3 wildfire-related house fires are caused by embers.

By installing ember mesh screens over vulnerable vents, you'll be reducing the risk of dangerous fire embers entering your home, while still allowing normal airflow throughout the year.

Want the full background on ember ignition? Read our guide to fire protection for home vents.

Need more details? Click here to send us a message.

Identify Your Vulnerable Vents

If you're unsure which vents require protection, click here to call Total Screen today; we'll send out a technician to survey your property and tell you how many vulnerable vents you might have.

You can also click here to schedule your free, on-site ember mesh estimate online.

Typical vents that need coverage include:

• Under-Eave Vents: Often these are sets of 3-inch holes, located under your roof line. Under-eave vents lead to your attic space, so embers must be kept out.

• Gable Vents: Triangular, circular, or rectangular vents with slats, located high up on walls (e.g., above garages & roof peaks). Gable vents' large openings should be screened with ember mesh to prevent ember intrusion.

• Ground Vents: Square-ish vents with slats, typically located near the ground and used for ventilation of garages, basements, and laundry rooms. Screen these vents to prevent embers from entering areas with flammables such as paint cans or propane tanks.

• Soffit Vents: Similar to under-eave vents. Soffits are often rectangular vents built into awnings or eaves of a home. Ember mesh screens can help prevent embers from lodging in the inner woodwork of your roof.
• Roof Vents: Half-circle vents with metal slats located on roofs. Roof vents should get ember mesh covering installed to prevent embers from passing directly down into attic spaces.

Our Ember Mesh Installation Process

Our ember mesh installation process is simple and worry-free for the homeowner.
Our team works entirely from the exterior of your home, and no interior attic work is ever required.

On installation day, we fasten the mesh permanently to the exterior using fastening hardware appropriate for wood, stucco, or metal surfaces.

A one-story home can generally be completed by our team in about 3 to 4 hours, with second-story work requiring additional time due to the extra ladder work.

Benefits, Insurance Discounts & Compliance

Installing ember mesh on your vents helps reduce the likelihood of a fire starting inside your home.

Our ember mesh meets the standards of California's Chapter 7A building code, and properly installed vent screens may qualify you for insurance discounts, including the wildfire-hardening discounts explained in our California FAIR Plan guide.

California homes built before 2008 are most at risk for wildfire-related ember damage, due to roof-vent construction that can allow embers into wooden attic spaces. Homes built after 2008 are unlikely to need ember-resistant vent screens. If you're not sure which group your home falls into, see our home-hardening guide.

Recent fires have shown just how much is at stake for unprotected neighborhoods.

In high-risk San Diego County areas like Scripps Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Alpine, Jamul, Valley Center, Fallbrook, Escondido, and the East County foothills, ember mesh installation provides peace of mind knowing you've proactively reduced wildfire risk.

Climate scientist Dr. Daniel Swain recently urged all homeowners:

"Put in ember-resistant vents because it's so simple and so relatively inexpensive, most people can do it themselves, and yet gives you such a great advantage relative to not having them that it's almost a no-brainer"

Click here to contact Total Screen and get ember mesh installed on your home, today.

Get an Instant Ember Mesh Estimate

Use the tool below to get a quick, rough estimate for ember mesh vent screen installation based on the number of vents on your property. This is a ballpark price range only. Actual pricing depends on vent type, accessibility, and surface material. For confirmed, itemized numbers, send us a message below to schedule your free on-site estimate.

Schedule Your Ember Mesh Installation Today

Total Screen is a local, family-owned company that has served San Diego homeowners since 1994. Today we install ember mesh across all of San Diego County, from the coast to the backcountry.

If you're concerned about wildfire embers entering your home, contact us for a free consultation. We'll inspect your vents and provide a same-day, itemized price estimate.

Call us at 1-619-871-7610, or use the contact form below.

If you'd like to skip all of that and simply schedule a free, on-site measurement, click here to schedule your ember mesh estimate today.