HOW TO TELL IF YOUR ATTIC IS PROPERLY VENTED

HERE FOR ALL YOUR ROOFING NEEDS!

Fortunately, your home will tell you if its attic lacks a balanced ventilation system.  A few signs include:

• Excessively warm living areas caused by the heat having no place to go.
• Moisture or frost in your attic during the winter.
• Ice dams forming at the edge of your roof in winter.
• The lack of vents in your eaves or exhaust vents on your roof.
• Rotting or decaying home exterior.
• Peeling paint.
• Roof damage.

OPTIONS FOR ATTIC VENTILATION

There are two types of exhaust vents for attics—static and powered.  A static vent is basically a hole strategically placed to allow warm air to escape.  They include ridge vents, that run along the length of the roof ridge, box-style cap vents, or turbine vents. A powered vent includes a fan.

Intake vents include those in the soffits and those in the gables.  Gable vents can act as both intake and exhaust, depending on the wind direction and speed. However, because they’re placed in the highest part of the home, they operate best as an exhaust vent.

You’re probably aware that most attic and roofs are vented.  Maybe you’re also aware of the ridge vent that’s at the peak of your roof.  However, what you may not be aware of is that some homes may not have enough ventilation or don’t have any ventilation at all.  Now, you may be asking if a roof ventilation system is even necessary?  Roof ventilation helps keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, therefore giving your roof a longer lifespan and a much lower risk of roof damages.  A well-designed roof ventilation system also helps eliminate moisture in your attic and crawl spaces by allowing cool, dry air to enter while exhausting out the warm, moist air.  Your local roofing contractors know that in order to stay healthy, your home needs to breathe.  Allowing your home to breathe will help prevent damp and deter dangerous mold growth in your attic and crawl spaces.

Extend The Life Of Your Roof

Have you ever seen icicles build up on the edge of roofs and gutters?  This ice buildup is known as ice damming.  You can see the icicles, but you can’t see the damage that they’re doing to the edge of your roof. Ice damming happens when heat from inside your attic combines with heat from the sun to melt snow and ice on your warm roof.  When the resulting water runs to the edge of your roof, it begins to refreeze.  As the ice and water build up at the edges of the roof, it can back up behind/underneath the roofing materials, causing damage to your whole roof system, your attic and even inside the walls of your home.  Proper ventilation helps warm air escape before it has a chance to melt the snow and ice on your roof.  A well-vented roof can be easy to see in the wintertime. It will still have snow on the roof, but there will not be an icicle in sight.

Ventilation will benefit a roof when it’s hot outside as well.  When the outside temperature rises, the temperature on your roof can be nearly double that.  A hot roof over a poorly vented attic will give you a very hot attic.  The reason for this is that unventilated or poorly ventilated attics don’t have an escape route for the heat that builds up. This buildup of heat can damage your shingles from the inside out. An evenly vented roof will allow the hot air to escape keeping your roof and attic cooler.

Reducing Energy Costs

When the temperature increases outside, everyone wishes to shelter away and stay cool inside. A properly vented roof allows the heat to escape, thereby reducing the workload on your air conditioner.  An air conditioner that’s running less means you will have a lower electric bill.

Reduces Indoor Temperature Extremes

Have you ever walked upstairs and thought it was at least 10 degrees warmer than it was in your living room?  These indoor temperature extremes are often the result of poorly vented roofs.  Once your roof is adequately vented to allow the hot air to escape and the cool air enter the attic space, your home will be more comfortable year-round.

Attic Vents Control Moisture & Temperature

When air stagnates in the attic, moisture tends to condense out and settle on the framing and insulation.  This provides a perfect environment for mold and rot to set in.  Mold loves to grow in damp attic insulation, and damp insulation has a tendency to clump, which reduces its effectiveness.  Rot affects the framing and the roof decking, and the end result can be a sagging roof.  Sagging roofs leak, which worsens the moisture problem in the attic and creates a big problem in living areas below.

The Proper Attic Ventilation

Soffit vents, which are grids that fit over holes you cut in the soffits, come in different sizes.  On some aluminum or vinyl soffit systems, the vents are integrated into soffit panels.  Since the roof line and soffit form a corner in the attic, you usually have to fit baffles over the soffit vents, running up along the roof sheathing beneath the insulation.  These are cardboard or plastic air passageways that you fasten to the underside of the roof decking.  They prevent insulation from blocking the vents and keep air flowing freely.

Ridge vents are the most economical roof vents.  A roof’s ridge vent is a continuous vent that runs along the peak of a sloped roof. It is usually covered with shingles to match the rest of the roof.  You can also choose a number of vent styles that open directly onto the roof deck.  Care should be taken to make sure that the vent openings aren’t covered by snow in the winter as this will seriously hinder their functionality.  If your house accommodates them, you can also satisfy the roof vent area requirement by installing gable vents that penetrate the siding and open into the unheated attic space.  You have to exercise some care when designing a ventilation system to ensure uniform circulation throughout the attic, especially in corners and behind obstacles.

How Does Roof Ventilation Work?

A roof ventilation system works by providing continuous flow of air through your attic space, helping remove overheated air and moisture from the attic and roof system and reduce the impact of changing temperatures and moisture conditions both inside and outside the home.  The system that allows the ventilation of air to take place consist of intake vents and exhaust vents installed at strategic intervals in the attic or roof area.  Several different types of vents may be used in different locations to provide ventilation for the attic or roof area.  Several different types of vents may be used in different locations to provide for attic air to circulate in the right amounts and directions throughout the roofing system.

A good local roofing company knows that correct design and construction of the roof ventilation system is critical.  The roof’s design should provide plenty of open air space for insulation and air flow under the roof and eaves.  A correctly designed system will precisely balance the intake and exhaust ventilation under the roof so that the attic is slightly pressurized, preventing conditioned air from being sucked out too quickly through the vents, thereby increasing heating and cooling costs.

What Happens If Your Attic Is Not Vented?

Any professional local roofing contractors will tell you that proper attic ventilation is crucial to keep the air flowing through your attic, rather than simply letting it sit.  Ventilation essentially helps outside air pass through and out of your attic, removing excess heat and moisture from the air of your attic as it does so.  Air is taken in through areas like your soffits and eaves and is exhausted through the roof at your ridge cap or by a roof vent.  This helps create the right air balance in your attic, which plays an important role in keeping your home healthy and comfortable to be in.

How Much Attic Ventilation Do You Need?

Since most roofs are under ventilated, many people have no idea just how much roof ventilation they need, or what kind of purchase.  The FHA recommends that you have 1 square foot of attic exhaust (both intake and exhaust) for every 300 square feet of attic square.  When there is a lack of ventilation it can cause a whole host of problems in and around your home.  Depending on the climate that you live in, lack of proper ventilation can have a serious impact on your energy bills and the lifespan of things like your roof.

If your home lacks sufficient ventilation, it can create a super heated attic.  Without the air moving through the space, the air trapped inside starts to heat up with the sun beating down on the roof. This heat then transfers itself through the floor of your attic and begins to warm the rooms of your home.  This in turn leads to higher energy bills as your fans and AC work to combat it.  Another issue with the fact that your attic is becoming superheated is the lifespan of your roof shingles.  The heat from your attic won’t just be transferred down into your living space; it will also be transferred back to the roof itself. This causes the shingles to become overheated, essentially frying them and decreasing their lifespan.  The heat transfer from a super heated attic can damage a lot more than your roof and your energy bills.  It can also warp the wood framing in your attic, which in turn can warp walls and door frames, as well as transfer down the walls to blister your paint and wallpaper.

How to Improve Attic Ventilation

Vents in Eaves, Soffit, Fascia

All homes should already have passive air vents in the eaves, soffit, or fascia. Improving attic ventilation starts here.  Access the attic to make sure that no insulation is covering up these vents. Check for vermin droppings or nests that might be blocking the vents. Confirm that the vent screens are solidly attached.  Nail into place any loose vent screens.

Ridge Vents

Ridge vents are passive attic ventilation systems built into the top ridge of the roof.  A ridge vent is a long plastic or metal vent running along the length of the roof ridge (peak).  This vent is covered with cap shingles to help it blend in with the rest of the roof. Heat rising from the attic can escape through the ridge vent. Wind blowing from either direction can flow into the attic.

Gable Vents

Gable vents are passive ventilation devices installed on the upper portion of the house’s gable—the triangular section.  Gable vents can be as simple as large holes or slots covered in wire screen.  Or they can be metal or plastic vents or louvers that are 1- to 2-feet square in size. Gable vents allow air to escape on its own from the attic, preventing moisture build-up.

Roof Turbines

Roof turbines are large spherical-shaped rotating metal vents.  While classified as passive attic ventilation devices, they come with a boost—the wind.  When wind catches the vanes on the turbine, the turbine rotates on ball bearings and draws air upward, out of the attic.  Actively spinning roof turbines can have a noticeable effect on attic ventilation. Even turbines at rest will expel some air from the attic, though not as much as when the turbines are rotating.

Gable Attic Fans

Gable fans are mechanical attic ventilation devices installed behind gable vents, on the inside of the attic. Gable fans run off of the household power.  Once they are initially turned on, they will automatically turn on or off as needed, according to temperature needs.   Gable attic fans can move a tremendous amount of air from the attic.

Roof Attic Fans

Roof attic fans are mechanical attic ventilation devices that draw 1,000 to 1,500 CFM of air from the attic.  Roof fans use household 120V power or solar power.  Generally about two feet in diameter, most roof fans hug the roof at less than 10 inches high.  Since some turbine fans can crest 24 inches high, roof attic fans, with their saucer-shaped hoods, are far less noticeable. They can even be installed on a pitched roof.