Do you know if your attic is getting the right amount of airflow? This can greatly affect not only inside your home, but your roof as well. Read below about why proper roof ventilation is important.
Ventilation is critical for your home, and that’s especially true for your roof. Without proper roof ventilation, a whole host of problems can crop up, costing you money and damaging your home.
Here are the top reasons why you need ventilation in your roof.
Why Is Ventilation So Important?
As you’ll see, the right balance of air coming in and out of your attic makes a real difference to the health of your roof. If there’s not enough air coming in or out, then temperatures rise and lead to all sorts of problems.
These problems will not only affect your roof and attic, but also the rest of your home. These problems include warped woodwork, blistering paint, leaks, and other damage.
It’s also important because modern living creates so much more hot air than it used to. Every day you’re using dryers, pots and pans, steamy showers, and so on. That hot air will rise to the top of your home, the attic.
If it doesn’t have anywhere to escape to, then that’s when it’s going to cause problems.
1. Super Heating Attics
Without proper roof ventilation, the air in your attic becomes super heated. What does that mean? The air in your home rises, and so will end up in your attic. If there’s no proper ventilation, then it can’t escape outside.
As it sits in the attic, with the sun beating down on it from outside, then it’s going to get hotter and hotter. That air will heat up the rest of your home too.
In the summer, you’re going to see your energy bills rise as your AC battles to keep the temperatures down.
2. Damage To Your Shingles
When your attic is super heated, it’s not just your home that will suffer. The shingles on the roof will too, as they’re heated from underneath. This will lead to them cupping, warping or breaking, leading you to need to replace them more often.
If left long enough, a broken shingle will let in water which will lead to more problems with your roof.
3. Warped Wood And Framing
If the air in your attic is getting too hot, then you’ll see that it will have a serious effect on your home as a whole.
When exposed to heat for long periods, the wood in your attic will start to warp out of place. This will have serious repercussions, as it will damage the walls and ceilings in the rest of your home.
When this happens, you may see warped walls and door frames, as well as blistered paint and wallpaper.
4. Moisture Damage In Your Attic
With higher temperatures in your attic comes higher humidity, which will cause all sorts of problems. It will lead to mold and mildew in your attic, which damages the wood and can lead to hefty repair bills.
Having mold in your attic will allow it to spread to to the rest of the home too. It is sometimes difficult to remove and will cause issues for anyone with allergies in your home.
You’ll also find that increased moisture will drip back onto your insulation, rendering it less effective and letting more heat out of your home in the colder months.
It damages your roof as well, as excess moisture leads to ice dams, which also cause leaks.
Types Of Proper Roof Ventilation
You see just why it’s so important that your roof is properly ventilated. Now you need to decide how you’re going to improve yours. There are several types of ventilation you can use, so read on to see which is right for you.
1. Intake And Exhaust Vents
A mixture of both of these vents is needed to get the best results in your attack.
An intake vent is usually fitted under the eaves, and lets air into your attic. The exhaust vent allows air back out, and is usually fitted on the peak of the roof. They’re usually boxed or capped to stop moisture and snow getting in.
2. Ridge Vents
This is an aesthetically pleasing style of vent, as they are virtually unnoticeable from the ground.
Installed in the ridge of the roof, they use a baffle to draw hot air out of the attic. When installed evenly along the roof, they create proper roof ventilation.
3. Soffit Vents
These vents are intake vents, and are usually installed under the eaves.
Again, this makes them virtually unnoticeable. Installing these with ridge vents helps you get the best ventilation in your home.
4. Box Vents
These vents are placed towards the peak of the roof. The box vent is placed over a hole in the roof that allows hot air to escape from your attic.
5. Wind Turbines
A wind turbine is a fan that spins when caught by the wind, allowing it to draw air out of your attic.
They do need some maintenance, such as being oiled if the fan starts to squeak. They’re best used in homes that are in areas that regularly get strong winds, or they won’t work as they should.
6. Power Attic Vents
These vents are designed to be powered by electricity, and usually have humidity sensors that switch the vent on when the humidity is too high.
As they’re designed to run quietly, you’ll need to go into your attic and check they’re still running as intended. This can be done as part of your regular roofing check.
Conclusion
As you’ve seen, there are all kinds of reasons why you need to ventilate your attic properly. Not doing so will lead to damage to your home, and costly repair bills that you could easily avoid. Now is the time to check on your attic, and see if it needs more ventilation.
If you’re not sure, call on a roofing repair expert to help you see where changes need to be made.
Luckily, it’s not too difficult to get roofing vents installed. Pick the right vents for your roof and needs, and you’ll find that you’ll get proper roof ventilation in your attic.
