Your attic is much more than an extra place for storage, it’s an important part of your roof system. Therefore it’s important your roof is properly ventilated.
What Is Ventilation?
The purpose of ventilation is pretty straightforward. Instead of air sitting in your attic and accumulating excess moisture and heat, ventilation pushes stale air out and keeps the right air balance in your attic.
Heat Rises
Since hot air rises, your attic will naturally be warmer than your house. In addition to this, during the summer months when the sun is beating down on your roof, this will raise the temperature of your roof and attic. With nowhere for this air to go due to lack of ventilation this air can make its way back down into your home, and therefore making your AC unit work harder than it needs to and your bill go up.
Moisture Build Up
Summer time isn’t the only season that presents challenges for your roof ventilation. Winters cold air brings condensation. Warm moist, air that makes its way to the attic without proper ventilation will condense on surfaces. Too much moisture leads to swelling or rotted wood and therefore a reduced load capacity. Of course with moistures comes mold and mildew. For this reason it’s crucial to have a proper ventilation system in tact.
Prolong Your Roofs Lifespan
Winter and summer months are hard on your roof. A well ventilated attic will maintain a good balance of air and help take the strain off your shingles. In the cold months when the snow comes, ice dams can begin to form. This occurs when hot air in your attic melts the snow on your roof, as it moves down towards your eavestroughs and gutters, which are not exposed to the hot air from your attic, it will freeze and create build up. The longer this goes on the more build up of snow and ice you will get, called an ice dam. When air is ventilating well, the roof will not reach such warm temperatures and remains relatively cool. Without ice forming on your roof, you save your shingles from being pushed apart from water expanding as it freezes, and then seeping underneath and causing damage to roof decking, and even living spaces such as walls, and ceilings.
Is It Possible To Use Different Types of Roofing Vents?
No. Proper ventilation of a roof system occurs when the soffit area at the bottom of an attic pulls air inwards and the roof vents in the top of the attic space release air for complete attic air transfer. When using multiple types of roof vents a stronger roof vent can cause a weaker roof vent to become an intake. The weaker vent can begin to pull outside air inwards rather than releasing air from the attic space. This can result in a reduction in air transfer.
What’s My Next Step?
So you know the reasons as to why a well ventilated roof is so important, now what? Taking action sooner rather than later is crucial to avoid any issues now or in the future. Get in touch with us for your roofing needs. We look forward to hearing from you!
