Proper Attic Ventilation: Quick Overview For Homeowners

Proper Attic Ventilation:

In today’s post, our panel of experts here at American Standard Roofing discuss the importance of proper attic ventilation. Maintaining a proper attic ventilation system in your attic is essential for protecting the efficiency of your home and also for helping establish a comfortable living area. There needs to be a balance between the air intake and air exhaust near your roof edge. The combination between proper building insulation and purposeful flow of air is the most important component of a durable and energy efficient home.

Types of Damages That Can Occur:

There are several types of damage that can result from improper ventilation. These are:

1. Premature aging of your roofing system.
2. Breaking wood framing.
3. Damage to your exterior or interior paint.

Our team advises not to undermine the importance of proper attic ventilation. Do not assume that completely blocking the air out of your home is the best decision in the long term. This is a mistake homeowners often make when installing their insulation.

Types of Ventilation:

There are different types of ventilation that you can consider:

1. Attic Fans:

These usually reduce the heat in your attic by bringing in cooler outside air from either soffits or gables and pushing hot air to the outside. You need to ensure that your attic doesn’t have blocked soffit vents and is well sealed from the remainder of your house. Otherwise you may witness that your attic fans suck conditioned air from your house and use your air conditioning to cool off your attic area, which is very costly and inefficient.

2. Rafter Vents:

Our team strongly advises to cover your attic floor and seal air leaks. They also ensure that the soffit vents are clear and there is room for outdoor air to move into the attic from the soffits and out through the gable or ridge vents. Installing rater vents is as simple as stapling them straight to the roof decking. They should be placed at the point where your ceiling reaches your floor.

3. Ridge Vents:

Ridge vents are usually installed at the top of a sloped roof and allow hot, humid air to escape a building’s attic. A well set up ridge vent will increase energy efficiency and prolong the life of your roof. There are generally two types of vents: metal ridge vents and shingle-over vents. To ensure that a ridge vent works according to your expectations, it needs to have proper intake of fresh cool air, and equal flow of exhaust. Before you begin installing ridge vents you need to remove cap shingles and any wood sheathing. Then you can proceed with the installation of the shingle or metal ridge vent.

Food for Thought:

Keep in mind that proper ventilation is as important as good insulation of your home. Locating air leaks is as important as ensuring you have a good ventilation system in place. Leaking air is damaging both in the winter when warm air rises up and eventually escapes to your attic, as well as during the winter when cold air can be sucked from your attic. So make sure that you focus on both proper insulation and ventilation in order to increase your home efficiency and prevent any potential damage.