Proper roof ventilation is vital for controlling the temperature inside your home and roof maintenance. Ventilation helps keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the colder months.
Proper roof ventilation also helps keep your shingles or other roofing materials from rotting or becoming damaged. The type and amount of ventilation required will depend on the roof you have.
Do I Need More Roof Ventilation?
If you experience higher than usual heating or cooling bills, this can be down to poor roof ventilation. Heat and humidity trapped inside the house can lead to roof moisture damage. Likewise with the colder months. Ice and snow may melt on your roof due to poor ventilation, and get trapped in your eaves and in and around your shingles, causing damage. You may also see mold or mildew around your home, need to repair or replace your HVAC units too often, and have damp or damaged insulation. Ice dams, leaks, roof damage, like soft or warped roofs, and damage to your eaves. Rotting shingles can lead to mold, major leaks, and even pests. If you think there are problems with your roof’s ventilation, the best place to start is with an inspection.
If these ventilation concerns are not dealt with soon enough, the damage can be extensive. Leaks can lead to all sorts of other structural damages, including walls, floors, window and door frames, and ultimately, your basement and foundation.
Get an Inspection
Ideally, you should be having your roof inspected at least once a year. The harsh elements can cause massive damage to your roof without you even being aware of it. Spring or fall are the best times to get a professional to inspect your roof. If there are damages, it’s best to know this before you enter the severe heat or cold of the seasons. The inspection will let you know right away if there are problems. When the team is making any roof repairs you may need, or a roof replacement, they can add the necessary roofing ventilation very easily.
Roof ventilation needs to be installed to allow fresh air to enter and stale air to exit. The most common method has air come in along the eaves and leave through the top of the roof. These are the intake vents and exhaust vents.
Different Types of Roof Ventilation
Not all ventilation is the same. There are intake and exhaust vents. Some work by gravity and mother nature, some are connected to your electrical system, and there are also solar-powered vents.
Ridge vents are the most common type of exhaust vents. This type of vent is installed at the peak of your roof and covers the entire length of your roof line. These are very effective for letting out the hot air that accumulates in your attic. Ridge vents are also very practical as they run all the way across the roof, allowing all the hot air to escape. This keeps your AC bills down, helps to keep humidity and moisture out, and keeps the air fresher. Ridge vents are often installed with intake vents that are installed at the bottom of your roof line, like your eaves. One of the most popular choices is the soffit intake vents.
These are popular because they are very efficient and do the job well for the cost. There are various types, but they all allow fresh air to come in and circulate to your attic.
The two most common are continuous soffit vents and individual soffit vents. Continuous vents run around your entire house. The individual vents are usually made of vinyl and placed individually. Because of the material, they come in a wide variety of colors and textures.
Very often, these two types of vents are installed together. However, there are plenty of other options available, so if you are having roof repairs done, or getting a new roof, ask your contractor what is available.
Roof Ventilation
Trust the experts to get your roof fitted out with the best possible ventilation for your budget. You can have great ventilation and still keep the style and design of your home.