Our roof is the one that protects us against most outdoor elements, ranging from rain to hail. But it needs proper ventilation to last long. It allows air to flow through the roofing system, keeping it functional and performing its best as long as possible!
Why Do You Need Roof Vents?
Roof ventilation is necessary if you have an attic, an upper floor on the roof, or an unheated area in your basement, as it corrects the air conditioning in these places. And this is especially vital during the summer as these vents help cool your roofing and underlying water batter materials, decreasing metal expansion. Thus, it protects your roofing materials better from the heat.
Aside from that, roof vents can be incredibly valuable during the winter too. They can keep your roof cool, preventing snow, hail, or ice from melting on top of your roof and freezing again in your gutters, whereas they would produce an icy dam — eventually leading to leakage and other water damage. Even if you don’t get leaks, the additional weight can cause structural damage to your roofing system. Vents can stop these by circulating the cold air from the eaves through the ventilation in your roof peak.
If you’re still unconvinced, here are five more benefits of having roof ventilation:
Stops Condensation, Mold, and Rot On Your Structure
The main benefit of roof ventilation systems is they can prevent condensation, which is responsible for rotting and mold growth. Your house emits more moisture than you initially thought and can come from several sources, from showers to cooking in the kitchen! All these create warm and damp air within your home’s living space. And that excess moisture tends to go up your house’s ceilings, and if you don’t have a vapor barrier, it’ll eventually seep into the attic. And if a cool area like your roof’s underside gets invaded by warm air, it will condense.
That condensation happens due to the trapping of air, overall creating an unhealthy environment where mold and mildew thrive best. You can avoid all these by adequately ventilating your roof and attic and keeping your insulation dry!
Improves Your Home’s Energy Efficiency
Investing in your home’s proper attic and roof ventilation improves your energy efficiency. As a result, it can reduce your property’s cooling and heating bills by allowing trapped heat in your living area to escape. If not, the temperature inside your house will rise, catching up with the outside temperature. And when this happens, the outdoor heat will get trapped inside your attic, forcing your cooling systems to work harder! Therefore, you need to pay more over time.
But if you have a good roof ventilation set, it can reduce your home’s cooling and overall operating costs. Aside from that, you may also improve your house’s energy efficiency by investing in a cool roof. This system produces higher solar reflectance and thermal emittance than traditional roofing materials. As a result, it absorbs less heat, improving your house’s energy efficiency! And when mixed with roof ventilation, you can lower your cooling costs even more.
Extends Your Roof’s Lifespan
Improper or the lack of roof ventilation and attic can shorten your roof’s lifespan. After all, excess humidity, heat, or cold can lead to extreme condensation, rotting, and mold growth. Aside from that, not having ventilation can lead to a super-heated attic, eventually causing damage to your home’s wooden framing, rafters, and underlayment.
Finally, investing in proper roof ventilation helps trapped air escape, extending your roofing system’s lifespan.
Decreases Indoor Temperature Extremes
If you’ve walked the upper floors of your home and felt a sudden change in temperatures, it might be because of your poorly or not ventilated roof! You can avoid indoor temperature extremes by investing in roof ventilation. This system lets hot air escape and cool air enter your home. Aside from that, it can also prevent your attic from overheating, saving you on heating and cooling costs over time.
Overall, investing in proper ventilation can make your home comfier while saving you money in the long run.
Stops Ice Damming
If you reside in an area where snow and ice are common, having roof ventilation reduces the risk of forming damaging ice dams. Ice dams form whenever warm air reaches your roof deck, causing the snow on your roof to melt! And that melted snow may run down your roof and freeze again over your home’s overhangs — creating ice dams.
Investing in roof ventilation can do two things to stop these potentially damaging ice dams:
- Reroute the warm air from your home to your roof’s peak and, eventually, the outdoors.
- Vents keep your attic’s temperature similar to the one outside, preventing snow from melting.
How Roof Ventilation Works
To ensure proper roof ventilation, you must have both intake and exhaust vents. Contractors will install intake vents underneath the roof, usually in the overhangs. Meanwhile, you can find exhaust vents near the peak of your roof. When combined, these two create a continuous airflow throughout your attic. As a result, the cooler air gets sucked into the intake vents while the warm and humid air goes through the exhaust vents. Therefore, the hot air can rise and escape, keeping your home cool and safe.
Ideally, all homes should have both vents to ensure the air can flow safely and freely. If you can’t install both vents, it’s best to get more intake vents than the other. The more intake vents you have, the higher the pressure in your roofing system, helping the outdoor airflow nicely into the space. Generally, building codes require at least a square foot of vents per 150 square feet of attic flooring. We recommend sticking to equal amounts of intake and exhaust vents to provide proper ventilation for your roof. You can only increase the ventilation if your roof has a steep pitch or a spacious attic.
Conclusion
One of the best ways to keep your home secure and comfortable is by ensuring the proper ventilation of your attic and roofing systems. With this, your roof can maintain its optimal conditions long-term. Contact a reliable roof repair contractor Bethel CT if you have any queries about roofing and ventilation.