A properly ventilated attic facilitates the natural exchange of indoor and outdoor air in your home. This, in turn, helps you reduce moisture in the attic and keep your home cooler during the summer months. However, in order to optimize the benefits of attic ventilation, it’s important to follow proper principles and procedures. Inadequate ventilation in your attic can do more harm than good.
Ventilation allows consistent airflow through the underside of asphalt shingles. This prevents the excessive buildup of heat, cold, and moisture under a roof.
3 Principles of Proper Attic Ventilation
Attics are ventilated by strategically placed roof vents, which allow outdoor air to come in and let indoor air escape. With that in mind, here are three important principles to ensure proper attic ventilation:
- Calculate your ventilation needs. There is a formula for calculating your ventilation needs: take the total square footage of your attic and divide it by 150. That number is the number of square feet of ventilation that you will need. For example, an attic measuring 12 by 20 feet is 240 square feet in size; divided by 150, that yields 1.6 square feet of ventilation.
- Choose the right venting style. There are numerous ways to ventilate an attic, including strips along the ridge line of your home (ridge vents) as well as soffit vents and gable vents. You can also supplement by installing ventilation fans in your attic and throughout your home, but make sure your soffit vents are not blocked if you install an attic ventilation fan, as this will draw conditioned air out of your home and trigger an increase your household energy consumption.
- Allow for natural airflow at the eaves. One major mistake many people make is covering their attic soffit vents or eaves with insulation. Never do this; it inhibits airflow and defeats the entire purpose of creating the cracks and gaps! Instead, make sure there is no impediment to the airflow in and out of your soffit vents and eaves. As mentioned, this is especially important if you’re installing an attic ventilation fan to promote air transfer.
Hiring Knowledgeable Contractor Is Key To A Healthy Roof System
Your local roofing contractor can audit your roof’s ventilation system and answer all your insulation and ventilation questions. If you are concerned about your home’s attic, or if you need assistance with a ventilation project, contact All Roofing Solutions. As a leading Delaware roofing contractor, we provide a comprehensive range of roofing services, including everything from attic ventilation and roofing repairs to new installations for residential and commercial properties. Family-owned company with over 15 years of experience, we strive to provide the highest level of workmanship and customer satisfaction.
To learn more, call 302-725-ROOF (7663) in Delaware or 610-551-ROOF (7663) in Pennsylvania!