If you don't read any further, read this: Vent your attic! Attic ventilation works hand-in-hand with keeping your roof protecting your home to the best of its' ability! Without proper attic ventilation, your roof will fail prematurely. It's actually kinda crazy that a poorly ventilated attic has such a high effect on the functioning level of a roof. Even the manufacturer's warranty of your shingles can be voided due to the condition of your ventilation in your attic. So let's dive in!
There are multiple options when it comes to ventilating your attic space. I will briefly discuss each one, but the following are your different options: soffit vents, whole house fans, and gable vents. There are a few other options that may be available for your home that we won't go into today, such as louvered dormers and mushroom vents. We will first discuss the soffit vent.
The soffit vent allows convective air movement from the soffits to the ridge vent. Insulation baffles must also be installed when you go with the soffit vent to prevent the insulation from restricting airflow.
Whole house fans are another option. They simply draw air out of the attic space and filter it outside. It's good to have the fans controlled by a switch or thermostat that will automatically control them and turn them on when they are needed to exhaust the attic space.
Lastly, we have gable vents. Gable vents are like they sound, vents that are installed at the gable ends of a home. These vents allow air to be drawn from the attic space, as well as preventing moisture from being drawn back into the house.
Another thing to consider with properly ventilating your attic is making sure you have adequate ventilation for the amount of square footage in your attic space. If you're interested in calculating this yourself, you can find the equation for it online or just call me and I will come check it out for you. If your shingles are starting to buckle or look "wavy", there's a good chance you need to check on your ventilation.
So all in all, if you're looking to prevent things like premature roof failure, inefficient HVAC systems, and lack of quality in your home.... do a thorough check in your attic and ventilation systems and make sure they are up to par and running as they should!
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