If you are a homeowner, you probably look for ways to ensure that your home, along with its contents, are always protected. Protecting and maintaining the health of your roof is an excellent place to start. If the exterior of your home is damaged, especially the roof, this may have significant repercussions that affect your home and family. We want to help homeowners such as yourself prolong the health of their roof, and following the proper roof ventilation system is perhaps the best way to do just that.
What Is Roof Ventilation?
Roofing ventilation refers to a system of intake and exhaust vents used to provide air circulation, thus keeping the atmosphere inside your home comfortable. If there are no in and out passages used for roof ventilation, warmer air will become trapped within your home, causing all kinds of problems for your property.
What is the best way to improve roof ventilation?
The climate in the area you live in and other property factors need to be considered when determining the type of roof vents likely to provide the most useful functionality.
2 Types of Roof Ventilation Options
– Natural Ventilation: Hot air rises within the home, thus creating pressure in the attic vents. If this high-pressure air finds an outlet to escape, cool, low-pressure air will automatically replace it. Homeowners that install different types of roof vents can make the most of natural airflow thus providing proper roof ventilation thus keeping the interior of your home comfortable. It is also possible to achieve natural ventilation through windows, doors, and other gaps.
– Mechanical Ventilation: In certain structures, it is sometimes necessary to use a system of mechanical vents. Mechanical ventilation requires a source of power to provide constant air flow. Mechanical ventilation may be necessary when the roof’s design does not allow much air flow or the property is situated in an area without a lot of wind.
Why Is Having Proper Roof Ventilation Important?
Improving your roof ventilation can ensure that your roof and the rest of your home are in prime condition. If you fail to follow the proper roof ventilation tips, warm air could be trapped in your home and cause issues likely to lead to expensive repairs.
Maintaining your roof ventilation system is particularly important in the east since summers can be extremely hot, and cold climates are experienced here. Roof ventilation should protect your property from the following scenarios:
– Hot air getting trapped in your home in summer, thus making it difficult to keep it cool
– Trapped hot air leading to issues such as mildew, mold, or even ice dams during winter
What Are the Signs of Poor Roofing Ventilation?
Ice Dams and Icicles
If snow has piled up on your roof and you start noticing massive ice dams that form along your roof, it means that there is a problem with your roof ventilation. The ice dams form once the roof starts heating up, the snow starts to melt, and then the running water starts to freeze once it reaches the roof’s edge. It is a key indicator that you have poor roofing ventilation and may lead to more serious issues.
Your Air Conditioner Breaks Down
People often fail to correlate the condition of their air conditioning unit with roof health, but if you don’t have the right roof ventilation in place, chances are you are overworking your Air conditioning system. On the hot summer days when you have a lot of hot air trapped indoors, your air conditioner will be working in overdrive to keep the house cool. The result of this is that the HVAC system is under a lot of stress and this may shorten its lifespan. If your air conditioner has broken down multiple times, chances are you are experiencing ventilation problems.
Unwanted Pests Found Inside
Roof ventilation issues can cause damage to the exterior of your home. If your gutters, roof, or siding have been damaged in the past, this may allow critters to find a way inside. Whether there are tiny insects capable of creeping in through tiny cracks or crevices, or rodents and squirrels capable of scratching their way indoors, any of these unwanted pests could indicate that there is a problem with the roof.
Roof Leaks, Mildew & Mold
If you ignore the warning signs of poor roof ventilation, you can find yourself facing serious problems later on for both your health and home. If the roof is exposed to water damage over time, or suffers major destruction from a bad storm, this may lead to roof leaks. If you fail to address those immediately, the excess water in your home may lead to further problems such as mold, mildew, and more.
Cold or Hot Areas in the Home
Have you noticed a noticeable difference in temperature when you walk up the stairs or from room to room? That’s yet another sign of poor roof ventilation. Extremely cold or hot areas in the home are yet another sign that your HVAC systems are not keeping up with the demand.
How to Improve Roof Ventilation
If you have noticed any of the above signs of poor roof ventilation, you need to make several changes to improve the roof ventilation on your home. Roof vent installation is a relatively simple task for roofers when replacing a roof because most roof ventilation options can be installed under your roof’s shingles or mounted outside your roof. Roof vents are of many different types, so the different roofing ventilation options will be discussed in greater detail below.
2 Types of Roof Ventilation Systems
I. Exhaust vent Lets Hot Air Escape from the Home
– Ridge vents are installed at a roof intersection, typically at the top of the roof, under shingles thus making the ridge vents installation a simple addition to the process of roofing.
– Wind turbines are then attached on the exterior of the roof. This type of vent is aimed at catching wind and air flow in the turbines and cycle hot air out of the home while replacing it with cooler wind.
– Box vents essentially serve the same purpose as other kinds of roof ventilation systems, but more vents of this type are needed on your roof, and they will be more noticeable than other roof ventilation options.
– Power attic ventilators are mechanical roofing ventilation options for homes that don’t get too much wind exposure. This electric roof vent runs continuously thus ensuring that the home gets the right roof ventilation needed for your attic.
II. Intake Vents Let Cool Air into the Attic
Along with the exhaust ventilation used for releasing hot air in the attic space, you should also have intake vents for strengthening the natural air flow process. You can install edge vents either under soffits or under shingles close to the drip edge by gutters. Intake vents are critical to cycling cool air through the home to ensure that overheating never occurs.
What Are the Benefits of Proper Roofing Ventilation?
Save Energy Costs
Poor ventilation may lead to rising attic temperatures that eventually spill over to the rest of the home. This leads to inconsistent heating and cooling within the home, high electricity bills, and puts a greater burden on the heating and cooling costs.
Keep Your Home More Comfortable and Healthier
Improper roof vents can lead to a buildup of mold growth and mildew that will not only damage the roof but also pose health risks to your family. Furthermore, you will not need to deal with temperature changes, and cooling costs within your home if you follow the right roof ventilation tips and keep you from needing a new roof.
Prolong the Life of Your Roof
Poor roof ventilation often causes damage and may lead to a shorter roof lifespan. This is why you need the proper attic ventilation system to ensure energy costs and keep from any serious structural damage. The top damages include:
– Shingles become very hot and age prematurely if the attic insulation stays too warm due to poor roof ventilation.
– Moisture buildup from different roof ventilation problems may lead to rot and swelling that may result in nails failing to hold as well as reduced roof capacity.
– Ice dams are a sign of poor roof ventilation and actually cause damage to eaves and shingles. If left unaddressed, they may even lead to roof leaks.
Schedule a Property Evaluation
Our team is passionate about helping homeowners get the most value out of their roofs in Northern Virginia such as Ashburn VA, Sterling VA, and surrounding cities. Ensure that you follow the right roofing ventilation tips by either getting a drone roof inspection or scheduling a roof vent installation.
Our experts at Ridgeline Roofers will help you choose the most suitable type of roofing ventilation system for your home. To take the next step in prolonging the life of your roof, get in touch with our team or book your appointment today.