Roof venting is a topic homeowners don't spend time much time on, like which wallpaper to use and how to tear out a wall between rooms to make more space. But because adequate roof venting can help prevent problems with moisture in your attic and structural damage to your roof and walls, it's important to consider which type of vent is best for your home. Choosing good roof venting can also lower your heating and cooling bills, so it's worth your time to choose carefully.

Why Attics are Problem Areas

Attics can be a trap for moisture and mildew, and even prematurely ruin your shingles. Heat rises. So the heat and humidity from your home makes its way up into the attic. This makes the area extra hot and moist. In the winter, when warm air rises into your attic and there's not proper roof venting to pull it up and out, it can cause your roof to warm up and the snow on your roof can start to melt. As the melt runs down the sides, it runs from a warm roof to the colder edge of the roof. This can cause an ice dam, or a ridge of ice, on the edge of your roof that causes water to be held in place.

Ice can build up inside the attic, too, when the moisture cools enough to freeze. In some cases where the condensation is bad enough, it can actually seem to rain inside your attic, with moisture dripping from the ceiling. The water damage this can cause will cost much more to repair than it would cost to invest in good roof venting to prevent it.

Roof Venting Systems

All roof venting systems have to have both intake and exhaust vents that let fresh air in and pull stale air out. There are situations where a certain type of vent can't be used on a specific roof. You'll want to look at the roofing vents you're considering purchasing to see the manufacturer's recommendation for your home. Depending on the square footage of your home, you may need several vents. A good ideal venting plan allows for a foot of vent per 150 square foot of your home. Check with your local building codes to be sure you don't go below any minimum requirements.

Roof vents are very inexpensive, especially compared with the hundreds or thousands of dollars it would cost to repair the damage caused by poor ventilation. Look at the manufacturer's instructions to find the best vent for your specific type of roof.

Types of Roof Venting

Gable vents are the vents you see on the wall of a home below the roof peak. These allow air to escape. Soffit vents go below your eaves on the surface that makes up the floor of your attic. Turbine vents actively move air because they're operated by wind power which turns them and pulls air up and out of the attic. Another option is power roof venting. These run electrically or on solar power. They contain a thermostat that tells them when to kick on and kick off to keep the attic at an ideal temperature to prevent moisture problems.

Photo Credits: noraxx

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Categories:

Handy Man, Roof, ventilation

Tags:

attics, condensation, fresh air, heating and cooling, humidity, mildew, place ice, problem areas, roof venting, roofing vents, shingles, square foot, square footage, stale air, vent, Wallpaper, water damage