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Why is ventilation so important?
Proper ventilation is probably the most important thing you can do for your roof. It can prolong
the life of your roof, reduce moisture and mold problems, and help you save on your energy bills.
If not properly ventilated, your attic can reach 160 degrees during the summer. This heat can seep
into your home raising your a/c costs. The heat also increases the aging rate of the wood and
asphalt in your attic, shortening its life.
Types of damage that can result include:
- Premature aging of your roofing system, "fried” shingles.
- Warping, cracking, or breaking down of wood framing.
- Damage to siding, exterior or interior paint, and wallpaper.
- Cooling units will need to be serviced because of excessive use.
During the winter months, the primary purpose of ventilation is to remove excess moisture from the attic.
It is common for the average household to produce from four to five pounds of water
vapor per day. To illustrate how much water that is, go to your kitchen sink, fill
an empty one-gallon container with water, and pour that on the floor. In poorly ventilated
homes, this moisture has nowhere to go. So it forms condensation on the underside of the
plywood sheeting of the roof, causing the plywood to expand, buckle and delaminate. This
degrading plywood has an ill effect on the roofing, including reduced nail holding power,
wind damage due to an uneven deck and stress cracks due to unstable decking materials.
Water in your insulation reduces it’s ability to act as a thermal barrier, leading to higher
utility costs and create a nice environment for the propagation of certain molds, spores,
and fungi which will also cause problems.
Proper ventilation in the winter months also prevents ice damming. Melting snow reaches
your home’s unheated eaves, and refreezes. The ice build up then backs up the newly melted
snow allowing it to enter the tabs of shingles, eventually causing leaks to occur.
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