Ventilate Your Attic to Maintain Your Roof

Ventilation can be crucial for maintaining the quality of your roof. In warmer seasons, hot moist air may rise to your attic and damage your insulation and roofing materials. Moist air also rises and condenses in colder weather, which can lead to rotting insulation or wood. Properly ventilating your attic could be a cost-effective way to prevent this damage from occurring and leading to the unexpected cost of extensive repairs or premature roof replacement.

You may want to start by having your attic inspected to determine any risk factors as well as the ventilation strategies that would be most effective. A company specializing in attic ventilation might recommend the installation of roof vents or soffit vents and insulation baffles to keep attic temperatures within a safe range. Other options that might work for your home could include gable vents or louvered dormers.

Ice damming is another serious risk in locations with substantial snowfall. The combination of an unventilated attic, the heat of the sun on a roof, and blocked gutters can cause melting snow and ice to gather and refreeze at the eaves. Over time, water can work its way underneath shingles or behind siding to rot out roof decking and cause costly and dangerous leaks that can increase the likelihood of mold growth, costly structural damage, and roof replacement. Sufficient attic ventilation can help to prevent ice damming.  

Attic ventilation is required in the building codes of many states. The most common standard is a 1 to 150 ratio of ventilation space to attic floor space. Adequate ventilation may also be stipulated by the manufacturers of roofing materials and contractor associations for their warranties to apply. You can help to maintain the quality of your roof and make sure that you should have all available recourse in the event of a roof replacement by adding ventilation to your attic.