Roofs. It’s the main thing we do here. But more than that, we like to educate our viewers on roofing systems and the topic we’re going to focus on today is roof ventilation. It’s a topic that has slightly more appeal than paint drying, but it actually is important, and ignoring proper roof ventilation can cost you thousands of dollars and a ton of unforeseen circumstances.

With that, let’s take a look at three points of awareness for roofing ventilation.

Roofing Education: Ventilation Important within a Roof Structure

The goal. The goal of a great ventilation system is for the temperature and humidity of the outdoors to match the attic in your home. Heat rises. Whether it’s warm or cold, there is heat in your home that is rising into your attic space. Proper airflow within your attic space is how this is accomplished.

The how. Soffit vents (near your gutter system) take in air from the outside and the air is pushed through the attic and can come out of the ridge vent, turbine vent, or hood vent. Stable airflow with multiple outlets is best to maintain matching temperature and humidity with outdoor levels. 

The problems. There are lists of issues that can occur that can prevent great airflow. Here are a few issues that you ought to be aware of:

• Water Pooling on Roof

• Over Condensation Causing Wood Rot

• Air Leak

• Insulation Blocking Airflow Vents

The trouble with these issues is that most homeowners never see their attic because it’s inaccessible. How can you solve a problem you don’t know about? 

A few things you can do to identify issues with your ventilation…

There are some things you can see on the outside of your home that will let you know there is an issue on the inside of your roofing system.

1.     Ice Dam accumulates in the winter; this can demonstrate there is a ventilation issue that is caused by lack of heat flowing through to every part of the roof

2.     Hot ceilings on a hot day. Touch your ceiling on a warm day, if it’s hot to the touch, that means your attic probably isn’t getting proper airflow. An attic that isn’t ventilated well can reach 150 degrees and cause mold, mildew, or even peeling shingles.

3.     In the summer, warm air from the attic that isn’t well ventilated can escape to the living area. If your air conditioner is constantly on with little to no impact, you might have heat escaping from the attic into your home. This is less common, but something to consider.

If you’re buying a new home, be sure your home inspector examines the roofing system carefully. If you are a home owner and have questions or want to ensure your ventilation is in good working order, you can always call the team at New Look Roof if you’re in the Kentuckiana area.