Up until the late 90’s or so, the importance of proper roof ventilation wasn’t really understood, as a result, it’s estimated that as many as 90% of American homes built in the 20th Century were constructed with inadequate ventilation! This realization came with the answers to mysteries that have plagued homeowners and roofers for years.
From condensation that appeared with no seeming cause, to mysterious water damage, learning about proper ventilation changed the roofing and housing industry forever! Armed with this knowledge, we have developed many solutions to the problem and answers to questions we didn’t have before.
Today we address a few of those questions:
Can There Be Too Much Ventilation?
Yes, proper ventilation requires precise measurements and implementation. Too little ventilation and you end up with moisture problems in the summer and heating problems in the winter. Too much ventilation and you may as well open all the windows with the air on full blast.
This isn’t a DIY job, it is a custom job that is different for every home and must be installed by a professional. The only way to truly know if your home is properly ventilated is to have an inspection.
Do Roof Vents Waste Heating & Cooling Efforts?
To the layman it can appear that roof vents are just holes that let the inside air out, wasting your heating and cooling efforts, if installed incorrectly, this can be true but installed correctly, roof vents do the opposite.
Roof vents do allow air to circulate, that’s true, but if properly and methodically installed, they do so in a deliberate fashion that actually balances the circulation to the point you save in energy costs! It’s so important to have these installed properly that a poor installation job may actually be causing you problems and money!
Myth: Ventilation Is Overrated Unless You See Problems
The thing about poor ventilation is the problems it causes often stay hidden for months, even years. By the time a problem becomes visible, the damage has alreadt been done, resulting in thousands in repairs or even replacing the entire roof.
Moisture can get into everything all the way down to the foundation, the earlier it is caught, the better. If you’re not sure if your home is properly ventilated, even if you have no visible problems, it’s better to be safe than sorry, have a roof contractor check it out and know for sure.
I Have Roof Vents, Am I Properly Ventilated?
Maybe, Maybe not. Roof vents are a very important part of a properly ventilated home but aren’t the be all end all to ventilation. Just having vents doesn’t tell you one way or the other if the home is ventilated or not.
It all depends on the vent types, who installed them, and how they were installed to tell if they are helping or actually detrimental to your home. Yes, roof vents can actually hurt your home if installed poorly.
Fortunately much has been learned the past couple of decades since we’ve discovered the importance of proper roof ventilation and we learn more and more very year! This means for just about any home in the nation, a solution exists to correct any problems with your ventilation.
Contact your local roof contractor today to see what you can do ensure your roof is properly ventilated and is in tip top shape for years to come!
In Metro Atlanta, Atlanta Roofing Specialists has been ensuring local homeowners their roofs are in the best shape they can be since 1993! For a free estimate call us at (770) 419-2222 today!
