Proper Attic Ventilation

Proper attic ventilation is necessary for a handful of reasons. First off, it is like a steam vent. It lets out all of the hot air in the hotter months. Even during winter, attic ventilation can ensure that you reduce the humidity in the home. Both of these reasons for incorporating proper attic ventilation will help to reduce the stress that is put on the heating and cooling system in your home. Yet, there is more to the proper attic ventilation than just installing ventilation. It is a matter of having proper spacing and the proper number of ventilation units for both the arrangement and size of your home.

Even if you had your ventilation set up in a proper manner years ago, you will want to have this examined periodically. There are a couple serious issues that are expensive to fix that can occur if you do not employ proper attic ventilation. Creating a situation where condensation can form, or ice damming up in the roof, and also the dreaded attic mold can result if you do not have good ventilation.

Many people hear that if they are going to insulate their attic gallery space that more is better. They instinctively fill in and double up all holes and areas with more insulation. It is proper to use more insulation to achieve ideal resistance to heat loss; that is to say that you are increasing the R-value of the insulation effects. Yet, this same blanketing and insulating effect can cause a mess for the attic. What happens when people try to do this in the attic is that it instead can cause that dreaded locking in of moisture and the creation of mold. Unfortunately, wherever the duct work is in the attic it will spread the mold and possible illness causing elements.

Up Top and Down Below

In addition, the rule of thumb for proper attic ventilation requires one ventilation source for every one hundred fifty square feet of attic space. You may be able to cut the number of these in half if you have insulation that is vapor-retardant. Further to that, proper attic ventilation division requires that half are going to intake air, and the other half will expel air. It is important that you also know that the proper attic ventilation involves a few different varieties of mechanisms that enable the whole system to work in tandem for optimal performance.

There are soffits underneath the overhang of the roof. Look for blades there that allow air into the space. There are also areas in the eaves where the hottest air is let loose back into the environment. You probably also have machines working with your home as well to create proper attic ventilation. These can include either the gable fan or the roof top fan. On the roof top, you may either find a solar-powered or fully electric device. Typically the gable fan has its own shutters that open and close, depending upon whether the machine is in use or not. This prevents animals from entering your home when your fan is not in use.

Solutions to Common Problems

It seems that for everything you try to do, there is a problem that arises. No problem at all with that, because there are actually solutions that make proper air flow possible. To maintain proper air flow, you may want to employ soffit chutes. In addition, one of the issues that many homeowners see with the roof top and the gable fans is that animals, such as birds, and rodents, do pose such a big problem to them. They have a tendency to build nests there. This includes whether they are birds or more invasive varieties of nature. Beyond nature presenting challenges, you also have the issue of lint and dust clogging the soffits. Fortunately, the soffits can be cleaned, and the lint cleaned out of the screening. You may also find that the screen can get damaged and may need to be replaced from time to time.

There is another manner that more is not necessarily better. This axiom is true for the purposes of the application of the insulation, and also for the combination of soffits, gable fans, and ridge exhaust. Gable vents cannot be combined with the soffit variety. It just imbalances the whole system and makes it less effective, over all. Instead, rely upon the ideal balance of intake and exhaust areas. They need to be of complementary types also.

Proper attic ventilation requires thoughtful planning. It is one area of the home that can reward you with far lower heating and cooling bills for your efforts. Yet, you can cause damage to your home if you do not take sufficient care to first plan for the best balance of elements for your house.