Your roofing system consists of more than just the asphalt shingles you see from the front of your home. Roof vents are an important part of the equation, and without them, your roof’s lifespan will decrease, your HVAC unit will wear out quicker, energy bills will mount, and your home’s indoor temperature will be hot and stuffy.
Roofing systems are made of vital components that work together. Ventilation works along with insulation, flashing, gutters, and asphalt shingles to protect your home.
Read on to uncover the signs your roof needs better ventilation and discover the best solutions for your home.
How to Know You Need More Attic and Roof Ventilation
1. Is your home excessively warm in the summer?
If your interior is tough to cool each summer, particularly your second story, it may be due to inadequate attic ventilation. When heat builds up in your attic due to poor ventilation, it can infiltrate your living space.
Behind the scenes your hot attic can cause roof shingles to wear out quicker, decreasing your roofing system’s lifespan.
2. Are your asphalt shingles buckling, blistering, warping, or cupping?
When your attic isn’t well-ventilated, your roofing shingles will suffer extensively, and you’ll notice their visible damage as a result. When shingle integrity is compromised, your home becomes vulnerable to roof leaks and costly moisture damage. Additionally, unsightly algae or fungus may begin to thrive on the outside of your asphalt shingles, causing your roofing components to age faster and decreasing your home’s curb appeal.
3. Is your attic super humid?
Without proper ventilation, your attic will trap warm, moist air in it, causing condensation, mold, mildew, and wood rot inside it. If left unattended, these minor problems can become major ones, leaving you with costly repairs and early roof replacement. Mold rots the wood beams in your attic and diminishes the integrity of your attic and roof.
4. Do icicles and ice dams form on your home exterior during the winter?
Your attic’s intake ventilation should keep it at a temperature close to outdoor temperatures each winter. When your attic is warmer than the outdoors in the winter, the heat from it makes snow on your roof melt. When water slides down your roof, it refreezes and creates damaging ice dams or icicles. They may look pretty, but they are a sign that your attic intake ventilation is lacking, and your roof system is at risk. When warm water is trapped behind ice dams, it can seep under your asphalt shingles and make its way into your attic, causing damaging moisture intrusion.
5. Blistering, flaking, or peeling paint
When too much moisture is trapped inside your house, it can cause your interior or exterior paint to peel, creating the need for more maintenance over the years.
6. Are the nails and fasteners in your attic or shingles rusting?
Trapped moisture in your attic causes nails to rust and can lead to roof leaks.
How to Solve Your Roof Ventilation Problems
A properly ventilated attic will maintain the integrity of your home.
Contact a reputable roofing contractor
Take time to vet a trustworthy roofing contractor with a good reputation. Read online reviews, reference the Better Business Bureau, check Angi, and ask family, friends, and neighbors for recommendations.
Once you decide on a contractor with a good track record, schedule a roof inspection. Find out if your asphalt shingles have been damaged due to poor ventilation. Your vents will be evaluated, and recommendations will be made to optimize your roof and attic ventilation and lengthen the lifespan of your roof.
Ensure you have adequate intake vents
Your contractor will verify that you have ample intake ventilation so outdoor air can circulate into your attic area. If you need more intake vents, it will be recommended that you have them installed.
Intake vents allow outdoor air to enter your attic. They are located along your roof’s lowest eaves at or near your soffits. They work best along with exhaust vents located around your roof’s peak. Hot air rises and cool air sinks, so when cool air enters along low points and hot air exits at high points, you take advantage of natural convection. Air intake vents keep moisture from building up in your attic’s joist bays, a crucial component to ensuring your home’s structural integrity stays intact.
If your roof is not properly ventilated, it will trap heat right under your roof causing your asphalt shingles to go through more wear and tear over the years. The result is—they won’t last as long as they should.
Install ample exhaust vents
Your roofing contractor will ensure you have adequate exhaust ventilation. It may be recommended that you have a ridge vent installed (which is located at the peak of your roof and extends from one end of your home to the other). A ridge vent is the most efficient way to channel hot air out of your attic. Other exhaust vent options include box vents, wind turbines, and powered attic vents.
Exhaust vents pull odors, fumes, and moisture from the air in your home and push them outside, ensuring you have clean air in your house and helping you manage your inside temperature.
Need a Reliable Roof for Your Pennsylvania Home?
Don’t let excessive heat, damaged shingles, mold growth, ice dams, peeling paint, or rusting fasteners compromise your roof’s integrity.
Reach out to our team at Porter Family Exteriors to inspect and optimize your roof and attic ventilation today for a longer-lasting, healthier home.
