When it comes to assessing the overall health of your roof, you have to look at more than just your shingles, gutters and downspouts. Ensuring your attic has proper ventilation can help avoid the formation of ice dams, mold growth and lower your utility costs year-round. Read on to learn more about proper ventilation and how it can affect your home’s structural integrity.
Regarding overall comfort, everyone wants to be cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The quality of your roof ventilation system has a lot to do with that. The insulation in your attic helps keep the cold winter or hot summer air out of your home, while the vent system allows air into your attic, where it can then circulate and push the hot or cold air out.
Your Vent in the Summer
Having a sufficient ventilation system in the summer helps to not only ease the rate at which your AC unit has to run, but it also helps avoid the formation of mold. Warm air contains a lot of moisture and if it’s not circulated properly, condensation can form. Excessive amounts of moisture in your attic can lead to the formation of mold and mildew, and if left untreated for an extended period of time, could cause structural damage in your attic.
In the warmer months, if you notice that your energy bills are higher than normal or that your upstairs is stuffy, chances are your ventilation system is not working as well as it should be. Excessive heat that becomes trapped requires your air conditioner to work harder to cool your living space. This not only means a higher utility bill, but your overworked air conditioner may be in need of repair or replacement after such continual use.
Maintaining Moisture
Moisture can also be a cause for concern during the winter. In the winter, your attic is much colder and allows for more heat to rise and find its way into the space from everyday activities like cooking and bathing. With that increasing heat, moisture comes with it. This rising heat can find its way into your attic by poorly sealed attic access doors and even light fixtures. Excessive moisture can cause rot within the wooden beams of the roof, requiring you to rebuild the entire roof in the spring if the damage becomes severe.
Signs of poor ventilation can be easily spotted during the winter months. If you notice ice dams forming on your roof or interior leaks, you will want to take a look in the attic. Ice dams form when heat from the attic of your home escapes and melts the snow on your roof. This water collects in or around the gutters and can freeze to create an ice dam. It’s important to keep an eye on your roof during the winter months because ice dams can cause significant damage due to the extra weight they put on your roof and gutters. If an ice dam gets big enough, melted water can back up into the shingles causing interior leaks. If the ice dam falls from the roof, it can sometimes pull shingles and gutters off with it.
Contact ERD
If the condition of your roof or gutters has suffered because of poor attic ventilation, contact Exterior Remodel & Design, Inc., today and we will be happy to assist you! You can contact us by phone at (402) 861-0000, by email, or by contact form. Exterior Remodel & Design offers full roof services to our Omaha, Lincoln, and Council Bluffs residents and commercial businesses. From roof repairs to design and installation, we can do it all! Give our team a call today!