Long Island Roofing: Article About Protect Your Roof With Proper Ventilation
The process of replacing noxious or stale air with fresh air. When referencing ventilation in the attic of a home, it refers to equipment that circulates or replaces the air. If your home does not have proper ventilation water vapor can cause damage to the rafters and sheathing of the roof.
Long Island roofing contractors answer a question: Do you think that you might have a problem with your attic ventilation?If you see condensation in your attic, you may have ventilation problems. During the coldest months of the year, you will see condensation on the roof screws that are visible through the sheathing of the roof. During summer, you can check for signs that moisture has been present. If you are uncertain if moisture is present, contact your professional roofers.
Having the proper amount of ventilation in your attic will help to make your home more energy efficient and prevent serious issues such as mold and ice damming. Some shingle manufactures even require proper ventilation in the attic to validate their warranties. Maintaining the correct air flow in the attic also contributes to the life span of your roof. The best way to determine if the air flow in your home is proper is to have testing done by the professionals at Long Island Roofing.
A correct ventilation system in the attic means having continuous intake from the soffit area introducing air flow, which in turn pushes hot, moist air out of the ventilators in the roof. These are typically located towards the peak of the roof.
There are a few ways you can improve the ventilation in your attic. A roofing expert can install baffles around the roof boards, under the sheeting or at the eaves area of the roof. The baffles prevent insulation from blocking the introduction of air at the eaves area of the roof.
If your home is designed with roof rafters pocketed between brick work, it may be necessary to take the bricks out from between the rafter spaces to allow air to enter the attic. This type of design is noted by having very short under-hangs or tongue and grooved wooden soffits. These new, continuously vented aluminum soffit panels at the under-hang also contribute to the exterior siding of the home being lower maintenance.
A roofing professional from Long Island Roofing can answer any question you have about GAF roofing materials or shingle roofs.
Maintaining good air flow in the attic will also guard your roof against the formation of ice dams. These form when the warm air in the attic melts the underside of the snow on the roof. The snow turns to water as it melts and runs down the roof; it refreezes when it reaches the cold eaves. The backup of water created by the formation of the ice dam has nowhere to go and the water leaks into the house through the roof, causing extensive water damage to the walls, ceilings, insulation and floors of the home.
Keeping air flowing through the attic is especially important in cold weather climates to get rid of the warm, moist air that escapes from the living areas of the house. If the warm air were to stay trapped in the attic, it could cause condensation on the underside of the sheathing of the roof and allow rot, mold or mildew to form.
If your home has just has small vents in the roof, consider adding soffit vents to increase airflow. The installation of these vents allows the air from outside to come into the attic from the roof at the lowest point, the underside. For them to be the most effective, they should be used in combination with a continuous ridge vent.
