Posts Tagged ‘Roof ventilation’

What Is Needed For Proper Ventilation Of A Roof

It is extremely important to perform regular maintenance to your roof. Doing so will increase your roof’s lifespan and minimize the risk of damage as a result of bad weather. The roof is the part of a house that is exposed the most to the outside elements – from harsh winter conditions to extremely high temperatures.

You must take special care of your roof so that it can survive through all types of weather without suffering any damage. Unfortunately, most homeowners tend to neglect their roofs. A ventilation system for the roof is the most important factor in ensuring a long life for your roof. If you ensure a quality ventilation system and properly maintain your roof on a regular basis, your roof’s lifespan will be increased by about 25%.

What does a roofing ventilation system do? It creates cross-ventilation by making sure there is enough air coming in and going out. This results in a tolerable roof temperature, as well as protects the roof construction materials from getting too hot.

A good ventilation system for your roof will have an air intake hose along with an exhaust hose. This system works to provide adequate ventilation of air both within the roof and under it. The external air will cool the area around the roof while maintaining an internal temperature that will not get hotter than the outside air. The warm air rises in this system and then the colder external air sucks out the excess heat from under the sheeting as it leaves the exhaust hose.

The size, shape and materials used in building the roof in the first place will govern which ventilation system is right for you. A ventilation system uses vents and hoses in the roof to create a balance in the flow of air both under and over the roof. Approximately one square foot of venting per 250-300 cubic feet of air in the area just under the roof is needed to ensure that the air is balanced.

This also requires a certain number of vents in the roof, which can be static open units, turbine units, thermostatically operated units, or electronic units. The type of vent you use is dependent upon your roof size and how much money you have to spend.

You should have a roofing professional inspect your roof and recommend a ventilation system that would be best for you.

Roof and Attic Ventilation

Roof / Attic Ventilation

Why Do You Need Proper Ventilation?

Roofs and attic spaces have two major enemies in all homes: heat build-up and moisture accumulation. Left unchecked these forces can cause a premature deterioration of the roof structure and materials as well as damaging insulation and increasing energy cost. The only defense is proper attic ventilation.

Balanced Ridge Vent and Soffit Vent

An effective well balanced roof ventilation system allows air to move in a pattern that results in a uniformly cool attic space prolonging roof life and increasing living comfort.

Shingle Vent II

There are Two Important Keys to Shingle Vent II Performance:

1. External baffle: Shingle Vent’s special baffle deflects wind – even the slightest breeze – up and over the vent, creating an area of negative pressure. This negative pressure actually pulls stale air from your attic, while deflecting rain and snow.

2. Patented, internal weather filter: The patented weather filter acts as an added barrier from wind-driven rain, snow, dust and insect infiltration.

These essential features are exclusive to Air Vent for proven performance and set them apart from the competition.

Here’s How Shingle Vent II Works:

1. External Baffle: deflects wind to create negative pressure over the vent, pumping warm, moist air from the attic.

2. Patented Air Vent Weather Filter: helps provide a barrier from weather, dust and insects.

3. End Plugs: fit snugly into the ends of the vent, helping to protect attic from weather damage.

4. Shingle-over Design: matching roof shingles are placed over the ridge vent, making Shingle Vent II almost undetectable on your roof.

How does a Ventilating Cupola provide Attic Ventilation?

Copyright (c) 2009 Elda Titus

“More gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has been taken from the earth.” By Napoleon Hill

The American Institute of Architects estimates 90 % of U.S. high levels of moisture in the homes.

Adding a cupola provides passive ventilation to the roof allowing trapped heat to escape with a natural flow in an upward direction through the sides of the cupola.

A roof saver, attic ventilation is all about circulating air to reduce moisture and bring in fresh air.

According to studies conducted by the U.S. Dept. of Energy and the American Society of heating and cooling engineers the benefits of roof ventilation is supported.

Insufficient ventilation can lead to moisture problems during the winter and decreased energy efficiency in the summer.

In an unventilated attic the roof sheathing may reach a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature is in the 90′s.

The attic heats from direct sunlight on the roof that radiates heat. This is then transmitted through the roofing material to the attic floor or the top surface of the ceilings insulation, causing the attic air to become heated.

The attic floor then acts as a “hot plate,” radiating warm air in the rooms below, causing an increase in your air conditioning requirements.

A ridge vent, such as a functional cupola, helps provide air circulation in the attic and allows for excessive attic air to escape through its sides on the top of the roof.

Suffit vents found along the bottom perimeter of the attic space, work well when used in conjunction with ridge vents to promote the circulation of attic air.

In colder climates, preventing moisture damage is a much greater benefit then in warmer climates.

Attic ventilation is required in colder climates to evacuate the warm, moist air that builds from the living space below. This air can condense causing the roof sheathing to rot.

Circulating air from ventilation helps prevent ice, dams, which form when warm air in the attic melts the snow and creates a run off that refreezes on the colder eave.

Suffit vents allow air to enter the attic at the lowest point of the roof. They are more effective when used in conjunction with a continuous ridge vent, such as a cupola.

Adding a cupola to the roof allows a way for trapped heat to escape, by providing a natural flow in an upward direction through the sides of a cupola. This passive ventilation lets the warm air escape while bringing in cool air.

Cupolas were originally designed for functionality, as a ventilating system. Today there has been a rebirth of interest in cupola for decorative architectural accent as well as the functional aspect of ventilation, and are placed on the roof tops of houses, garages, businesses.

Cupolas not only improves the attic ventilation they provide an eye-catching exterior focal point which adds warmth, tradition and a little country charm that will add value to your property for years to come.

How to Improve Gambrel Roof Ventilation

A gambrel roof resembles the top of a barn, and is sometimes rather difficult to ventilate or heat, due to its shape. The roof may begin exactly where the wall for the lower part of the home ends, meaning that it is difficult to fit a ventilator to the area, or there may not be a single path between the outer part of the roof and the opening in the attic. A gambrel roof may not have the gables and roofing capacity of other roofs, and this result in homeowners living with an overheated attic for many years. However, it is not impossible to improve the ventilation in a gambrel roof, but you will need to use the right tools for the job, and work a little bit harder than you would with other types of roofs.
Do You Need to Ventilate?

Before you start spending your budget on extensive renovations or ventilation devices, you should consider whether you need to ventilate at all. Most gambrel roofs are made from the extended wall of the lower rooms, which are already ventilated. Therefore, a part of the roof should not need additional air flow installed into it. The only problem is if you have a weak, mainly wooden roofing system which can be damaged by water and moisture. In this case, you should consider one of the ventilation options below.
Use Ridge Vents

A ridge vent can sometimes be slotted into the small edges of the roof, particularly at the front and back of the roof. These vents will help to keep the part of the roof that needs to be ventilated with a regular supply of air flow, and this can be important when you come to ventilating the roof. However, if the wall is completely built up to the side of the roof, with no available space between to insert the ridge vent, you will not be able to use it, and will have to consider other kinds of vents.
Use Eyebrow Vents

This type of vent is much more specialized, and you may need to have a professional roofer acquire and install it. The eyebrow vent, or eyebrow dormer vent, fits into the overhanging part of the roof at its lowest point, which can be a good idea with a gambrel roof anyway. Eyebrow vents allow air to circulate around the upper and lower parts of the roof, and for this reason they make an excellent passive ventilation system for your roof.
Use Fans

If your roof will not accommodate a passive ventilation system such as the vents described, you may have to knock a small hole in the side of the roof, so you can fit an attic fan. These devices are sometimes noisy and cumbersome, but they will keep your roof vented better than a passive hole, and you will be able to control when the fan by switching it on and off, making it ideal for people who want to control the flow of air into their gambrel roof.

Understanding why roof ventilation is so crucial

The other issue is that high humidity levels in the attic cause extreme temperature changes. The attic in the middle of summer with high humidity can literally cook the roof shingles. In winter high condensation levels can cause ice to form in the attic. With this kind of temperature change on the roof it is very rare that the roof can live up to its life expectancy. Homes who experience this generally suffer from ware and tare to a much higher degree than homes which are well ventilated.

Getting vents installed is probably the cheapest Ventilation is very crucial for your roofs health as well as your home comfort. As recently as twenty years ago the important issue of ventilation was not fully understood most because before the eighties the most common roofing product was bound to be organic. The one and only true benefit to an organic roof is that it ventilates itself very well. When I say organic what I mean is that it is made of wood, paper or slate. Today though the majority of roofing products being placed on are inorganic. Asphalt and fiberglass are resilient against the elements but don’t allow the home to breath very well.

When your roof is not well ventilated what you find is that when you cook, shower and breath the moisture finds it’s way into the attic. This condensation gets trapped in the attic with some pretty warm temperatures. Condensation occurs which happens at a rapid pace if the external temperature drops dramatically and wets the insulation in your home. Basically if insulation is wet an opposite affect occurs. Instead of the insulation protecting you from a cold outside and keeping you warm, when wet insulation actually sucks the warm out your home in the winter and sucks the hot air in during the summer.

The best way to understand is when you hand a wet oven mitt and your try to pick up a hot pan. Please do not actually do this, you will learn very quickly that the heat travel through the moisture and the insulation of the oven mitt does not work anymore. Just based on energy savings the best choice you can make on your home is to ventilate a roof wellart of the installation yet many homes are still getting inorganic roofing material put on and are extremely under ventilated. This comes down to basic installation knowledge and responsibility. I cannot speak for other towns and cities but in Vancouver where I live there are over 400 registered roofing companies half of which don’t bother thinking about ventilation and the long term life expectancy of the home. The other 400 unregistered roofing companies probably don’t bother with ventilation very much.

Make ventilation your priority when getting a new roof and you can be sure that if the roof is installed correctly it will last past it’s warranty

Benefits of Choosing an Attic Exhaust Fan

By Allen Taigom
Although you may not realize it, an attic exhaust fan can be a great investment. In fact, these fans can provide many benefits, such as saving a lot of money. Many people don’t think about installing one of these fans, but with a small investment you can add in a ventilation system into the attic that you can use during the summer months and more. Here is a closer look at what these fans have to offer as well as some of the benefits you can enjoy when you choose one for your home.

Wondering why you should install an attic exhaust fan in your home in the first place? Well, one great reason to put one in your home is to help save money on the cost of cooling your home during the summer. When it gets hot during the summer months, the heat can really get built up within the attic. This will keep your home warmer so you’ll be cooling more, which can really get expensive. With the fan installed, it will cool the attic and it won’t be as difficult for you to cool your home.

Another reason that you should go with a fan in the attic is because of the moisture that can get built up in the attic as well. The moisture that is produced within your home can end up in the attic and the structural materials of your home can get damaged. By using the exhaust fan, you can ventilate the attic and eliminate this moisture, which will help you to avoid repairs on the structural materials that are in the attic.

Of course, the attic exhaust fan isn’t just something that you use during the summer months. You can also use it during the winter months as well with great benefits. When you use it during the winter, it will help to eliminate any winter moisture, which can also be damaging. You won’t have to run it as often during the winter months, but it still can come in handy and help you to avoid problems in the attic.

The great news is that it is not that difficult to install an attic exhaust fan. Usually you can easily install them on your own without too much trouble. Of course, before you install a fan, consider all the options available. There are many different fans that you can use, and you’ll want one large enough for your attic and one that is reasonably priced. You can even choose a solar powered option that won’t cost you anything in electricity.

There are definitely excellent benefits to installing a good attic exhaust fan in your home. You’ll save on electric bills in the summer, you’ll avoid costly repairs from moisture damage, and a whole lot more. Shop smart and find a good deal on your fan and it will pay itself off very quickly.

Learn more about Attic Exhaust Fan at http://www.mywindowfansite.com

readfile('http://www.rssground.com/services/rss-converter/4c182c01038d5/snippet25459-20100616');
?>