How To Ventilate a Home

How to Ventilate a Home

Ventilation is key to making a homes components last longer. Roofs show the most wear signs when an attic is not properly ventilated.  This is because in the summer the heat makes the roof bake from underneath. Shingles are made to take heat from the top but not the bottom. When heated from the bottom singles loose there tar and tend to curl or fall apart all together.

There are many different ways to ventilate an attic. Ridge vents are installed on the peak of the roof and covered by shingles. Using ridge vents and covering the vent with shingles makes the ridge vent less noticeable.  There are two types of ridge vents shingle-over ridge vents and filter vents. The open ridges on the side of the vent causes the wind to blow over the vent, causing an area of negative air pressure.  This draws air up from the attic removing heat and humidity.

Power vents or electric attic fans are another great way to property ventilate your home. Power vents push air out of the home even when there is no wind. Air enters the intake vents under the eaves and then is exhausted out by electric fans. There are power attic vents that also turn on automatically when an attic hit’s a certain humidity or temperature. This saves power because the fan is not running all the time and yet it maintains the climate that is needed in an attic.

Insulation baffles  are needed when the attic is insulated. Baffles keep the attic insulation from clogging up the eave vents and let the air flow into the attic. If these vents are clogged with insulation the attic will not be able to breath and hit extreme temperatures, which in turn will cause the roof to wear and mold to grow.

The most important thing is to make sure a homes attic is well ventilated to save money. Proper ventilation will make a roof last longer, make for less chance of mold, and save on energy bills. The way to ventilate a home is dependent on the home owners wants and the homes needs.

As the leading Grand Rapids Roofing contractor, Montell Construction takes a great deal of pride in understanding what your goals are before recommending a solution that is tailored to achieve your goal. Please contact a Montell Construction representative to answer any questions you may have or to schedule a Free- No Obligation Estimate. 616-805-4968. Thank you and stay tuned for more information.