Adequate ventilation is critical to roof health. It helps keep your attic cool and dry to lower your cooling costs, inhibit condensation, and prevent ice damming. Since many factors could affect indoor climate, the complementary interplay among key components regulates the attic temperature.
To ensure your asphalt shingle roofing system stays in good shape, Homecraft talks about the essentials of attic ventilation:
Soffit Vents
These perforated soffits allow the outdoor air to come into your home. In summer, they improve the airflow and keep the attic temperature close to that of the outside. In winter, they help protect against moisture damage and ice buildup.
If your home has no soffits, GAF offers alternatives to add attic intake ventilation. The brand’s thoughtfully designed fascia vents let cold drafts to enter and keep your home from overheating and becoming overly humid.
Ridge Vents
Compared to turbines, louvers, and other types of venting devices, they deliver uniform attic ventilation. Installed along the roof ridge, they’re available in different lengths and widths to cater to the specifications of roof pitches and work with any configuration.
GAF’s Cobra® Attic Exhaust Vent comes in an array of varieties to meet unique climatic demands. The brand offers specialized products for colder regions to resist snow infiltration.
Insulation
All experienced roofers say that a continuous barrier of attic insulation matters to reduce unwanted heat transfer. If you have attic penetrations, the insulation material must be installed over or around them.
Baffles
Fitted between the rafters, baffles help increase airflow through the soffit vents without letting the surrounding insulation get in the way.
HVAC System Components
If you have ducts running through the attic, they must be properly sealed and not compress the insulation. When using bath fans, don’t vent the moist air into the attic or within three feet from vented soffits.
Sealed Protrusions
In ventilation, the amount of air circulation must be well-calculated to gain and maintain an optimal attic climate. Leaky protrusions would increase airflow undesirably, allowing excessive heat accumulation and unbridled moisture infiltration.
In re-roofing and roof repair projects, ventilation should never be an afterthought. Apart from keeping your roof in superb condition, an efficient attic ventilation system leads to a healthy environment.
As a GAF roofing system specialist, let Homecraft ensure your asphalt shingle roof has adequate ventilation to extend its life for as long as possible. Call us today at (302) 798-0302 to schedule your FREE inspection and estimate in Bear, Middletown, Newark, DE, at your convenience.
