Does My Attic Have Enough Ventilation

This is another benefit of proper ventilation in the attic but it appears that unpowered ventilation is enough to control the heat at least to a level that will help maintain shingles.

Does my attic have enough ventilation.

If the vents aren t supplying sufficient circulation the temperature in the attic can rise to 140 degrees fahrenheit or more on sunny days and that can significantly affect the climate in your. Attic ventilation in the summer generally heat rises and cool air falls. However if your attic has blocked soffit vents and is not well sealed from the rest of the house attic fans will suck cool conditioned air up out of the house and into the attic. In other words the entire vent opening doesn t count as vented space.

Homes do not have proper roof ventilation which can lead to severe roof damage. Most building codes require a ratio of 1 150 ventilation space to attic floor space. Are radiant barriers an alternative. Determining what you need is simple all you need is the size of your house and a calculator.

Attic ventilation should equal approximately 1 square foot of vent area for every 300 square feet of. Generally speaking you need a ratio of 1 300 where for every 300 square feet of ceiling space you need 1 square foot of attic ventilation. Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. Ventilation of attic spaces is required by most building codes as well as by roofing material manufacturers and the national roofing contractors association nrca.

Roofing experts say the majority of u s. You can also contact your local municipality to check on building code in your area. But in homes that do not have proper attic insulation or ventilation heat tends to migrate. That said air resistance and interference such as vent grates reduces the area of true ventilation.

Heat in the attic can roast shingles from below causing them to wear prematurely. Attic fans are intended to cool hot attics by drawing in cooler outside air from attic vents soffit and gable and pushing hot air to the outside. In a properly designed passive system air enters through the soffit. For instance in some places like las vegas the sun tends to set on the roof causing the attic to be warm.