What Happens When an Attic is not Properly Ventilated?

It is important to ensure that your roof is properly ventilated. If you have improper ventilation, you will cause the accumulation of moisture, which will cause damage to the deck of your roof. Your insulation will get compromised and cause a health risk to your family and would need to remove and install new insulation. Let us look at some of the consequences that a poorly ventilated attic has on a home during different weather season.

Attic ventilation in the summer

Generally, heat rises and cool air falls. But in homes that do not have proper attic insulation or ventilation, heat tends to migrate. For instance, in some places like Las Vegas, the sun tends to set on the roof, causing the attic to be warm. Hot air fills the attic and raises the temperature. In most cases, it is rare for the air in the attic to cool down at night. So, if there are many more sunny days, then it will take longer for the hot air in the attic to dissipate.

For most homeowners, when the home becomes hot enough, they turn up the fans or the AC. When the house gets hotter, the AC systems are turned on throughout the day. This tends to increase the electric bills and maintenance costs of the AC units.

Since the hot air in the attic is full of moisture, condensation occurs and the end result is damage to the roofing materials. Additionally, you will also see the formation of mildew and moulds in the attic. This will lead to expensive repairs and maintenance costs.

If you have a well-ventilated attic, you can avoid some costs and reduce the risk of damaging the roof and ceiling. To get the ventilation well balanced is not an easy task, you have to spend some time to plan how you are going to install the ventilation system. Your goal is to ensure that the attic has a good air flow to avoid the formation of hot spots

Attic ventilation in the winter

It is very easy to think that it is not proper to vent the attic in the colder months. But, although heat migrates during the warmer seasons, the attic becomes cooler during the winter, and this allows heat to rise easily, bringing all the moisture with it.

We have seen that moisture is the biggest problem when you do not ventilate the attic properly. Now, if you do not vent correctly, you are going to have all the wet heat occupying the attic space. If you keep more heat that has crept into the attic, the room will become cooler. This will make you turn on the AC even more and the cycle continues.

As you complain about the heat and turn the AC on, the moisture in the attic will condense and cause the shingles and the roof deck to pop, or make the wood rot. You have to repair or build the roof again if the damage is extensive.

If you happen to live in a snowy area, you will easily see ice dams forming on your roof. Ice dams can become so large that water will be forced to pass through to the roofing materials. Ice dams are caused when heat rises to the roof causing ice on the roof to melt. When the snow melts, it freezes once more on the edge of the roof, creating a rim that forces a dam to form.

Take your time to research on the risks that you are exposing yourself to if you do not take this step seriously. Also, look for options on how you are going to ventilate your attic. Seek the service of a professional who will help you find the needs of your attic ventilation and meet them with the right solutions.