When homeowners think about roof maintenance, they often focus on shingles and gutters. This leaves out an important aspect of your roof’s health: attic ventilation. Attic ventilation plays an equally important role, especially in areas like Kitchener where temperatures can be sporadic.
If you have a lack of adequate attic ventilation, you could be quietly damaging your roof from the inside out. Today, we’ll be taking you through all the ways poor attic ventilation can affect your roof, particularly for homeowners in Kitchener.
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What Happens When Attics are Poorly Ventilated?
Airflow in the attic is an integral part of keeping your roof’s temperature balanced. A lack of airflow due to poor ventilation traps heat and humidity.
During summer, this heat and humidity can cause your roof shingles to become too hot. This makes the shingles curl, warp, and experience granule loss, shedding your roof of its main protective layer.
The heat and humidity also causes problems in the winter. Warm indoor air can rise into the attic, melt the snow on your roof, and create ice dams when the water refreezes along the eaves. If left untreated, the moisture build-up can severely damage your roof with mold, wood rot, and insulation damage.
TLDR: A lack of attic ventilation traps heat and humidity, leading to problems like shingle deterioration, ice dams, and moisture build-up that cause long-term damage to your roof.
Can Poor Attic Ventilation Cause Mold?
Yes, poor attic ventilation is a leading cause of mold on the roof and in the attic. It’s usually caused by the humidity trapped within the attic, creating a perfect breeding ground for mold. Mold will appear as a musky smell, dark stains, discolouration, or visible fuzzy spots.
3 Ways That Attic Ventilation Impacts Your Roof
1 – Poor Attic Ventilation Impacts Your Roof’s Lifespan
Poor attic ventilation can allow mold growth and unbalanced roof temperatures, causing your roof to deteriorate over time. The longer these problems stay unaddressed, the more the lifespan of your roof is reduced. You’ll likely need to replace the roof sooner than expected due to poor attic ventilation.
2 – Poor Attic Ventilation Impacts Your Energy Bills
Proper attic ventilation is essential during the summer. Without enough ventilation, your roof, attic, and house can easily overheat. As a result of the trapped heat, your air conditioner needs to run longer and harder to maintain a cool temperature, increasing your energy costs.
3 – Poor Attic Ventilation Can Void Roofing Warranties
The companies which provide roofing materials, such as GAF, know that attic ventilation is a common cause of roof damage. While roofing material manufacturers provide extensive warranties, they often won’t allow you to redeem a warranty for damage caused by poor ventilation. Your attic’s ventilation system is out of a manufacturer’s hands, and they can’t be held accountable for damages not directly caused by the quality of their manufactured materials.
Having these warranties declared void means major out-of-pocket expenses to replace any materials. a
How to Tell if an Attic has Poor Ventilation?
Signs of poor attic ventilation include:
- Ice dams forming along your roofline in winter.
- A musty smell or visible mold in the attic.
- Excessive heat upstairs during summer months.
- Peeling paint, warped shingles, or moisture stains on the ceiling.
- Uneven temperatures throughout your home.
Can You Over Ventilate an Attic?
Yes, it is possible for an attic to be “over-ventilated”, but it’s not a common issue for homeowners. Too much ventilation can disrupt airflow and make it harder to regulate temperature indoors.
When ventilation becomes a problem, the goal is to find a balance, not to overload your home with vents.
A Kitchener roofer can set up a system that lets cool, dry air enter through soffit vents while simultaneously letting warm, moist air exit through ridge or roof vents. Let us calculate the ideal ratio of intake to exhaust ventilation for your roof size and layout.
Will a Kitchener Roofer Help with Attic Ventilation?
Absolutely. At Quality Care Roofing, we don’t just replace shingles, we assess the entire roofing system, including attic airflow.
Our Kitchener roofing contractors will inspect your attic vents, check for blockages, and ensure your ventilation setup maintains the proper balance. Many roof ventilation issues can be resolved with simple upgrades, like adding ridge vents or clearing obstructed soffits.
How to Improve Attic Ventilation
Add/Upgrade Roof Vents
A ridge vent installation or upgrade can allow more hot air to escape. You should rely on a professional roofing contractor for this job to avoid accidentally overventilating or damaging your home.
This is the ideal solution if exit points are the main issue with your attic ventilation system.
If your home already has enough roof vents, ensure they’re not blocked by insulation or debris.
Install Soffit Vents
Soffit vents are installed under the eaves and act as entry points, helping draw cool air into the attic. With ridge vents, they facilitate continuous airflow that keeps temperatures balanced all year.
Please reach out to a professional before installing soffit vents. Installing too many vents or “entry points” can disrupt the temperature balance.
Use Gable Vents or Attic Fans
Gable vents or powered attic fans are not a replacement, but instead work alongside your ventilation system’s entry and exit points, targeting any trapped heat and moisture.
Check/Improve Insulation and Air Sealing
The real culprit could actually be the insulation. Gaps and leaks in the insulation allow warm, moist air from your home to enter the attic. A roofing inspector can help verify the quality of your insulation.