How To Ventilate Your Attic

In the summer good attic ventilation reduces heat buildup.

How to ventilate your attic.

Before we explore how to ventilate an attic space it is prudent to understand how much ventilation is needed. Here are four signs of an unventilated or under. That keeps your attic dry and reduces ice dams. If those steps don t solve the problem add more soffit vents following the.

Of attic floor space. To avoid rotting wood clumping insulation and mold your attic needs to be properly ventilated. The code minimum for attic ventilation in the 2012 irc section r806 roof ventilation 1 is as follows. Exhaust vents which are located near or on the ridge line of the roof and allow air to leave the attic.

Good ventilation allows the heat and moisture to escape. To properly ventilate an attic two types of vents are needed. Just like properly sizing your furnace and air conditioning unit you want precisely the right amount of attic ventilation for your home. Ventilation can be accomplished using various products and techniques.

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. That cuts cooling costs and prolongs shingle life. How to check attic ventilation. How to properly ventilate your attic.

Insufficient ventilation can lead to moisture problems during the winter and decreased energy efficiency during the summer but too much ventilation can be just as bad if not worse. Intake vents which are located at the down slope edge of the roof aka eaves and allow fresh air into the attic. Don t avoid ventilating your attic for fear you re letting cold air into the house. Moreover if you have asphalt shingles on the roof attic.

Your actual living space is sealed and insulated at the attic floor the attic is outside this envelope. 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. If you have either ice dams or moisture buildup improve your attic ventilation. This means for every 150 square feet of attic floor space there should be 1 square foot of net free area.

If there are asphalt shingles on your roof the attic must be ventilated to comply with the terms of the manufacturer s warranty. In the winter warm moist air seeps into the attic from the living space below. Of net free area for every 150 sq. How attic ventilation works.