While we all get ready for summer and the warmer weather ahead, many of us are having our air conditioners serviced to ensure they are prepared to deal with the hot months we are in for- and it will probably need all the help it can get when the dog days of summer roll in. One area that you might not be thinking about ventilating- your attic, might make your air conditioners job a lot easier if you take a few steps to ensure it is ventilated properly. A properly ventilated attic can benefit you in several ways:
- Less reflective heat from your ceilings
- Low Humidity in your attic will ensure the casing and paint on your ceiling will last as long as possible. High humidity can crack the caulking in the moldings in your ceiling, and create mold and mildew in extreme cases.
- An overheated attic, combined with moisture, can cause a number of problems, including damage to roof decking and roofing shingles, which can become distorted and deteriorate prematurely.
- Discourages ice damming
Most attics ventilate using the stack effect. This occurs when warm, heated air rises naturally over cooler air. For us this means the air escapes at top, or ridge of our roofs through ridge vents. For this reason air in your attic will naturally exit at the tallest opening- the ridge vent. Air will enter through the lowest opening- generally through vents in our soffit. For this to occur at an ideal level there is a balance between intake and exhaust to achieve ideal ventilation. The GAF Attic Ventilation Calculator is a good resource to give you approximations on the necessary ventilation in your attic.
If your roof is in need of replacement there are a lot of innovative products to couple with your new roof to ensure your attic is well ventilated. Of course we’d love to help out- give us a call to schedule your free estimate.