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Roof Ridge Vents

Older homes may not have any roof ventilation.  The reason this does not create an issue is that these houses aren’t as airtight as the modern structures are, which means they have adequate air movement despite the lack of any vents.  When you move to upgrade the energy efficiency of these older homes with better window insulation, weather-stripping, and similar features, then you create a ventilation problem for the home.  You must have adequate roof ventilation available through a vent when you live in a high-efficiency home.  Without this feature on the roof, you will have condensation begin forming on your windows, especially during the winter months.  Moisture can get into your roof too, which freezes into an ice dam as the weather changes. 

Ridge Vents balance out the temperature of the home.

When you have a new home built, or you’re replacing a roof, then installing a ridge vent helps to balance out the transfer of hot and cold air.  You’ll always find the upstairs and attic to be warmer in the summer months, no matter how strong your air condition systems are, because of how hot air rises.  Because there are vents installed in the roof, the warmer air can escape the home naturally, which balances out the temperatures below.

Then in the evening, or during the winter months, the design of the vents allows the pressure of the cold air outside to prevent all the warmer inside air from escaping.  That process allows you to save some on your utility bills each month.

The design of a roof ridge vent works with the look of your home.

Roof ridge vents offer a sleek design which is difficult to notice from ground level.  The pitch of your structure remains unaffected by this design element.  If you have enough intake, it is possible to install them along every ridge of your roof, which provides your home with a maximum level of ventilation.  That’s why some homes circulate the air better than others when using this product. If you don’t have enough of an intake area, then there isn’t enough space to draw in the air needed.

Rodents can’t get into your attic through roof ridge vents.

Squirrels, rats, raccoons, and other pests all love to try getting into your home whenever there is a point of access.  If you use the older-style of roof vent to provide air circulation, then you must install traps or blockage points that prevent them from nesting in your attic’s insulation.  This protection feature reduces the amount of air that moves, which defeats the purpose of the older designs in the first place.  The shape, size, and location of roof ridge vents make it impossible for rodents to access your house. You receive the ventilation necessary for the home without creating a higher risk of damage.

It allows air to move out of the attic naturally.

The wind which blows over your roof will help to draw the hot, moist air out of your attic when roof ridge vents are installed correctly.  This happens because of the change in air pressure.  The inside air moves through the ridge vest underneath the cap shingle to escape from the side and into the general atmosphere.  You can then draw fresh air into the underside of the vent, which freshens the environment of the home.

Roof ridge vents can reduce indoor air pollution levels.

The average person spends about 90% of their time indoors each day.  About two-thirds of that time happens at home.  The only problem with this lifestyle is that the quality of your indoor air can be up to 5 times worse than the outside air.  There are some homes where the indoor air quality is 100 times worse.  Indoor air pollution is ranked as one of the five most dangerous environmental factors we face today.  By having roof ridge vents installed on your home, you can improve the quality of your indoor air. That means you can reduce the risk of several pollution-related symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and sinus infections.

WHY HOME VENTILATION IS IMPORTANT

More Attic Ventilation is Good

Just like properly sizing your furnace and air conditioning unit, you want precisely the right amount of attic ventilation for your home.  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.  Roof vents create an additional roof penetration, essentially another place of vulnerability where leaks can occur.  Some vents are necessary, but you don’t want to needlessly increase the number of roof penetrations. More than leaks, these seams can cause blowouts during a hurricane or allow sparks from a wildfire to enter your home and set it ablaze.

So, how much ventilation should you have?  Without exception, you should talk to a professional to determine what your home requires.  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.  That said, air resistance and interference (such as vent grates) reduces the area of true ventilation. In other words, the entire vent opening doesn’t count as vented space.

Roof Vents Remove Warm Air during the Winter

Too many people believe that because heat rises, ventilating an attic space during the winter means you’re releasing warm air and creating a drag on your heating efficiency.  If this is true, you’ve got bigger problems to worry about than letting warm air escape from your home.  Poor insulation is usually the culprit, although if you enter the attic on sunny, winter day, your attic space can be warmed by the sun more than your furnace.

Unless your roofing system has insulation on the roofing deck and is designed without ventilation, your furnace should not be heating your attic.  Worse yet, inadequate insulation is almost surely allowing moisture-laden air into your attic.  When this warm, moist air hits your roof, it’s likely to form condensation that will lead to further deterioration of your insulation and/or wood rot. If you think this might be a concern, wait till the sun goes down and measure the temperature in your attic. It should be pretty close to the outdoor temperature.

If you don’t know how your roof vents work, or if you’re unsure about your attic ventilation in general, you should talk to a professional about your current system and any inherent weaknesses that may be at work.  The risk/reward for having no ventilation or poor ventilation, along with the negligible cost of installing a good-working ventilation system makes them one of the unforgivable sins of home maintenance negligence.