We’ve said it before, and will say it again (and again and again and again)… attic air flow is one of the most important factors in your roof’s utility in the winter months. An attic can get MUCH more humid than the inside of your home without proper ventilation — so even if your downstairs is dry, your attic might be like the rainforest. And that’s…not great.
As we learned in elementary school, hot air rises. Hot air rising against a cold roof deck results in condensation. Condensation results in a wet roof deck and more humid air in the enclosed attic, resulting in more condensation, and so on in a vicious cycle that winds up looking like Elsa did a number on your roof deck. (Maybe the cold didn’t bother her anyway…but it will for sure bother your house’s structure.)
How do you break that cycle? Easy: a well-ventilated attic.
To keep your attic air circulating well, you need two things: Soffits (for air intake) and roof vents (so the air has a place to go). Soffit vents go in at your eaves, allowing cooler air to be introduced to mix with with the warmer air. (Insulation on your attic floor also helps here, to keep your house’s warmth in your living spaces, not your attic.) Roof vents, in the form of either box vents or the superior ridge vent, go in toward the top of your roof, allowing the warmer air to escape, rather than just build up on the underside of your roof deck.
If you aren’t sure if you have adequate circulation in your attic, you can do two things. If you’re the DIY type, pick up a hygrometer to measure the humidity level in your attic. If you measure anything above 50%, you need better ventilation for SURE. (The 30%-50% range is ideal, preferably on the lower end.) But if you’d rather have an expert tell you what’s what, give us a call or request a free estimate. One of our repair specialists will be happy to come out, do a reading, give you the God’s-honest truth, and if needed, come up with a solution to get your attic the circulation it needs.