Not Enough Ventilation In Attic

In most cases it is rare for the air in the attic to cool down at night.

Not enough ventilation in attic.

Hot air fills the attic and raises the temperature. Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. You can also contact your local municipality to check on building code in your area. Thick ridges of ice on your eaves in winter are a sign of poor attic ventilation.

Just like properly sizing your furnace and air conditioning unit you want precisely the right amount of attic ventilation for your home. Once they are in place you can then place the batts or blankets or blow insulation right out to the very edge of the attic floor. Warm air that escapes rooms below gets trapped in the attic. Most building codes require a ratio of 1 150 ventilation space to attic floor space.

Snow melts and the water refreezes on the cold eaves creating ice dams. It s best to reduce how much gets there in the first place. If that air lingers it can cause condensation on the underside of the roof sheathing which can lead to wood rot and mold growth. Rafter vents should be placed in your attic ceiling in between the rafters at the point where your attic ceiling meets your attic floor.

If a bath fan dumps into the attic that is very warm very moist air entering a cold space. Touch your ceiling on a warm sunny day. For example attic ventilation is used widely even in cold climates to evacuate the warm moist air that escapes from the living space below. 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.

If the attic ventilation system is not a balanced combination of intake vents installed in the soffit under eave or at the roof s bottom edge and exhaust vents installed at or near the roof s peak the attic ventilation system will not be efficient and effective. Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool. If the vents aren t supplying sufficient circulation the temperature in the attic can rise to 140 degrees fahrenheit or more on sunny days and that can significantly affect the climate in your. But in homes that do not have proper attic insulation or ventilation heat tends to migrate.

Attic ventilation only does an ok job removing moisture. For instance in some places like las vegas the sun tends to set on the roof causing the attic to be warm.