Attic Ventilation Impacts a Variety of Health Concerns

Ventilation at its heart is about bringing fresh air in to circulate in a given space. Venting your attic can impact your home in a number of ways. If done properly, it can help you manage the moisture in your home, keep cooling costs down in summer, and prolong the life of your roofing materials. Improperly done, it can end up costing you a lot of money.

Misunderstandings About Attic Ventilation

• Myth: More is better. When it comes to venting your attic, more isn’t always better. Adding more vents to the roof deck makes it vulnerable to leaks. Also, every opening you put in the roof is another place damage could happen during a heavy storm. The proper ratio for venting the attic is about 1 square foot of ventilation to 300 square feet of ceiling space, but that can vary due to wind direction and attic configuration. That’ s a calculation that a professional needs to make.
• Myth: Venting makes it harder to heat your home in winter. There’s a misconception that attic ventilation allows heat from inside the home to escape outdoors. That’s not so. What allows heat to escape is inadequate attic insulation. Venting can actually protect the insulation in your attic. Venting the attic also lowers interior temperatures during summer, making it possible to keep your home comfortable year round using less energy.
• Myth: Attic venting is attic venting. Just because you have a couple of vents in the attic doesn’t mean it’s enough. Vents of different types work in different ways. The installation of the vents can also impact how much air gets into the attic. The efficiency of the vents will differ from one attic space to another. An expert can ensure that your attic has the right configuration of venting.

Learn more about attic ventilation and the HVAC services provided by Preferred Air Conditioning & Mechanical, LLC or contact us at (561) 202-1422.