Does Attic Ventilation Work

Good attic ventilation is excellent for preventing moisture and condensation but it is usually not enough for cooling in the summertime.

Does attic ventilation work. Are ridge vents better. Attic fans are intended to cool hot attics by drawing in cooler outside air from attic vents soffit and gable and pushing hot air to the outside. Strong attic fans can actually back draft furnaces or water heaters by pulling combustion gases out of their burnersand into the home. In such doing the attic fan will reduce the temperature in the attic space that in turn cools down the whole house.

Static roof line vents are effective for ventilation but generally aren t recommended due to issues with leaks. Soffit vents may leave air trapped at the top of your attic. Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool. Most effective ventilation uses a ridge and soffit continuous ventilation system but even these designs can vary from roof to roof.

It allows outside air to flow naturally upward and out of attic. A retrofit example that works. Proper attic ventilation offers all these benefits. It helps minimize the impact of ice damming.

It promotes a cool dry attic. Some may also argue that an attic fan helps in the ventilation of your roof and or attic. The purpose of attic ventilation is so that heat can leave the attic when the air conditioner turns on and is trying to circulate cold air around the house. The model building codes allow both vented and unvented roof assemblies.

An attic fan works by drawing in cool air to the attic space that pushes out the hot air through vents. It helps prevent moisture from becoming trapped in insulation structural wood shingles and roof deck. When it is cold outside the ventilation system will work by maintaining the cold temperature so that ice will not melt on the roof and create ice dams. Your home s roof and attic was most likely designed with just the right amount of fresh air it needs.

It s believed that good ventilation in the attic will help prolong the life of shingles by reducing heat which maintains the shingles quality and durability. However if your attic has blocked soffit vents and is not well sealed from the rest of the house attic fans will suck cool conditioned air up out of the house and into the attic. Another important element of attic ventilation is protection for the roof s shingle. Attics or roofs can be designed and constructed to be either vented or unvented in any hygro thermal zone map 1.

The attic fans are fitted with thermostats that will switch on and off the fan depending on the homeowner s preference. The choice of venting or not venting is a design and construction choice not a requirement determined by the physics or by the building code.