The Dangers of Poor Roof Ventilation and How to Prevent Them

Did you know that poor roof ventilation is one of the main causes for premature roof failure? Your roof can be new, but without ventilation proper installed, will have to be replaced. Several homeowners are unaware that inadequate airflow in their attic can lead to costly repairs or even a roof replacement. In this post we'll cover the importance of having a proper roof ventilation and how not having it can affect the home where you live.

Mold Growth

Not long ago in Bosch Roofing & Renovations, we had a job where we had to replace all the roof due to improper roof ventilation. We replaced all the wood and all the shingle as well. We cleaned all the mold we could find in the attic, because it can lead to many health diseases. Acording to the National Institute of Enviromental Health Sciences, mold can cause "runny nose, sneezing, coughing, and wheezing. People without allergies, but who are exposed to mold, likewise may experience symptoms, including eye irritation, sore throat, congestion, skin rash, and headaches" (NIH, 2021). Here we can see that all these sympotms and health conditions can be prevented with a proper roof ventilation.

How to prevent it?

To prevent mold growing in your attic, you need a proper ventilation. How do you do that? It's very simple. There are many types of vents available in the market like, ridge vents, open vents, regular vents and others. If you're changing your roof you need to be aware that the correct amount of vents are being places. How could you know which is the correct amount of vents? We strongly advice to ask a professional so you can know with certainty.

3 Types of Vents found in a Roof

Ridge Vent

The ridge vent is installed on the ridge of your roof (the ridge is where two faces meet) and is the best ventilation method that a home can have. Since they are at the highest part of your roof, all the air escapes easily. The ridge vent is made to withstand any type of extreme weather conditions.

Box Vents

Box vents are installed near the ridge of your roof and are mostly the replacement of a ridge vent when your roof has a more complicated line.  They're size is around 18 in by 18 in and is one of the most popular types of ventilation you'll see in roofs nowadays. They come in both plastic and metal.

Roof Turbine

Basically these vents are the "Whirly" ones. To be honest they don't work as good as the others, since they need wind to function. The days where there's no wind it'll very difficult for these vents to take away the hot air accumulated in your attic. Even when there's wind, they don't pull out as much air as the other ones. A benefit is that they're eco-friendly, which means that your electricity bill will be less.

Which is the best for my roof?

The vent that Bosch Roofing & Renovations likes the most and has never failed them, is the ridge vent. What happens is that in some roofs this vent is not the best option. That's why you can Contact Us in case of any doubts or if you want a free inspection.

As previously mentioned, having a proper roof ventilation is very important to prevent health conditions and to prevent spending more money in repair or even a new roof. If you are a homeowner and you have no expertise in this topic, it's always better to contact an expert to inspect your roof and give the best advice.