Keeping Your Roof Ventilated Can Help Prolong Its Life

Most people don’t ever think about how well their roof is ventilated. In fact, most don’t even know the reasons why it should be ventilated. However, when your roof starts having problems and showing signs of wear it may be that the roof is not ventilated properly. There are key things that each and every roof needs of one of those things is making sure that the roof is ventilated properly. In this article I’ll go over some of the reasons why it’s so important and the function that it serves in protecting your home. 

Keeping Your Roof Ventilated Can Help Prolong Its Life

Typically, dealing with any sort of roof ventialation is not something a home owner can do. Adding roof ventilation will usually require the work of a roofing contractor and may not be possible with do it yourselfers. But, understanding why having your roof ventilated is so important and knowing what you can do as a home owner to keep your home protected is a must. The reason why I’ve written this article is to help you better understand your home’s roof ventilation.

Using the Correct Underlayment

When your roof was installed there are several different kinds of underlayment that can be used. The underlayment is the moisture barrier that is placed between the roof decking (usually wood) and the asphalt shingles that make up your roof. This underlayment can be made of synthetic or aspahlt materials. Over the past ten years there has been lots of studies and improvements on underlayment. There are now breathable underlayments which allow for better roof ventiliation. If you have a new roof installed where re-roofing is used then the old roofing underlayment is already installed. However, when you get a new roof installed where tear off and replacement is used you can choose to have breathable underlayment used. GAF currently has a superior product for breathable underlayment which works extremely well for roof ventilation. When you have a new roof installed be sure to insist on breathable roof underlayment.

Make Sure You Have Vented Soffit

The soffit around the roof has an important role. It allows cool air to enter into the roof which is later expelled throught the ridge vent or ventiliation fan. Without vented soffit the ventilation at the ridge or the roof or at the top of gable ends may not be effective. Sometimes the vents in the soffit can become clogged with debris which can cut down significantly on the roof’s ability to ventilate. Make sure plants and other items are not blocking the vented soffit and that air can flow through effortlessly.

Ridge Vents and other Ventilation Near the Ridge

On most homes a vent is placed directly at the top of the roof to allow for warm moist air to exit the roof. This moist air essentially started it’s journey by coming in the soffit vents as cool, dry air. The ridge vents help to remove moisture from the roof this way and essentially helps your roof remain dryer and last longer. Ridge vents can also be used in conjuction with roof ventilation fans. These fans can work to help speed along the air movement in the attic and roofing system. Typically, roof ventialtion fans work with thermostat settings which allow the fan to come on when the attic reaches a specified temperature. If your attic seems a bit too warm in summer, then chances are you may need a ventilation fan to help with the cooling of the attic space and the roof in general.

On most homes a vent is placed directly at the top of the roof to allow for warm moist air to exit the roof. This moist air essentially started it’s journey by coming in the soffit vents as cool, dry air.

Get Your Roof Inspected Today

Getting your roof inspected by a qualified roofing professional can help you better understand what shape your roof ventilation is in. For most roof inspections a roofing expert will examine each roof vent and determine if it working properly or not. This also means checking any fans or gable vents as well which can sometimes be home to birds and other wildlife which will not allow the vents to work properly. If you suspect your home’s roof ventilation is not working correctly, be sure to get a roof inspection as soon as possible.