The conditions in your attic can have a significant and sometimes unwanted effect on your home. An overly hot attic can cause temperature increases throughout your entire house. Moisture can accumulate in your attic, promoting mold growth and damaging the roof, building structure and any belongings stored in the attic. Good attic ventilation is the key to preventing these problems, but many homes have substantial barriers to good attic ventilation.
- Not enough vents: Just because there are some vents in the attic doesn’t mean the space is properly ventilated. Different types of vents provide different levels of ventilation, with ridge vents offering the best performance. In some cases, a mechanical ventilation system may also be necessary to circulate more air and move more heat and moisture to the outdoors.
- Too much ventilation: Some may think that more attic ventilation is better, but an important aspect of attic ventilation is having the proper amount, not too much or too little. Each vent in your attic creates an additional roof penetration where problems can occur, such as energy loss, water leaks or damage from high winds. As a basic rule, there should be 1 square foot of attic ventilation for every 300 square feet of attic space.
- Ventilation in colder climates: Logically, any holes in your roof should let warm air escape from everywhere in your house. A house that is sealed up against the winter, however, can experience greater amounts of moisture accumulation, so even in the winter it is a good idea to have adequate ventilation in the attic. A properly insulated attic, especially one with plenty of insulation between the attic floor and the inside of your home, will not lose a significant amount of heat through the vents.
HVAC customers in Calgary and the surrounding areas can rely on Arpi’s Industries Ltd. for professional heating, cooling and home comfort services. Contact us today for expert help finding barriers to good attic ventilation and making sure your attic is free of potentially damage-causing moisture and excess heat.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Calgary, Alberta about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about attic ventilation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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