As summer once again approaches, there is no better time to assess your home and business ventilation system to make sure you have the right vents for your roof. Proper ventilation can extend the life of your roof and keep you comfortable all throughout the year. With a variety of vent types to choose from, it can be difficult to decide what you need. Let’s go over some things that can help narrow down your choices.
There are two key factors to consider when deciding what you want your ventilation system to accomplish.
Climate: Considering the heat and humidity that South Texas experiences nearly year-round, more ventilation is often required to help remove moisture and heat.
Roof Type: A steeper pitched roof will often require less ventilation than low-pitched roofs since hot air rises naturally.
Most ventilation falls into two categories:
Intake vents allow fresh air to enter the attic and most often are located at the eaves of a roof. The most common of this type are soffit vents.
Exhaust vents expel hot air and moisture from the attic, most often located at the peak or ridge of the roof. The most common of this type seen on top of a roof are referred to as “turtle” or “whirlybird” vents (formally known as 750 and turbine vents), but a popular option is a ridge vent system installed along the ridge of a roof to match shingle color and help improve the look of a roof. To help account for roofs that need more exhaust, powered vents use a motor to continuously pull hot air and moisture. Solar-powered vents are similar to powered vents but they employ a small solar panel to save on electricity costs.
To help match the type of vent for your needs, consider what kind of roof you have:
Gable roofs, which have two sloping sides that meet at a ridge at the top, can use a combination of soffit vents and a ridge vent or other roof exhaust vents to help maintain airflow.
Hip roofs that have four sloping sides that meet at a peak can also use both soffit vents for intake and roof exhaust or hip vents, which are like ridge vents but fastened along the hips, as a solution.
Flat roofs may take more to vent than other types so either wind-driven roof ventilators like turbine vents or powered vents can do more to pull hot air and moisture.
Metal roofs tend to heat quickly. More soffit and ridge vents are often employed to account for the additional heat buildup and condensation though depending on certain factor, may require further considerations that our roofing estimators can help you decide on.
Whatever type of roof you may have, the space and size of your attic will also affect the number of vents you need. No matter what type of roof you have, our estimators at Berryman Roofing and Siding can help offer you a number of options to give you the best ventilation solutions for your home or business.