Attic Ventilation In Winter

Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool.

Attic ventilation in winter. Some initial moisture will leak in but with no air escaping from the attic neither air flow nor air changes it will soon stop leaving only a light frost on the underside of the roof. Roof vents allow air to circulate through your attic and exit your home. If you don t see any attic vents on the roof or in the eaves you need to add some. When that warm moist air meets the chilly underside of your roof s deck condensation occurs.

Small attic vents located below the roof peaks provide sufficient ventilation to let the moisture created by heat rising into the. The same can be said of roof ventilation. Just like properly sizing your furnace and air conditioning unit you want precisely the right amount of attic ventilation for your home. Here are four signs of an unventilated or under ventilated attic.

Insufficient ventilation can lead to moisture problems during the winter and decreased energy efficiency during the summer but too much ventilation can be just as bad if not worse. Blocking the vents can even harm your home by trapping moisture inside the attic. Attic condensation generally happens during winter spring months when warm moist air from the main living area rises into the attic space. Gable vents are installed at the roof peak s highest point in the gable.

A hot ceiling tells you that the attic is acting like a solar oven. In the winter allowing a natural flow of outdoor air to ventilate the attic helps keep it cold which reduces the potential for ice damming snow that melts off a roof from an attic that is too warm and then re freezes at the gutters causing an ice dam that can damage the roof. During cold winter months the attic vent fan is not necessary. Touch your ceiling on a warm sunny day.

Look at your eaves and roof. Sealing the attic shut for the winter appears to effectively stop the air flow the major source of moisture accumulation. You want a precise amount of ventilation to keep your home properly heated and cooled. Just as you would size a furnace or air conditioner for your home you also size your attic.

If you have too much or too little you ll end up with energy inefficiency and moisture problems. In the winter the vents will cause the attic to become cold but this should not damage your home or increase the energy use of your home so covering the roof vents is not necessary. In the winter attic condensation often turns into frost which actually doesn t pose any threat. Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents.