Vent Attic Or Not

Roofs need a driving force to move air in and out and intake and exhaust vent openings large enough to facilitate this movement.

Vent attic or not.

If water or air ducts run through your attic space they are less likely to be affected by extreme temperatures and this can save you money on utility costs. That said air resistance and interference such as vent grates reduces the area of true ventilation. If you ve accidentally painted over air vents insulated soffit venting or covered up an exhaust port then an attic fan can be helpful to move air around. According to the homeowners trade resource center htrc a properly conditioned and sealed attic will eliminate the formation of ice dams.

The other option of course is a vented attic which requires an equal balance of intake and exhaust vents. Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. In an attic the primary driving force is the buoyancy of warm air rising in the vault of the roof. As the warm air escapes through vents high on the roof cooler air enters the lower vents.

Without exception you should talk to a professional to determine what your home requires. You ll need to vent your attic because water vapor showers laundry people will still migrate through the ceiling into the attic space. Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool. You need to some way of getting rid of it otherwise the attic will turn into a moldy mess.

As such it would seem venting the attic would increase the potential for condensation. Generally speaking you need a ratio of 1 300 where for every 300 square feet of ceiling space you need 1 square foot of attic ventilation. However the opposite is true if the attic floor is air sealed and insulated. Both ways can work well.

However most varieties require electricity to operate need proper upkeep and can be noisy. Attic fans can be useful if you don t have proper passive ventilation.