Storm Damaged Roof Crystal Lake, IL
Choosing Harris Exteriors for the job, the homeowner selected Owens Corning Duration shingles in Onyx Black, we also replaced the gutters and downspouts in white, ensuring a clean and cohesive appearance.
Proper roof ventilation is a key in making sure that your roof lasts a very long time. There are several types of roofing ventilation systems for your home available today. Harris‘ goal is to educate you on the advantages and disadvantages of each type of roofing ventilation. During our roof inspection we will recommend the most efficient type of roof ventilation to fit your specific needs.
How Many Attic Vents Does Your Roof Need to Meet Requirements?
Ventilation should never be an afterthought in constructing a home. Without proper ventilation, needless heat and humidity can become serious problems, such as:
These types of vents are popular but often least effective. They are installed in the gable wall below the peak of the roof and are available in several shapes and colors.
These are also known as pod vents and are made of sheet metal cylinder with a flashing collar and a metal hood to keep rain out. They are installed in rows along the face of the roof by cutting holes in the roof, nailing the flashing collars to the roof sheathing and shingling around the vents. Their effectiveness depends on how many are installed; their greatest disadvantage is that like any roof penetration, they may leak.
Over the years, the ridge vent has become one of the most common forms of roof ventilation. This is because, in many instances, it is also the most efficient form of ventilation. To install a ridge vent, a hole is cut along the ridge of the roof and the ridge vent is nailed to cover it. Air enters the attic space through soffit vents and exits through the ridge vent, cooling the attic space through continuous air circulation. We install high quality matching shingled-over ridge vents to match the color of your roof!
Ridge vents are installed all along the ridge of the home. A 1 ½” strip is cut along the ridge allowing 18” net free air for your output. A ridge vent needs equal input to be effective. So in order to have an effective ridge vent we need 18” net free ventilation from the soffit.
Advantages:
Attic fans suck out air from the attic. They are turbine vents that consist of a turbine mounted on a sheet-metal cylinder. They are installed like roof line vents along the face of the roof. When the wind blows, it spins the turbine, which in turn draws air up out of the attic.
Soffit vents are considered input for your ventilation system. The vents are located under the eaves, right near where the gutters should be. They often have a screen over them to prevent insects from coming in and can be as long as 22″. They are one of the easiest to install by cutting rectangular holes in the soffit and screwing the vent over the hole.
There are two kinds of exhaust vents; static vents and power ventilators.
Power attic fans are sold in two ways: electric powered and solar powered. Most models feature an adjustable thermostat or humidistat depending on your preference. Electric power fans are the most common type of power attic fan but a power source must be available in the attic.
Advantages: