| Charlotte homeowners, how often do you think about your attic and your roofing? The average Charlotte resident can reap benefits throughout the year by having an effective attic ventilation system.
During the warmer months, ventilation helps keep your home cool and reduce the strain on ac units in the attic. In the colder seasons, ventilation helps prevent moisture build up, keeping attics dry.
Proper ventilation will keep your home comfortable, protect against damage to the structure and materials of your roof, and reduce your energy costs.
Dealing With The Summer Sun
On those beautiful sunny days, radiant heat from the sun beats down on your roof. Persistent radiation will causes the temperature of the roof to rise. This heat is conducted through the sheathing into your attic. Over time, as heat builds in the attic, it radiates through the attic floor and into living areas below.
How hot can it get in your attic on a sunny summer day? Well, in Charlotte temperatures often reach 90 degrees during the summer. Over the course of a long August day, your roof sheathing can easily reach 170 degrees.
If your roof has poor ventilation, temperatures inside the attic can swell to over 140 degrees. When that happens, the temperature in the rooms below will become uncomfortable. By contrast, a well ventilated roof may not exceed a maximum temperature of 115 degrees.
The Multiplier Effect
This may not seem to bad on a single day, but summer doesn't last just for a day. As these hot, sunny days persist, an improperly ventilated attic will not lose enough heat during the night to make up for the heat that accumulates during the day.
Ironically, the better your home is insulated, the worse the heat build up will be if your ventilation is poor. If you have HVAC equipment or air conditioning ducts in your attic, this heat will reduce the efficiency of your systems and increase your cooling cost. Utility bills can climb even higher if you use fans or window units to fight back the increased heat in your living space.
These are the consequences the average Charlotte homeowner will notice. But most people don't tend to think about what they don't see. Less obvious, but potentially more costly, is damage that can happen to your roof itself.
Over time, excess attic heat can cause shingles to distort and deteriorate. When this happens, your roofing materials may fail prematurely. This can lead to a leaky roof and will force you to replace your roof before the end of its normal life.
How Ventilation Helps
No amount of ventilation can prevent the transfer of heat from your roof to your attic. But a well designed system can minimize the impact. A well designed system will create a uniform flow of cooler air moving along the underside of the sheathing.
Whether caused by natural convection or created mechanically, that steady flow will carry heat out of the attic before it can radiate through the attic floor. And it is also important that the air intake vents in the soffits and the roof exhaust vents are balanced so airflow is uniform. This will prevent "hot spots" from developing under the roof sheathing.
Is Your Home Properly Ventilated?
You can place a thermometer in your attic and take regular readings to get a sense of whether or not your home has an adequate ventilation system. But the best way to know is to enlist the services of a qualified Charlotte roofer. A local roofing professional knows how to evaluate your Charlotte area home and can recommend the most cost efficient solution if you have a ventilation problem. |
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