It’s extremely stress-inducing as a homeowner to look up and notice water spots on your ceiling. You get that sinking feeling and hope it’s just your imagination. It’s surprisingly common for moisture to build up in your attic without proper ventilation—a rookie mistake by a roofing contractor but an unfortunate issue for homeowners.
Typically, when homeowners contact an attic ventilation contractor, it’s too late: the roof has suffered severe structural damage and needs to be replaced. That’s why it’s essential to be on the lookout for these signs that your attic may need some TLC!
What Is Attic Ventilation?
Before we start looking at the warning signs for attic ventilation, let’s talk a bit about what attic ventilation is. At the most basic level, your attic needs to have a way to let out hot air. Soffit vents let fresh, cool air into the attic, and ridge or exhaust vents let hot moist air escape.
Without correct ventilation, the heat and humidity will become trapped in your attic, regardless of climate, leading to all kinds of problems.
1. The Attic Is Way Too Hot
Most people don’t go into their attics very often, but if you do, you might notice it’s way hotter up there. While it’s true that heat rises, your attic shouldn’t be dramatically warmer than the rest of your living space. If unsure, try visiting a neighbor’s attic and comparing the temperatures. Is yours much hotter? That’s likely a ventilation issue.
2. Summertime Makes Your House Sweat
Although less common than the other items listed here, a poorly ventilated attic could turn your house into a hotbox during the summer. You might notice that you’ve been running the air conditioner full blast, and you’re still sweating when you come inside after a long day out. During the summer, people tend not to open windows when running the A/C so they don’t let the cold air out.
However, that can be a double whammy to your house. Not only are you getting all the heat from the sun outside, but your air conditioner unit is likely venting directly into the attic. The combination can be a serious blow to your roof if the heat and humidity continue to build up without any relief.
3. Moisture Stains
While there are many possible reasons for moisture stains, improper attic ventilation is a major one. Condensation stains on ceilings and high up on walls might indicate that your attic isn’t venting hot air, and the humidity buildup is enough to start staining your walls. You could see stains or bowing in your ceiling, especially near corners.
4. Formation of Ice Dams
As if dealing with the yearly snowfall wasn’t bad enough, attics without proper ventilation can worsen things. The heat trapped up there melts the snow on your roof. That runoff trickles into the roof’s eaves, where it freezes again, eventually causing a dam of ice that can seriously damage your roof.
5. Mold & Mildew
One of the biggest issues with unventilated attics is mold and mildew. Gross, right? All the condensation trapped in the attic turns into small water droplets. The wet walls, flooring, or joists can all be the perfect place for mold to grow. Besides being a potential health hazard for your family, rot can compromise the integrity of your roof, walls, and entire house.
What Is the Best Ventilation System for an Attic?
The best ventilation system for your attic will depend on various factors for your house. With a good attic ventilation contractor on your side, you’ll get the expert advice you need to keep your roof in fantastic condition.
What Happens If Your Attic Is Not Properly Ventilated?
There are a lot of combinations of problems out there that lead to poor or nonexistent attic ventilation. Some attics will only allow ventilation out of the top of the roof, with no intake. Others might have appliances that blow hot air in without the right ventilation.
Without proper attention, moisture stains could be the least of your worries. Left unattended, your roof will sweat, eventually warping and forming humps. Besides looking peculiar, the condensation cuts down on the roof’s lifespan.
Extensive roof damage can lead to large leaks during storms or even a cave-in! Your roof is one of your house’s most important elements, and the attic’s ventilation directly impacts its welfare.
Let’s Dry Out That Roof!
At JW Roofing, our team of roofing experts have extensive experience in installing proper attic ventilation as well as spotting ventilation issues. In fact, we have taken ventilation training through Owens Corning, meaning we are up to speed on the very latest techniques in proper attic ventilation from a trusted leader in the roofing space. We have plenty of experience as one of the top roofing companies in Ohio, ventilating attics in order to protect roofing systems today and for years to come. We are here to meet all of your roofing needs. Contact us today to schedule your free roofing inspection!
