Does My Attic Have Enough Ventilation

Attic ventilation in the summer generally heat rises and cool air falls.

Does my attic have enough ventilation. Most building codes require a ratio of 1 150 ventilation space to attic floor space. For instance in some places like las vegas the sun tends to set on the roof causing the attic to be warm. Determining what you need is simple all you need is the size of your house and a calculator. This is another benefit of proper ventilation in the attic but it appears that unpowered ventilation is enough to control the heat at least to a level that will help maintain shingles.

Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. Attic ventilation should equal approximately 1 square foot of vent area for every 300 square feet of. Roofing experts say the majority of u s. 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.

The federal housing administration recommends at least 1 square foot of ventilation for every 300 square feet of attic space. Heat in the attic can roast shingles from below causing them to wear prematurely. That said air resistance and interference such as vent grates reduces the area of true ventilation. You can also contact your local municipality to check on building code in your area.

But in homes that do not have proper attic insulation or ventilation heat tends to migrate. Ventilation of attic spaces is required by most building codes as well as by roofing material manufacturers and the national roofing contractors association nrca. In a properly designed passive system air enters through the soffit. Are radiant barriers an alternative.

However if your attic has blocked soffit vents and is not well sealed from the rest of the house attic fans will suck cool conditioned air up out of the house and into the attic. Attic fans are intended to cool hot attics by drawing in cooler outside air from attic vents soffit and gable and pushing hot air to the outside. In other words the entire vent opening doesn t count as vented space. If the vents aren t supplying sufficient circulation the temperature in the attic can rise to 140 degrees fahrenheit or more on sunny days and that can significantly affect the climate in your.