Attic insulation is important, but so is proper attic ventilation. Combined with a good air-sealing strategy, the right kind of ventilation in your attic can prevent moisture from building up and causing trouble. Here are five reasons for ventilating your attic that you shouldn’t ignore:

1. Ventilation prevents roof damage. Settled moisture can warp the roof and lead to premature roof damage. When your roof is damaged, it leaks, which intensifies the problem even more. Ventilating your attic makes it possible for moisture to get out and prevents roof damage before it begins.
2. Ventilation prevents mold growth. Your attic’s worst enemy is moisture. Moisture that can’t escape leads to mold growth. This can cause harm to the health of your family and even violate building codes.
3. Ventilation lowers cooling bills. Have you even gone into your attic during a scorching hot San Joaquin Valley summer? It literally feels like an oven in there. Having an oven sitting on top of your house doesn’t make it any easier for your air conditioner to cool off your home. By ventilating your attic, you let in relatively cool air from outside so the temperature doesn’t reach 120 or 130 degrees in the attic.
4. Ventilation protects insulation. Most insulation is designed to not absorb water, but if insulation is in constant contact with water, it will eventually soak it up. Wet insulation is worthless, which means the effort you put into sealing your home tightly is wasted if you don’t ventilate your attic.
5. Ventilation prevents moisture problems in living spaces. Moisture tends to spread through the materials it comes in contact with. If areas in your attic are saturated with moisture from roof leaks and water vapor from household appliances, the moisture may trickle down the walls and cause water stains on your ceiling or walls. This is unsightly and can indicate damage to the structures behind the wall.

You can reap some big benefits in home comfort and efficiency by ventilating your attic. For more information, please contact Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning in Fresno today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about ventilation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Donald P Dick Air Conditioning services the greater Fresno area in California. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!     

Air vent image via Shutterstock

Tags: attic insulation, greater fresno area in california, insulation, Ventilating Your Attic, ventilation
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 at 9:00 am | Categories: Attic, IAQ – Indoor Air Quality, Insulation, Ventilation Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.