Whether they’re crawlspaces, storage spaces or fitted as lofts, attics don’t exactly have a reputation for comfort. Part of this is because they tend to be hot, stuffy, humid and poorly ventilated. Between indoor heat rising and solar heat hitting the roof and radiating downward, attics can rise to high temperatures. Often they’re not air-conditioned, which makes them a pocket of heat inside your home’s thermal envelope. That’s why home attic ventilation can be so helpful.
Attic ventilation can improve airflow and temperature management throughout your home and can help ensure that neither pollutants nor organic troublemakers such as mildew take hold. If you call up an HVAC pro to help you check your attic ventilation, here are some things they’ll keep in mind:
- How much venting is required? This will depend on your attic space, but may also call into account other factors like whether you have heat-deflecting shingles on your roof or how good the airflow within your attic is.
- Are there signs of mold or mildew in your attic already? Is humidity being managed with your existing attic ventilation?
- Are all the vents intact and unblocked in your attic? It is important to make sure that vents aren’t covered up by leaves, boxes, spare insulation or anything else.
- What kind of ventilation do you have? Do you simply have vents, or do you have a mechanical system which draws in fresh air or expels stale air?
- What is the attic temperature? A poorly-ventilated attic can rise up to a nightmarish 140 degrees on hot days with direct sunlight. While hot air rises, heat can radiate outwards—and even downwards, into the living areas of your house. If you’ve got an attic temperature problem, it could be a sign of insufficient ventilation.
If home attic ventilation is on your mind, Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning can answer any questions you may have. Contact us today to learn about ventilating your Fresno home.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about attic ventilation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Lightspring/Shutterstock”