Often older houses were built without any real form of roof ventilation and do not exhibit any sort of problem at all, in which case adding ventilation is probably not a necessity. Attic ventilation — This short video takes us through some of the basic benefits of roof ventilation, what it does, and why you might need it. Sometimes though problems manifest themselves later on, like condensation or stifling heat either in the home, or loft area during the summer months.
Sometimes there is what I call a tipping event that is responsible. Most often this is noticed with damp in the attic during winter and it seems to coincide with the following….
These are all common factors that can turn an absolutely fine unventilated roof into a damp environment for rot and mould. Think of being in a roof like being in a car with the windows shut. During winter the windows will steam up if you are in there long enough, or during summer it can become stiflingly hot. So what do you do? Roll the windows down a little. Simple concept. During the planning stage of a house the general idea is to ventilate the roof at a low level for fresh air entering, and a high level for stale air exiting, and you can find a page on planning regs for new roofs linked to an article about this at the bottom of the page if you need it.
On new build houses this is planned for at concept when every aspect of design is taken into account by the architect, and it all comes together as a well thought out final package mostly.
Roof ventilation — This picture represents what is considered to be the best way to ventilate a roof space. Different forms of high and low level ventilation are used as well, apart from the soffit vents and ridge vents pictured. Fairly simple stuff, fresh air in, old stale air out. There are some problems that can occur occasionally when applying these same modern standards to older properties though, as their design and build may not always be in sync with a particular type of modern ventilation practice.
An example of this in some circumstances can be soffit vents, and that is covered further down in more detail. Normally, there are two main symptoms that alert a homeowner to the possibility that they may need some type of roof ventilation fitting.
Condensation in the loft or roof space is nearly always noticed late autumn through to early spring, with the worst time being November to February. Sometimes referred to as roof sweating, it can show itself in a very obvious manner, and you may notice small droplets of moisture forming on the underside of your roof undersarking felt, membrane, timber , slates or tiles.
I find these problems are normally noticed on the run up to Christmas as people rummage through the attic space for decorations looking for a christmas tree full of dead spiders. These small beads of water can vary in size and amount, from large beads of water all over the underside of the roof, to small sporadic patches here or there.
Roof condensation — This is a classic example of moisture beading on the underside of the roofs undersarking, the undersarking in this case is traditional slaters or tilers felt. Water beads shiny spots in picture can be larger, smaller, like a mist or sporadic. Damp in roof space — As a general rule of thumb slated or tiled roofs without underslaters felt tend to breathe and ventilate through natural gaps in the slate.
Unfortunately these slates are exceptionally thin and flat, and the mortar torching pointing prevents any air beneficial movement.
Visible damp can be seen on the rafters, laths and in the mortar torching. Another cold weather symptom and giveaway of roof condensation is sometimes a musty smell or black mould growing in or on stored clothes, or cardboard boxes used for storage. Although roof ventilation is obviously a very good idea, loft condensation is not just caused by a lack of ventilation on its own, it can also be a warning sign of excess humidity in the home. Warm moist air from everyday living like cooking, showering and drying clothes rises and can find itself trapped in a loft space that is either unventilated, or simply cannot ventilate at a fast enough rate.
This in turn condensates on cold spots inside your loft, and turns from being warm moist air, back to its liquid state, forming small or large drops of water on cold surfaces depending on how bad the problem is. I find these days roof space condensation has started to become more of a problem thanks to the insulation of both cavity walls, double glazing, and external wall insulation schemes to older properties that were simply not designed with that level of modern insulation in mind.
In the rush to insulate and eradicate cold spots, there is often little thought given to where any moisture created within the home is supposed to go. Warm moist air rises, often the final destination is the roof space. At the other end of the scale to winter we have summer. If smell is strong it indicates a lack of fresh air through air movement. Another common symptom is an extremely hot house or hot upstairs bedrooms in the summer months.
Although we all suffer from this on very warm summer nights, it can be particularly bad in homes without adequate, or indeed any roof ventilation. Large volumes of hot trapped stale air inside the loft space effectively stops any heat from rising upwards and away from the rooms below. The simple answer is that every house, construction and location is different, not only by shape and size but by geographical location and positioning, even in the same street.
This makes an off the shelf one size fits all mathematical solution or a roof ventilation calculator very difficult to achieve with any degree of accuracy. Let me give you a quick example. If you are unsure call in an experienced roofer or architect to evaluate. There are a range You've decided to improve your insulation with insulated plasterboard. Now what size do you need Make your job easier with product guides and how-to project guides, plus keep up-to-date with the latest from cmostores.
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Flexible finance. Product Guide: Roofing Ventilation See all. Table of contents: What are roof vents Benefits of roof vents What issues occur from lack of ventilation? Roof vent compatibility What are roof vents and why do we need them?
What are the benefits of roof vents? Two others are the following: Energy costs reduced Vented roofs allow heat to escape the space more easily. What other issues occur from lack of ventilation?
Types of vents There are a wide variety of roofing vent types available. Roof tile vent A roof tile vent can be universal and very handy when incorporating ventilation into your roof.
Slate tile vent Slate roof vents are also ideal for their installation and range of designs available. Soffit There are two main types you can find at soffit vents — circular and continuous. Fascia Fascia ventilation allows air to pass into the roof space between the felt and fascia board. Dry ridge Dry ridge is mandatory for all new roof installations in the UK. Vent turbines The vent turbine is a fantastic solution for those looking for a more eco-friendly source of ventilation.
How many roof tile vents do I need? Here are calculations you can make to figure out the number of vents you need for your roof: 1. Find the total airflow required. Can roof vents be fitted with any tiles? Was this guide useful? Let us know if you liked the post. Related Product Guides See all Plywood is designed in a variety of thicknesses, lengths and widths to accommodate to a Your recommendations Website Information Learn more about Roofing Superstore, including what we stand for, how to shop with us and all about our delivery policy.
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Last name. Please note: Chouinard Bros. Our technicians are skilled at performing this work and have received years of training to understand how to complete repairs safely. Subscribe to our latest posts and keep in touch! This site requires JavaScript to be enable. The Benefits of Roofing Ventilation By allowing for the circulation of air in your attic, proper ventilation offers a number of advantages.
Prevents moisture buildup in the attic and the mould and mildew growth it can cause Helps prevent ice dams from forming in the winter Moderated temperatures in the attic, which can increase energy efficiency in the rest of the home, lowering heating and cooling costs. Types of Roof Vents As we said, there are intake vents and exhaust vents.
Some examples of vents are: Soffit Vents — Most often the intake vents on the roof, soffit vents are located on the soffit of the roof which is the underside of the overhang of a roof.
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