San Antonio, TX, homeowners know there’s no shortage of issues to worry about when it comes to their homes. From plumbing to paintwork to just keeping things clean and orderly, there is a lot to keep track of concerning your living space.
One item that drops off of a lot of homeowners’ to-do lists? Checking in on attic ventilation. While it may not seem like that big of a deal, your attic ventilation impacts many details, including your indoor air quality and utility bills, and it can even affect your home’s structure.
Keep reading to learn more about attic ventilation, why it’s essential, and how to improve it.
Why Attic Ventilation Is Important
No matter the time of year, poor ventilation wreaks havoc on:
- Structure
- Indoor air quality
- Indoor comfort
- Utility bills
When there is too much heat in your attic, it can curl your shingles and damage your roof, leading to you having to shell out money for an early roof replacement or roof repair job.
In the winter, this excess heat in the attic can melt ice, which can then create an ice dam, blocking proper water drainage on your roof and flooding your shingles.
At the very least, improper ventilation will throw a wrench in your HVAC’s ability to moderate temperatures.
When all that hot air sits in the attic and can’t channel out, it eventually spreads to other areas of your home, leading to improper heating and cooling and poor overall temperature control. As a result, your HVAC system will strain itself, and you’ll see this strain reflected in spiked utility bills.
But there’s more. When hot air has too much moisture, mold and fungi spores can grow on walls and eventually get circulated in your HVAC system.
With proper ventilation, this moisture-laden air gets flushed out before mold and fungi have a chance to grow. With poor ventilation, it sits in one spot, travels into your HVAC system, and gets re-circulated into the rest of your home’s air.
All in all, proper ventilation is key to a safe, properly functioning home. Contact a nearby roofer for more information on how proper ventilation can keep your home safe.
Symptoms of Poor Attic Ventilation
When you’re not well-versed in the symptoms of poor ventilation, it can be easy to ignore the signs of suboptimal attic airflow. But once you equip yourself with knowledge of the signs and symptoms, you can spot problems from a mile away.
The symptoms of poor ventilation drastically differ between seasons. Of course, there are general symptoms such as poor temperature control, a spike in utility bills, and decreased indoor air quality.
But many of the symptoms you see in the summer will be much different than the symptoms in the winter. Learn about the symptoms by season so you can know what to look for and when.
The Summer Season
When that San Antonio, TX, sun beats down in the middle of summer, the heat it produces is no joke. If that heat gets trapped in your attic and it’s hot outside, you can expect to see symptoms like a hot ceiling or curled shingles.
The Winter Season
As it gets colder in San Antonio, TX, the cold temperatures outside mixed with too-hot temperatures in your attic can lead to disastrous problems. If you have poor attic ventilation and it’s during the winter, you can expect to see symptoms like:
- Ice buildup on your roofs’ eaves
- Condensation on your attic ceiling
- Frost on your attic ceiling
If you notice these signs in conjunction with some of the general symptoms like a spike in utility bills, it’s safe to say your attic needs attention. Contact a helpful roofing company for a better understanding of your attic’s ventilation.
How to Improve Your Attic Ventilation
Thankfully, there are steps you can take to improve your attic’s airflow. Installing roof vents is a common way to combat poor ventilation. When heat is present, it naturally rises; by installing a roof vent at the top of your attic, you can naturally circulate that hot air out of your attic.
Another common tool is to install bottom ventilation methods like Soffit vents. These vents lay on the bottom of your attic and target ventilation from underneath. When roof vents are used in tandem with Soffit vents, your attic enjoys an equal distribution of incoming air and air exiting your attic.
Finding a helpful roofing company is key to your success in improving your attic ventilation. While it may seem like an easy enough task to complete on your own, enlisting the services of an experienced roofer will better arm your attic against the pitfalls of poor ventilation.
Call a Nearby Roofer for Better Attic Ventilation
If you’re a homeowner in San Antonio, TX, looking for a reliable roofing company, give Bondoc Roofing a call today for all of your ventilation needs. We’ll send a professional technician to your property to survey your current ventilation setup as well as develop a comprehensive strategy on how to improve your attic’s airflow. Call Bondoc Roofing today to schedule your attic consultation!
