As a homeowner, you must understand that your roof is much more than just the roofing materials you install. Other parts, also known as the roof components, play a crucial role in your roof and home’s functioning.
One such component that homeowners do not generally talk about is the roof vent. If you are wondering what a roof vent is and how it can improve your home, then you’re in the right place. Our experts at A. Fricker Roofing & Waterproofing has been helping homeowners improve their roofing system for years. Today we will discuss all there is to know about roof vents.
What Is A Roof Vent?
A roof vent is a type of roof component that involves a system of intake, and exhaust vents that are responsible for improving your home’s ventilation. These roof vents are connected to the peak and eaves of the roof and help regulate airflow throughout the attic space.
Just as we breathe to get clean air, the roofing vents of your home allow the attic to breathe in the fresh air and let out warm air, helping to maintain adequate air circulation. Ultimately, you want the temperature and humidity levels within your attic to match the air outside.
How Does A Roof Vent Work?
The roof vent is a simple but effective way to help your home stay cool and dry during the summer.
A roof vent allows the hot air that’s risen and built up inside the attic to escape through a pipe or vent installed near the roof’s peak. Intake vents are installed on the eaves of the roof and allow cool air from outside to flow in and replace the hot air that has escaped through the roof vent on the peak.
Why Is Ventilation Important?
If your attic is not ventilated and remains closed up it will lead to a buildup of hot air. Since there is no outlet, the air will settle in the attic and increase the temperature of your home, and cause further issues. This is why roof ventilation is important to the health and safety of your home. It helps your home run more efficiently.
Below are some of the reasons why roof ventilation is essential for your home:
Proper Ventilation Can Reduce Mold Growth
Mold and mildew can be a health hazard. This harmful fungus grows in unventilated attics due to excess moisture, which makes the environment unsuitable for the homeowner. The spores they produce can cause respiratory problems, allergies, infections, and other illnesses. To ensure you and your family remain safe from these harmful effects, it’s very important to ensure your attic has proper ventilation so mold and mildew don’t have an opportunity to grow.
Reduce Your Energy Bills
Roof ventilation also helps in reducing the cost of your energy bills. The warm air that’s risen into the attic sits there without proper ventilation, and this hot air will eventually find its way to the other parts of the home, making them hotter.
Roof vents are an inexpensive way to improve the comfort level in your home by reducing temperatures during warm weather, and the amount of air conditioning you’ll need to compensate for the trapped heat.
Extend The Life Of The Roof
One of the major benefits of roof ventilation is that it can extend the life of your roof and roofing materials. If the attic is overheated, this heat will also pass through the underlayment and the shingles. This hot air then leads to the deterioration of the roofing materials and can cause shingles to crack. Proper attic ventilation will reduce this issue.
Also, the roofing materials aren’t as likely to become brittle in the cold or damaged by ice or wind when there’s plenty of air circulating around them.
Prevent Ice Dams
If you live in a colder area, ventilation for your attic can help reduce the number of ice dams on your roof and prevent leaks in the ceiling. Ice dams are caused when the snow melts off the peak of your roof and refreezes on the edge, creating the dam. The melted water then begins to pool and seep under the shingles of your roof, which causes further damage. With the proper roof vents in place, heat will be evenly distributed in your attic space and prevent this issue from occurring.
During the winter snow commonly piles up and covers the roof. If you notice the snow has piled up on your neighbors’ roofs, but yours is completely bare, this may also be a sign of inadequate, or no roofing ventilation in your home.
Types Of Roof Vents
As seen in the section above, roof vents are essential to your home and serve many purposes. Now let us take a look at the different types of roof ventson the market.
As we discussed above, you can classify roof vents into two broad categories based on their purpose. The following are examples of these types:
- Exhaust Vents
- Intake Vents
Exhaust Vents
Exhaust vents are also known as outtake vents and are usually placed at the topmost peak of the roof. The exhaust vents form a crucial part of the home’s ventilation system, and as the word suggests, these roofing vents are responsible for exhausting the warm air that’s built up in your attic space by pushing the hot air out, while making room for colder air to enter.
Here are some examples of exhaust vents that you can use in your home.
Ridge Vents
Ridge vents are one of the most common types of roof vents available on the market, and most homeowners install them on their homes.
This roofing vent is installed at the peak of the roof, along the roof’s ridge. The vent usually runs along the entire ridge line between the two sides of the roof.
The ridge vent is a standard feature on the roof of homes designed to allow airflow through the roof to prevent a buildup of moisture and heat that can cause damage to the structure.
Turbines
Roof turbines are another practical choice of exhaust vents that help to circulate air. This type of roof vent is also known as a spinning fan or ‘whirley bird’. Wind turbines are eco-friendly as they do not require electricity to work, but instead are powered by the convection of hot air in the attic. Some turbine blades are built to rotate with the wind, and these rotating blades use the breeze to pull the warm air outside.
Generally, the turbines are used on roofs with a larger area, such as commercial and industrial properties, but they are also slowly gaining attention in the residential roofing industry.
The roof turbines can pull hot air out of the attic faster than other vents. However, many homeowners are concerned that its structure makes it possible for insects and pests to enter.
Power Vents
These electric-powered vents are more powerful than other options as they run on electricity and can also be manually controlled. They use electricity to power a fan that pushes air out of your home or business.
They’re great for larger homes and allow you to control the amount of air your home’s exhaust system pulls out of your house. Most electricity-powered vents even come with a remote control that you can use to program them.
Solar Roof Vents
Solar energy is in pretty high demand nowadays. Its use is constantly increasing as homeowners push for sustainable options in their roofing materials and products. Luckily, there are roof vent options that can also be powered with the help of solar power.
Solar roof vents are a new and innovative way to vent your roof. Unlike electric-powered vents, these use the sun’s energy to charge and push the warm air away. They work by harnessing the sun’s power to cool your attic and help circulate air in your home. This type of vent is most helpful to those who live in climates with frequent sunlight which will provide more power to the vent, and keep it running longer.
Intake Vents
Intake vents are the second type of roof vent you’ll find in a home, and they complement the work done by exhaust vents. While the exhaust vents push the warm air out, the intake vents draw cool air into the home. They typically have an adjustable grille, and some intake vents can be mounted on either the gable end of a house or the side wall.
Here are some of the standard intake vents:
Soffit Vents
Soffit vents are one of the most common types of roof vents. They are installed on the soffit, which is the space that covers the underside of the eaves. The soffit vents have small holes that allow air to flow into your attic from outside. This reduces hot spots in your home and energy bills by increasing the amount of cooling that happens naturally.
No other roof vent provides you with as many customization options as soffit vents. Soffits are available in many materials, including metal, vinyl, wood, and fiber cement. These are also available in various patterns, and you can use them for areas other than the attic.
The two popular types of soffit vents include individual, and continuous, soffit vents.
For years soffit vents have been used to complement the ridge vents located on the roof’s peak.
Gable Vents
Gable vents are not as popular now as they once were, but many homeowners with a gable-style roof still prefer these traditional vents. Gable vents are the most common roof vent after the soffit vent, and the manufacturer will typically install them on the gable-end walls.
Unlike the other roof vents, the gable vents use horizontal ventilation, and these are installed on both ends of the home.
Things To Consider Before Installing A Roof Vent
Roof vents are a great way to keep your home cool, but they can also cause problems if they’re not installed correctly. Before installing a roof vent in your home, here are some things you should consider:
- The size of your roof.
- The material that you have installed.
- The area of the attic space.
Want To Get The Best Attic Ventilation Services?
If you want to improve your home’s overall ventilation system, look no further than the team at A. Fricker Roofing & Waterproofing. We believe that every homeowner should have access to professional services, especially when it comes time to install new vents in their homes. We want to help them breathe easier, knowing their families are kept safe.
Our experienced team offers the installation of the best roof vents in the Tulsa area, no matter the type of home or roofing material you have installed. We offer roof ventilation and other roofing and home improvement services, so your home stays in the best condition possible. Contact us at, (918) 402-7167 to book a free roof inspection today!
