Does Your Denver Roof Have Proper Ventilation?
December 4, 2015
Most homeowners often look to the sky for potential damage to their roofs. It makes sense; the whole reason we have a roof is to keep out the natural environment, so any damage will caused by exposure to the sun, rain, sleet, hail, snow, and high winds, leading to Denver roof repair. But, often overlooked is the importance having proper ventilation for the roof of your home. Using ventilation to control the temperature will help to maintain the health and increase life of your roof. You want outside air flowing through the underside of the roof, and warm, moist air to be able to escape.
With proper roof ventilation, your home will be warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, and will be reflected in your monthly utility bills. Contact The Roof Dr. today to find out if you have the proper ventilation in your roof.
Go Back - Roof Vents: It only takes one summer in Colorado to know being a mile closer to sun makes a massive difference. The intense heat on the roof, and the hot air it creates, needs to be ventilated. Since warm air is less dense than cool air, we have an ally in helping it rise naturally. In order to allow all of that heated air to escape, you’ll want to install some roof vents. These can be a vent placed in strategic areas on the face of the roof near the ridge, or a ridge vent. While there are only two types, they come in several shapes and sizes to make it easy finding one to match the style of your home.
- Soffit Vents: Also referred to as Eave Vents, these are used to replace the hot air being removed. They can be literal vents like those in the walls or floors of most homes, or holes or slits cut into the soffit covers. Soffit vents allow the cooler air outside to flow under the roof, replacing the warm air escaping through the vents.
- Baffles: You may be asking yourself how vents will allow for insulation. After all, the Colorado winters can be long and brutal. The answer is Baffles. They are long, U-shaped sheets of foam or plastic. They are secured to the backside of the roof decking, in between the rafters. Baffles allow air between the roof and insulation. They create an unobstructed flow of air under the roof decking. Doing so provides you the ability to install insulation without blocking the flow of air under the roof.
- Ice Damming: Winters in the Denver are fairly typical; we get freezing temperatures and snowfall followed by a couple of days of above freezing temps and abundant sunshine. This is a perfect recipe for creating ice dams. Ice dams are formed when pockets of snow melt over warmer sections of the roof. The water flows down the roof until it reaches a cooler section and then re-freezes. The ice creates a ridge, catching more water, freezing it, thus enlarging the ridge. The bigger the ridge, the more water is prevented from draining off the roof.
With proper roof ventilation, your home will be warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, and will be reflected in your monthly utility bills. Contact The Roof Dr. today to find out if you have the proper ventilation in your roof.