Why Are Most Attics In Minnesota Vented
But before you cut any holes plan the locations of the attic vents.
Why are most attics in minnesota vented. Once a contractor knows the attic square footage the amount of necessary attic ventilation. Install the attic vent cover. In the summer natural air flow in a well vented attic moves super heated air out of the attic protecting roof shingles and removing moisture. In order to facilitate this exchange of warm and cool air the general rule.
If you have a high pitched roof the vented attic system may make the most economic sense since there is less area to spray the foam. That said air resistance and interference such as vent grates reduces the area of true ventilation. Generally speaking you need a ratio of 1 300 where for every 300 square feet of ceiling space you need 1 square foot of attic ventilation. Most homeowners and builders believe that attics should be vented.
Apply roof cement where shingles meet the vent. The most common mistake homeowners make when installing insulation is to block the flow of air at the eaves. The starting point for any attic ventilation project is always what is the size of the attic space to be vented the international residential building code irc defines attic size in terms of its square footage length x width floor of the attic. Let s take a quick look at the pros and cons of the vented attic system.
Venting ventilation home insulation contractors minnesota. In other words the entire vent opening doesn t count as vented space. Unfortunately it s highly unlikely that the statements you hear will be true. In cold climates the primary purpose of attic or roof ventilation is to maintain a cold roof temperature to control ice dams created by melting snow and to vent moisture that moves from the conditioned space to the attic ventilation acts to bypass the vapour barrier created by most roof.
Throughout the balance of this digest the terms attic and roof will and can be used interchangeably. Many homes already have attic vents in place that can be used. Disaster resistance roofs over unvented attics are less likely to be blown off in high winds because the wind cannot readily enter the attic. Inadequate venting in your attic causes all sorts of problems from wood rot to mildew peeling exterior paint rusty nails screws roofing problems and even energy loss.
Add a dab of cement to secure the shingles to the attic vent cover base. Adding attic vents is a simple matter of cutting holes and installing vents. Moisture resistance the attic will stay dry avoiding problems with mold and wood rot and thus can serve as living or storage space. Taking advantage of this natural process referred to as passive ventilation is the most common way to vent an attic.
How much ventilation does an attic need. If you walk down to your local lumberyard and lean on the counter the employees and nearby customers will offer a variety of opinions about why attics need to be vented. Efficient especially if ductwork is in the attic rudd 2005.