Proper attic ventilation is key to maintaining good indoor air quality, protecting your roof and regulating interior moisture. It’s also lacking in a lot of homes, and you may not even know it until ice dams form in the winter or you find a nasty surprise in the form of massive mold growth. Here are a few things a ventilation professional can do to improve attic ventilation.
Assess Existing Soffit and Roof Vents
Most attic ventilation relies on a good pairing between soffit vents–that is, those positioned on the underside of the eaves or gables–and the roof vents along your home’s roofline. Air flows in through the soffit vents and back out the roof vents. If either of these are insufficient for your home’s needs, you’ll have inadequate ventilation. Contact a qualified contractor to determine if adding new vents is the right move for your home.
Install High-Efficiency Ventilation Systems
New technology brings a wide range of new solutions for your home, including ways to improve home efficiency. High-efficiency ventilation systems are more expensive to install than traditional vents, but work with sensors that determine the amount of ventilation and when. Many are paired with solar-powered fans that move air through faster without consuming grid electricity. While energy efficient systems have historically been used for commercial and multi-unit applications, they are becoming more and more popular in single-unit residential applications. Discuss your interests and expectations with your ventilation contractor to determine if an energy efficient system would work well in your home.
What You Can Do for Ventilation
As a homeowner, your responsibility to attic ventilation is, essentially, to leave it alone. That is, don’t use your attic for storage or in any way obstruct the existing ventilation system. Check the vents regularly to ensure that they’re free of debris, and have your attic insulation assessed to ensure that you have enough for optimum efficiency in your Broken Arrow home.For more information on how to improve attic ventilation, contact Air Assurance, your premier source for indoor air quality since 1985.
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