How To Ventilate Your Attic

Your actual living space is sealed.

How to ventilate your attic.

A hot ceiling tells you that the attic is acting like a solar oven. Here are four signs of an unventilated or under ventilated attic. To properly ventilate an attic two types of vents are needed. Hot air exhaust vents located at the peak of the roof allow hot air to escape.

If there are asphalt shingles on your roof the attic must be ventilated to comply with the terms of the. The venting space should be equally divided between intake. That said air resistance and interference such as vent grates reduces the area of true ventilation. Begin by making sure your existing system works photos 1 and 3 plugging major air leaks into the attic photo 2 and correcting any other of the common causes of poor attic venting.

If you don t see any attic vents on the roof or in the eaves you need to add some. Don t avoid ventilating your attic for fear you re letting cold air into the house. 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. Look at your eaves and roof.

Intake vents which are located at the down slope edge of the roof aka eave s and allow fresh air into the attic. Rafter vents should be placed in your attic ceiling in between the rafters at the point where your attic ceiling meets your attic floor. A portable air conditioner is the easiest solution for cooling your attic. You can also contact your local municipality to check on building code in your area.

Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool air to enter the attic. Most building codes require a ratio of 1 150 ventilation space to attic floor space. Obviously more research is needed but here s what we do know. Portable air conditioners do need to be vented to pump the hot air outside.

If you have either ice dams or moisture buildup improve your attic ventilation. Before we explore how to ventilate an attic space it is prudent to understand how much ventilation is needed. A sign of roof leaks from ice damming or other causes. Calculate net free vent space building codes typically require 1 square foot of venting space for every 150 square feet of attic space.

Once they are in place you can then place the batts or blankets or blow insulation right out to the very edge of the attic floor. Ventilation of attic spaces is required by most building codes as well as by roofing material manufacturers and the national roofing contractors association nrca. Touch your ceiling on a warm sunny day.