Roof Ventilation Mistakes an Experienced Contractor Can Help You Avoid

The shingles are not the only important part of your roof. Underlayment, flashing, and ventilation for your new roof are all critical parts of a roof, which is why you shouldn’t try to DIY roofing projects.

Here are some ventilation mistakes that an experienced contractor can help you avoid.

1. Not Checking Old Ventilation Patterns

When you have a new roof installed, you can’t just assume that the old ventilation system is good enough. Your old ventilation may have worked for the old roof but may not be sufficient or up to code when you install a new roof. And the old system may not offer enough ventilation to optimize roof efficiency and help you create a cool roof.

n addition, the old roof vents could be clogged up by cobwebs or have some other problems, so you should always have your contractors inspect them when you have roof work done. Inspection is especially important during a new roof installation, because the shingles’ manufacturer warranty likely requires proper ventilation in order to stay valid.

2. Installing Additional Vents That Disrupt Ventilation

Increasing your roof’s ventilation may be necessary and helpful, but adding a new type of vent isn’t always a great idea. In some cases, new types of vents don’t play well with the vents currently on your roof.

For example, if your roof’s ventilation system is designed to draw air through soffit vents and vent it out through gable vents, the addition of a turbine vent may not be appropriate. A strong turbine vent could draw air in through a gable vent, short-circuiting the ventilation process so the lower end of the roof deck isn’t aired out.

Hiring a contractor who’s experienced with ventilation can help here. Talk to your contractor about the current ventilation setup and how to add more vents in a way that will affect the air currents for the better, providing more complete ventilation.

3. Adding Insulation That Blocks Vents

One easy-to-make mistake is stuffing the attic so full of insulation that air can’t circulate through soffit vents. Sometimes homeowners install this insulation themselves, but other times they hire roofing or insulation contractors to improve the home’s energy efficiency by adding insulation.

Any part of the roof deck that has insulation touching it can’t be properly ventilated because air can’t get between the deck and the insulation. Choosing a more compact type of insulation that allows you to leave room between the insulation and the roof deck may help.

Another option is to install rafter vents, also known as insulation baffles. Make sure you get the right size baffles so that each section of roof deck gets the maximum amount of air circulation.

4. Leaving Vents Open to Pests

Many pests enter attics through the roof vents. Even if your vents have some type of covering, pests may often still enter. For instance, a nylon screen won’t keep out rodent pests that have extreme chewing powers. The trick is to use the right type of screen: a wire mesh screen that rodents can’t chew through.

And even a wire mesh screen won’t keep out smaller pests, such as termites, unless it’s a very dense screen such as 20-mesh. Talk to your contractor about which metal screens can keep termites out and whether or not you’ll need to increase vent area to counteract any slowing of the airflow.

Whether you need a roof installed, diagnosed, or repaired, or whether you just need ventilation improvements on your existing roof, give us a call today to learn more. Jerry Newman Roofing & Remodeling Inc will be glad to help.