No Vents In Attic

The design of many older houses omits eaves which maximizes the amount of sunlight.

No vents in attic.

Obviously more research is needed but here s what we do know. The airflow from the soffits to the ridge vent keeps the roof cool and prevents ice dams and the material will block that flow. For the same reason insulation shouldn t touch the roof s underside. This moisture is released into the air inside the house from bathing cooking plants laundry and other causes.

For proper ventilation it isn t enough for air to simply get into your attic. Look at your eaves and roof. Your roof vents may not look anything like the ones shown in this article. If you don t see any attic vents on the roof or in the eaves you need to add some.

You can use a shingle over vent at the bottom or mid roof mid roof being higher up than the potential ice damming. If there are asphalt shingles on your roof the attic must be ventilated to comply with the terms of the. The majority of roofing experts agree that ridge vents are the most effective and cost effective roof vents available. Your roof may have a ridge vent which is a low profile continuous roof air vent running along the peak of the roof.

A combination of air sealing and insulating the attic floor while providing ventilation considerably reduces the potential for condensation as warm moist air is less likely to enter the space and condense on cold surfaces. Covering up the soffit vents with loose fill or batts which can happen if you stuff insulation along the eaves is a huge no no. Problems when roof has no overhang. Without adequate ventilation moisture rises with the hot air and forms condensation on the inside of the roof deck.

Focus on the other ventilation you have in the attic. Your actual living space is sealed. Gable vents may circulate air through only a small percentage of your attic. Without baffles blinders that prevent outside air from crossing over the vent a ridge vent may create almost no ventilation at all.

Ice damming is caused by the warmer attic space melting the snow down to the cooler eaves where it freezes. Properly vented attic space will not do that because its theoretically the same temp as it is outside. Don t avoid ventilating your attic for fear you re letting cold air into the house. On the principle that hot air rises the accumulated heat and moisture would rise to the attic and out the roof vents.

If you are installing a new roof consider a drip edge vent. Install low gable vents located above the top level of the attic ceiling insulation use eye brow vents that are on the top of the sloping roof surface near the soffit eave area.