Roof Vent installation

Recently you might have noticed ice dams, moisture or even leaking in your attic and when you had a roofing contractor take a look at it, you were told it’s an issue with either the roof vents or how they were installed. The good news is you don’t have to replace your whole roof but the bad news is that you might have to consider new roof vent installation or repair. Roofers Richmond Hill will provide you with answers to your questions, assess the situation and provide professional recommendations. In the meantime, here is what you need to know about roof vent installation, some issues to consider and what kind of vent is the best option for you.
 
Mixed Exhaust Vents
For proper ventilation, a house is supposed to have a mixture of high and low vents, which would provide the perfect intake and output of air however that isn’t always the case. In theory, the low vents would be intake vents while the high ones would be the exhaust ones. This all depends on how the wind blows, so if there isn’t enough wind then this kind of system might not provide the desired ventilation. In most circumstances, it will, though, so you are likely ok if you have mixed vents. Exhaust vents come in different varieties: ridge vents, turbine vents, box vents or powered vents. The most important part here is to make sure you have both intake and exhaust vents but you should only have one type of exhaust vent.
 
Under or Over Ventilating
Ventilation is vital to ensure moisture doesn’t build up under the shingles or in your attic, but there is such a thing as over ventilating the roof. Too many intake or exhaust vents means you won’t have the right amount of either one. This can be related to a car: when it’s hot in the car a driver will roll down the windows to allow cooler air in but when it gets cold outside the driver keeps the windows up to make sure all the warm air stays inside the car. If you have too many intake vents the cold air will get in; and likewise, without enough exhaust vents the hot air will stay trapped inside.
 
Crooked Vent Installation
If you’re selecting turbine vents as your exhaust vent then it’s imperative the contractor installs them perfectly level. If they aren’t installed level then they might not work, and that might cause large issues down the line. Before installing turbine vents the attic must be completely sealed off – preferably professionally sealed – otherwise it’s not advisable to even have this kind of exhaust vent.
 
Vents Letting in Animals
There are some vent types that will let in bugs, moisture or even small animals if they aren’t installed properly so this can be a huge problem. To prevent this from happening the vents have to be installed properly. Without proper installation, even unwanted moisture can get in which means mold will build up and that can cause rot or disintegration of the structure of your roof.
 
All of that is great, but what does this mean for you? Are there different kinds of vents? How do you know which one you do have, and which one you should have? You might also have some questions about the kinds of vents available to you, or even which vent is the best one for you. Here are the options available for you for roof ventilation, and the benefits of each one.
 
Box Vents
This kind of vent is a static vent which means that there aren’t any moving parts to assist the air moving around and they are installed over a hole cut in the roof. This kind of vent basically just creates a hole in the roof for air to escape through, and it relies on natural convection to move the air out. While they do allow the most amount of heat and moisture to be released, they are limited in the effectiveness and therefore multiple of them are needed on a roof for proper ventilation
 
Turbines
These vents are not static, and they move moving parts but no motors. They rely on wind to power them and keep them moving. This kind of vent moves more air out of the attic or home, provided that there’s wind to power them. If there isn’t any wind they’re pretty ineffective and might even cause air to become stagnant or moisture to stay in unwanted places. Like many vents, these are available in different quality levels but you can purchase options with plastic bushings or permanently lubricated parts so you won’t have to listen to the parts squeaking in the wind if they’re a few years old.
 
Power Vents
As the name suggests these vents have powered, moving parts in the form of fans which turn on to draw air and moisture up and out of the house. They come in many colours, so you can purchase ones which will match the colour of your roof if you’d like to. The higher quality versions also can come with adjustable thermostats so that the fans will turn on when the area underneath reaches a certain temperature and shut off when the area has successfully cooled down.
 
Most versions of this kind of vent are wired into the house, so they will run off of the house’s electrical, but you can purchase options with their own built in solar panel so they will harvest solar energy and power themselves. Most power vents are relatively quiet and are pretty effective when compared to their counterparts. However the downside to that is if the unit is quiet when it’s running that can mean the unit may stop working and the homeowner would never know, so months could pass without proper ventilation and cause issues with moisture or mold build up in the attic.
 
While there are multiple kinds of vents, each with their own benefit it is really important to have this discussion with Roofers Richmond Hill to determine the best recommendations for your home. Roof vent installation, if done correctly, will ensure your home likely doesn’t see the issues brought on moisture build up, ice dams or even mold. However if the vents aren’t properly installed there could be serious issues down the road. It’s important you discuss all of your options with the roofing contractor and make sure you do your research so you know which one is right for your home.