In weatherproofing your home, you have to look beyond its exterior.
Indeed, tasks like rain gutter repairs, concrete crack repairs, painting water-damaged walls and repairing rusty fixtures are crucial to keeping your home safe from the elements.
But just as important as paying attention to your home’s exterior is giving ample attention to the indoors.
How do you weatherproof your home indoors?
Through proper roof ventilation.
What is the importance of proper roof ventilation (attic ventilation)?
A home’s attic is often misunderstood and underappreciated. In some homes, the attic is thought of as another storage area. Some think that with proper work and a little imagination, the attic can be converted into something more functional like a guest room or a home office.
But in most homes, attics play a crucial role in keeping the home nice and comfy, no matter what the season is.
First, go back to your basic science lessons. Remember that hot air rises up. In an ordinary home, heat can rise up to the attic as the sun continues to shine and give warmth. Over time, the attic becomes filled up with hot air and this heat begins to make its way to the other parts of the home. In turn, this raises the temperature inside the home. Unfortunately, heat does not readily dissipate, especially during successive sunny days.
When this happens, the first instinct of the residents inside the home is to crank up the AC which can increase energy bills as well as put undue stress on the HVAC system.
Additionally, the moisture in the hot air can collect in the attic. The combination of both hot air and condensation can damage the roof and facilitate the entry of mold and mildew into your home.
Through proper ventilation and insulation, these problems can be kept at bay. A well-designed ventilation system can facilitate the flow of cool air into your home while carrying hot air out of the attic.
But what about during the cooler months?
During the cooler months, heat may be the least of your problems. However, the cool weather still poses the challenge of moisture. Because of the colder weather, the attic becomes cooler which gives heat more room to occupy, bringing moisture along with it.
Without proper ventilation, you can crank up the heater and still feel cold inside your home. That is because the heat goes into the attic. Now, when more moisture goes up in the attic, it can potentially wreck the roof deck and the shingles which can translate to a major rebuild of the entire roof. It is also possible for the moisture to drip into the insulation and wind its way into the wood, causing it to rot or attract mold and mildew.
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