Attic Vents During Winter

This is important in colder climates with heavy winter precipitation.

Attic vents during winter.

Your attic vents perform another job than just releasing excess heat during the summer. If the attic is too warm during the winter the precipitation frozen on your roof will melt drip down to your gutters and then refreeze. Doing so in attempts to keep cold air out disrupts attic ventilation leading to moisture issues. Because heat rises people believe that ventilating your attic during the winter must mean you are letting hot air out.

Open vents also ensure that cold air can enter into the attic during winter. Too many people believe that because heat rises ventilating an attic space during the winter means you re releasing warm air and creating a drag on your heating efficiency. If this is true you ve got bigger problems to worry about than letting warm air escape from your home. When it comes to installing roof ventilation most people think of the benefits a vent can offer during the hot months of summer drawing hot humid air out of the house to keep the house cooler and to reduce the burden on the air conditioning system but that s just one half of the story.

If you see dampness or frost you need better roof ventilation and some attic vents. They also release excess moisture from your attic during the winter. It s well worth it to keep those vents open and keep moisture out during the winter. This is a common misconception.

Believe it or not the cold temperatures outside combined with the warm air down below mean that there can be an excessive amount of moisture building up in your attic during the cold. Make sure the space between the top of insulation and the roof deck s underside is clear. Doesn t warm air release through attic vents in the winter. For the best results place roof ventilation near the roof s peak and soffit vents in the eaves.

By covering the turbine in winter this effect is lost and moisture can quickly build up in the attic causing structural damage and increasing the chances of mold and mildew. During cold winter months the attic vent fan is not necessary. If your roof vents have been damaged replace them as well as crushed ridge vents to aid in proper ventilation. This accumulation of ice can end up breaking your gutters.

Do not cover your attic vents for the winter. Grab a flashlight and inspect your attic during the winter. Air flows in through the soffit vents and out through the roof vents. And the extra heat is not just a summer concern come winter hot attic air can melt snow on the roof during the day only to refreeze when temperatures drop overnight creating ice dams that lead.

Roof turbines not only work to remove hot air from summer attics they also provide ventilation to reduce moisture. Vents come in various styles.