Monday, November 30, 2015

About Roof Closure Vent Advantages

By Brenda Warner


People can live in a house and not know some of its components. You may not even know what a roof closure vent is and why you need it. This is part of a system of ventilation to allow air trapped under your roofing to be expelled. If you don't have a system to let this trapped air flow out, you may be letting your house in for future problems.

Those of us who have no idea what this ventilation device does or why we would want one should understand a few basics. A roof is designed to withstand extremes of weather and temperature. People have traditionally used dark materials in cold regions (to attract and hold heat from the sun) and light-colored ones in hot ones, to send the sun's heat back up. This handles temperatures, but there are other considerations.

Apparently air inside your house rises into the space under the roof, bringing moisture with it. Warm air holds more moisture than cold. So if warm air rises, and the roofing is cooler, droplets of water form on the underside. If the roofing is vented, outside air flows in and disperses this moisture before it can damage insulation, shingles, or metal.

The primary purpose of a vent is to let air in and out. Vents under the eaves - 'soffit vents' - allow outside air to be drawn in to replace air flowing out of vents along the ridge. The exchange is caused by wind moving across the top of the house. The process is fairly simple if the house has a straight, pitched roofline. It gets more complicated in modern homes with many gables and additions.

Of course, a simple opening down low and another higher up would work. However, you don't want a hole in your roof. Rain and snow are one problem. Others include insects (like a homeless swarm of bees), small mammals like squirrels or bats, or birds who the protected space just right for raising a family. Vents should have baffles or screens to keep everything out but air.

There are many vents on the market. Some are advertised as very easy to install, coming in one piece with adhesive patches that will fix the unit in place. Look for guarantees, too. The vents may be guaranteed to last as long as the roof they are installed in. There are two-piece units as well, and some venting goes all along the ridge of the house.

Some people say that venting is not necessary or even counter-productive. Apparently many roofing manufacturers see value in the practice, though; not venting your roof can void the warranty. Venting is easiest during construction, although individual units can be installed at any time. Care must be taken that intake and outflow are balanced. If not enough air can be drawn in from outside, air will be pulled from the interior of the home. This increases energy costs.

It's a simple enough idea: Draw wet, warm air out, pull fresh, drier air in. At the same time, keep crawling or flying things out, as well as rain and snow.




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