05may09b2a14More and bigger might be desirable in some things, but often it's not the best, especially when it comes to things like roof ventilation.

You can have too much ventilation in the roof, and this can cause the roofing and other building materials that were installed to not work correctly.  Too much ventilation can throw off the air flow of the home. Heat can be directed into the attic, and this is going to make your cooling system work even harder to cool it down. Not only that, but moisture can be a problem when there is a lot of ventilation in the attic. Mold  or other fungus that can grow in warm, moist conditions. This is a dangerous thing to come across in any home and can harm the integrity of the house structure as well as be a health threat.

You want to decrease the amount you spend on heating and cooling each month, and having the proper amount (and type) of ventilation around your roof is a big part of that. To make sure that your home is ventilated the way that it should be, consider speaking with a MN roofing contractor that is able to look at the attic and home type that you have and then decide what would be a good solution for it.

Different Types of Roofing Ventilation

Reflexive Ventilation

In order to remain cool the attic of a home with asphalt shingles, this type of ventilation is usually used. When air moves high above, reflexive venting is able to cool the area down with the help of fans in different areas to help force the air into different spots to better cool the home. The vents are put at the base to allow cool air in and then push the hot air up to the vents above.

Power-Driven Ventilation

This is a good system to have installed if the reflexive ventilation system is not enough or if the attic is hot throughout the day. It uses small motors that are mounted near the vents to drag hot air up and out of a gap placed high up in the attic. The eaves of the home have to have enough intake vents in order for this system to work correctly; this is because the air might miss the vents entirely.

Combining These Two Systems

This is not something that should be done because it would just move the air around and not actually serve a purpose. If the attic is too hot, you want one effective system without having to worry about needing to add more to it. Also, some roof warranties might actually be voided if both systems are installed at the same time, so you might want to consider this before adding them together.

Roof ventilation isn't recommended as a DIY project, because so many different factors are involved other cooling your attic.  Speak with a roofing professional regarding the right ventilation system for your roof.  Here at Quarve, we are a Minneapolis and St. Paul MN roofing contractor, and we've been helping Twin Cities homeowners keep a good roof over their heads for over 30 years.