Too Much Soffit Attic Ventilation

A wind turbine catches the wind and spins a fan which pulls hot air outside.

Too much soffit attic ventilation.

Can you have too much ventilation in your attic. Homeowners can too easily inadvertently block them when insulating the attic. All it takes to grow mold in your attic is stagnant humid air. For most of us the attic is a place to store clothes luggage and old family photos but for energy researchers it s a hot topic of discussion.

Ventilation of attic spaces is required by most building codes as well as by roofing material manufacturers and the national roofing contractors association nrca. The two main dangers associated with too much ventilation involve roof damage and increased utility bills. Ventilation can be accomplished using various products and techniques. There can be more soffit ventilation but never less soffit ventilation than ridge ventilation for new and remodeled construction i recommend installing a ridge vent and that all the soffits.

With a power switch or a thermostat installation an attic fan can be turned on to let hot air from the attic out. Let owens corning roofing help you calculate exactly how much ventilation you will need for a healthy and balanced attic with our 4 step ventilation calculator. While effective at pulling in cooler air the biggest problem posed by this type of soffit vents is their positioning. Venting a homes attic is a very important best building practices will say 50 at the ridge and 50 at the soffits unobstructed.

Roof ventilation keeps the air moving and stops mold from growing but too much ventilation can be just as bad as having none. Dangers of too much ventilation. Before we explore how to ventilate an attic space it is prudent to understand how much ventilation is needed. Most building codes require a ratio of 1 150 ventilation space to attic floor space.

If a roofing contractor is going to be out of balance with the attic ventilation system it s better to have too much intake than too much exhaust because the excess intake converts to exhaust on the leeward side of the house. To find out how many soffit vents you need to install. Enter square footage calculate or enter the square footage of the attic or area to be vented. What happens is people put too many products on their roof.

Calculate the total vent area needed multiply the length of the attic times the width in feet to find the attic area then divide by 150 to find the total square feet of vent space needed. And when you put too many products on your roof that s improper ventilation. Length x width of attic in feet 150 total sq.