How Poor Ventilation Can Affect Roof Shingles

Your home’s ventilation system can have a sizable impact on the results of how long your shingles will last. But it’s something that you might really want to know about.

When you let air flow through your roof, you’re actually helping your shingles to stay in decent shape. Many homeowners don’t know about this. But the way that air moves through your attic and roof space can make a real difference in how much faster your shingles will wear out.

We’ve seen firsthand how poor ventilation can damage shingles over time. Hot air gets trapped in your attic during the summer – and this heat can make your shingles break down faster. In the winter, moisture builds up without proper airflow (which can give you some other issues for your roofing materials).

You’ll save money in the long run by paying attention to this typically-ignored part of home maintenance!

The Role of Shingles

Shingles top the list of roofing materials across the United States for a few solid reasons. They can last a long time, don’t cost too much and look nice on most homes. When you put shingles on your roof, you’re creating a shield that prevents rain, snow, hail and those harmful UV rays from damaging your home.

Even though shingles are made to manage tough weather, they won’t last as long as they should if your house doesn’t have good airflow. Your attic and roof need proper ventilation for your shingles to stay in excellent shape. When you make sure your home has enough air moving through it, this’ll allow your shingles to last longer and to be more effective at protecting your house.

How Poor Ventilation Affects Shingles

Your attic and roof need to have decent airflow to keep the temperature in check. If the air can’t move around, heat builds up in your attic during the summer – and this extra heat makes your shingles age faster than they should. You might start seeing some cracks, warping and other damage. Eventually your shingles will lose their protective granules which are needed to shield your roof from the sun’s harmful rays.

When your roof doesn’t have proper ventilation, moisture gets trapped in your attic and causes dampness and water damage. This moisture can work its way into the bottom of your shingles which makes them weak and breaks them down over time. The dampness also helps mold and mildew to grow which harms your roof. But it could make your family sick too.

If you live somewhere cold, poor ventilation can cause ice dams to form on your roof in the winter. The warm air from inside of your house rises and melts the snow on your roof. Then this water freezes again at the edges and creates ice dams. These dams trap water and cause leaks that damage your shingles and let water get into your home.

Your shingles are supposed to lay flat on your roof to create an easy and effective barrier against rain, snow and other weather. But with poor ventilation, they start to warp and buckle because of the changing temperatures and too much moisture. This warping creates gaps between the shingles, letting water seep through and cause more damage to your home.

The last thing to know is that poor ventilation reduces how long your shingles will last. Instead of getting the full 20-30 years from them (depending on what kind you have), bad ventilation might take a few years off of that lifespan. That means you’ll probably need to pay for expensive repairs or replacements much sooner than you had planned.

The Importance of Proper Ventilation

It helps to maintain temperatures balanced throughout your home. When hot air can escape and cooler air can get in, your attic and roof don’t get too hot or too cold.

Proper ventilation also helps to get rid of any extra moisture that might be in your attic. This stops condensation from building up, which means you’re much less likely to end up with water damage.

Your shingles will last a lot longer with solid ventilation. When the conditions around them are just right, they won’t wear out as fast, which safeguards the investment you’ve put into your roof.

You’ll also save on your energy bills too! When ventilation keeps your home at a more steady and consistent temperature, you probably won’t need to crank up the heat or blast the air conditioning as much.

How to Improve Ventilation in Your Home

When you upgrade your home’s ventilation it can help to protect your shingles and keep your whole roof in decent shape. Let me share some tips with you that might make your home’s ventilation even stronger.

You can get started by looking at the ventilation system that you currently have. You’ll want to check around your house to see what types of vents are already in place.

Soffit and ridge vents can team up to create a steady air movement through your attic. You’ll find soffit vents under the eaves where they let the fresh air come in. Ridge vents sit along the top of your roof and they allow the hot air to escape. When you put these two types of vents in your home, it can really assist in how the air moves through it.

Gable vents are located on the triangular ends of your house – and they help the air move from side to side. They work together with other vent types to enhance how the air flows and give you a more balanced ventilation system.

When you make sure that your attic has solid insulation and sealing, it also helps with the ventilation because it stops the heat and moisture from leaking into the rooms where you live. Double-check to ensure that your attic has enough insulation and make sure any gaps or leaky places are all sealed up.

Sometimes you might need to add some ventilation fans to get better airflow in your attic. You can put these fans in the attic itself or up on the roof to help push out the hot air and moisture.

We can get started by looking at your current setup, recommend ways to make it better and help you to get the best ventilation possible for your home!

Conclusion

When you keep your roof well-ventilated, it plays a helpful role in making sure that your shingles and roof stay healthy and last longer. Proper airflow helps to keep the temperature and moisture just right which stops heat from building up, moisture from grabbing hold and ice dams from creating problems on your roof.

We at Roof Republic take care of all your roofing needs with your home’s safety and health as our main focus. This goes for anyone living in or near Houston or Austin, Texas. If you think that your house may have some airflow problems, just reach out to us and we’ll get started on your setup. Our team is always ready to help enhance your home’s ventilation and keep your roof in nice shape for years to come.

Get in touch with Roof Republic to set up a meeting where we can tell you about how to make your home’s airflow better and extend the lifespan of your shingles. We’ll work with you to keep your roof in excellent shape so your home stays safe and feels comfortable.