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There are many components that go into replacing a quality asphalt shingle roof that will last a lifetime. Some may think that the construction and manufacturer’s roofing materials are the most important pieces of our new roof. Others may think the way the product is installed by a manufacturer certified roofer is the most important component, or that a good lifetime warranty is most important. While these components are all very important and should be thought through and chosen carefully, even the best materials installed by the best roofers will deteriorate and the lifespan of the roof will be shortened greatly if the ventilation is poor. Depending on your home’s structure, ventilation must be created properly. The roofer must examine your home and create a situation that allows airflow to come in low and exit high, preventing stagnant moist air from sitting in your attic space creating an environment of mold or deterioration.
Moisture is created in your home in both the Winter and Summer months. Ventilation needs to take place in both the Winter and Summer months.
In summer, the air is warm and humid. Humidity is moist air. Warm air naturally rises, taking the humidity with it upwards into your attic space. If there is no airflow vented up through your roof, that moisture sits in your attic space. Mold is able to grow in that environment, which can affect the health of you and your family. Mold is also very expensive to remove. Moisture also can deteriorate the wood decking, rust the roofing nails, and negatively affect the shingles, reducing the performance and shortening the lifespan of your roof.
In the winter, warm air also rises. With showers being taken, the clothes drier being run, and the home being heated, there is moisture in that air that rises into the attic space as well. The attic is cold in the winter. That moisture freezes and turns to ice. That ice will freeze and melt over time creating water that will rust the roofing nails and can damage the wood decking and shingles.
Proper ventilation allows the moist air that rises into your attic to have the ability to escape so it won’t sit inside the attic space causing moisture damage to your roof and mold.
A “flow” of air should be created in an attic space. Air should be able to escape the attic through a space along the top peak called a ridge vent. The ridge vent allows air to escape the attic through the top of the roof. Air should be able to enter the bottom of the attic through a soffit vent that is installed along the eaves of your roof. The soffit vent allows air to come in through the lower part of the roof and “flow” up through the attic and out the top via the ridge vent. This flow prevents moist air from being trapped inside your attic space creating problems and deterioration over time.
There are many homes built in Pittsburgh in the 1950’s and 60’s in suburbs like Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, McMurray, and Bridgeville in the South Hills and neighborhoods and in the North Hills like Gibsonia, Wexford, and McCandless that don’t have enough of an overhang to enable a soffit vent. The photo below of a home in Upper St. Clair is a good example. We can’t install a soffit vent to create an intake of air to vent the roof because the structure won’t allow it.
To solve this problem, GAF has a great product called the Cobra Intake Pro Roof Vent that allows for the lower part of the roof to be vented. The roofer cuts a vent slit into the lower part of the roof and covers the vent with Cobra Intake Pro Roof Vent to allow air to enter the roof and attic space low on the roof therefore creating a “flow” in through the bottom and out through the top ridge vent.
Many roofs have attic power fans to help with ventilation. Some roofs don’t have an attic power fan. How do you know if you need an attic fan to help ventilate your roof? The proper flow of air is to allow air to come into the attic space low, and exit the attic space high. The soffit vent placed under the eaves allows air intake low on the roof. The air exits high through the ridge vent in the roof.
The rule is that if you don’t have a ridge vent, then you need an attic power fan.
The attic fan is placed on the top area of the roof and helps to pull the air upwards and out through the fan vent. If there is no ridge vent, then the air cannot exit the attic space through that space in the top ridge of the roof. The attic fan will do that job if there’s no ridge vent in the roof.
The other rule is you never install an attic fan if there is a ridge vent in the roof. These two upper vents will compete against each other reducing the efficiency of airflow in the attic space.
The fan we use at Gregor Roofing is the GAF Master Flow Attic Vent Power fan. This fan has both a humidistat and a thermostat. We usually set the humidistat at 80% and the thermostat to turn the fan on between 100-110 degrees. The fan will sense the humidity and temperature to automatically turn on to keep the attic environment free of heat and humidity. Keeping a regulated attic space helps reduce your energy bills as well as keep moisture at bay, prolonging the life of your roof. Your roofer will install the fan on the roof and you’ll need an electrician to hook up the electricity.
Gable roofs have a long ridge area across the top of the roof. A ridge vent works well on this type of roof. A ridge vent on a gable roof has a long strip of ventilation to allow air to exit across the span of the attic space. A power fan is not needed for this environment as the ridge vent does the job well.
Hip roofs have a very small or no ridge area across the top of the roof. We install a power fan on these roofs because the ridge is so short and a ridge vent won’t allow the proper area of ventilation needed to keep the attic cool and dry. On a hip roof structure, the power fan will pull the air up from the bottom and out the fan vent.
If your roofer is not talking to you about ventilation, you have the wrong roofer. At Gregor Roofing, we know how important it is and can consult you to create the best ventilation situation for your house and prolong the life of your roof. This protects your investment as well as helps maximize your energy efficiency, reducing your energy bills!
If you have any questions about roof ventilation, or if you’d like to get a free estimate on a roof replacement for your home in the Greater Pittsburgh area, please contact our team at Gregor Roofing today! Give us a call at (724) 969-4145 or fill out the contact form on our website, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Written by Staci Gregor
While asphalt shingle roofs that have been properly installed are designed to last for 25+ years, they will undoubtedly need to be replaced eventually. Old, worn out shingle roofs that are not replaced in a timely manner can lead to water damage, structural issues, poor insulation, increased energy costs, and even insurance coverage issues. For this reason, it’s crucial to be able to recognize the signs that your roof may need to be replaced! In this article, we’ll talk about five telltale signs that it may be time to consider a roof replacement service for your house! If you have any questions about roof replacements, or if you’d like to get a free quote on a roof replacement service for your home in the Greater Pittsburgh area, please contact our team at Gregor Roofing today!
One telltale sign that it may be time to think about replacing your home’s roof is if you notice any curled, cracked, or missing shingles. Shingles are responsible for waterproofing your home and protecting it from rain, snow, and ice, so any damaged or missing shingles can put your house at risk for water damage, mold growth, and other problems caused by moisture.
Another sign that it’s time to look into a roof replacement service is if you notice asphalt granules on the ground around your home or in your gutters. The granules on shingles help water flow off the roof, protect the asphalt layer from UV rays, and help make the roof more fire resistant. For these reasons, the granules on asphalt shingles are crucial components of the roof, and their presence on the ground or in gutters is a sign that you need to have your roof inspected.
If you have noticed a section of your roof that appears to be sagging or dipping down below the rest of the roof, you should contact a roofing professional to schedule an inspection as soon as possible! Sagging roofs are typically caused by excessive weight on the roof from snow, ice, or wind pressure, compromising the structural integrity of the roof itself and your home as a whole.
Discoloration or rot on the roof decking you can see from inside your attic is another sign that it may be time to replace your roof. Roof decking is the wooden foundation of your roof, and if this decking is rotting, growing mildew, or appears to be discolored, it means that water is penetrating through the shingles and outer layer of your roof.
One more sign that it may be time for a roof replacement (that we’ll mention in this article) is the presence of dark streaks on the exterior of the roof. Dark streaks on asphalt shingle roofs are typically caused by algae growth, which can result in shingle damage if left untreated. If you notice dark streaks on your roof, you should contact a roofing professional!
If you have any questions about the signs that may indicate that it’s time for a roof replacement, or if you’d like to get a free estimate on a roof replacement for your home in the Greater Pittsburgh area, please contact our team at Gregor Roofing today! Give us a call at (724) 969-4145 or fill out the contact form on our website, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
