Homeowners that are looking to improve their home’s attic ventilation often face a common dilemma: choosing between ridge vents and attic fans. Both of these options offer distinct advantages and operate differently to enhance airflow and reduce heat and moisture accumulation in your attic.
This brief blog post will delve into the specifics of ridge vents versus attic fans, comparing their effectiveness, benefits, energy efficiency, and overall impact on your home’s climate control. Read on or contact our team at RoofPRO to learn more!
Why is Attic Ventilation Important for Your Roof?
If you’re a homeowner, you ought to be concerned about features that improve your property’s attic ventilation, like ridge vents and attic fans. Venting your attic prolongs the life of your roof and helps secure your roof’s warranty. Without ventilation, your roof will age faster and cause your attic to overheat, thus causing your dwelling to also overheat as well. Lack of ventilation can also cause moisture to build up in the attic and cause water damage!
In short, proper ventilation can greatly improve the longevity of your home, make it more comfortable to live in, and save you money on energy in the long run. Let’s dive into the benefits of adequate ventilation for your home’s attic space below.
Reduce Moisture and Humidity
Proper attic ventilation systems can greatly help reduce moisture and humidity in your house. Any excess moisture can wreak havoc on your attic space, ranging from problems like mildew and mold growth to musty interiors and severe warping and water damage, so it’s a good idea to invest in systems that can keep air moving and keep moisture out!
Better Temperature Regulation for the Attic Space
Adequate ventilation also brings the benefit of regulating the temperature of your attic space, keeping it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Both temperature extremes can, over time, cause damage to your attic – with hot air warping your interiors, and cold air forming condensation when it touches your walls. Additionally, you may be able to lower your energy bill since you’ll need to expend less energy to keep your attic temperate.
Common Types of Ventilation Systems
There are two common types of ventilation systems you’ll find in most residential attics: ridge vents and attic fans.
It’s worth noting that both systems will require vents at the roof eaves to pull air up. If the intake vents at the eaves are not adequate to manufacturer specifications, then the fan or ridge vent won’t work properly.
Ridge Vents and Soffit Vents
A ridge vent system is a type of vent installed at the peak of a roof line to allow for the outflow of warm air from attics. Ridge vents pull air from across the whole run of the roof, assuming it’s installed along the whole ridge. It tends to be more thorough than all other forms of venting. Roofers cut a slot along the peak of the roof’s ridge to let air out, which is then covered by a special cap that allows air out but prevents the entry of pests or precipitation. Soffit vents are typically used in tandem with ridge vents to allow for cool air to freely enter the home.
These systems typically come in two main styles, aluminum ridge vent and shingle-over ridge vent. Aluminum, which covers a smaller section of the opening, can be more susceptible to leaks and damage from high winds. Meanwhile, plastic shingle-over ridge vents are firmer, meaning you can stand on it without damaging it! This rigidity can ensure that air flow is always present in your attic.
Attic Fans
Attic exhaust fans are small electric fans that are often installed within the roof of a home. These fans are great for portions of the attic that don’t have a ridge, or the ridge is too small to have a vent adequately installed. A hole is cut in the exterior of the roof that allows for the fan to fit snugly in – they function similarly to a ridge vent, pulling hot air out and allowing cool air in as they spin. While the fan serves to pull in air from the general area, it can sometimes leave other areas of the attic unvented.
Attic fans typically come in both electric and solar options. It’s rare but these fans can sometimes stop working and need to be replaced even if your roof has many more years of useful life left!
Benefits of Ridge Vents for Roof Ventilation
With both options being so similar in function, it can be difficult to discern which is right for your property. Some of the specific benefits of ridge vents for roof ventilation include the following.
Blends in With Your Home's Roofing
Ridge vents are extremely inconspicuous additions to the home, making them a great option for homeowners who are concerned about maintaining a particular style. Typically, caps on ridge vents are covered in shingles that match the rest of the roof, making them difficult to distinguish at all!
Typically Cheaper than New Attic Fans
In addition to being visually unobtrusive, ridge vents are also typically cheaper than other forms of attic ventilation. They rely entirely on the natural movement of hot and cold air, making them cheaper to install and operate than new electrical attic fans.
Benefits of Attic Fans for Your Home
Attic fans also offer a number of different benefits to a homeowner, including the following.
Increased Ventilation Capacity
Attic fans excel in extreme temperatures by dramatically increasing airflow. Unlike passive systems like ridge or gable vents that rely on natural heat rise, attic fans forcefully expel hot air. When temperatures soar, these fans can be activated to rapidly cool the attic space, protecting your roof and improving indoor comfort.
Adapting to Your Roof's Unique Design
Attic fans offer a unique advantage in ventilation by overcoming the limitations that a roof structure can present. Their ability to be installed in virtually any location on the roof makes them an ideal choice for homes with complex rooflines or limited space for ridge vents or gable vents. Whether you have a hip roof, dormer, or any other architectural challenge, attic fans provide a flexible solution to ensure proper ventilation and protect your home from heat buildup and moisture damage.
Which is Best: Ridge Vent or Attic Fan?
You may be wondering which form of attic ventilation is best – ridge vent or attic fan? Like most housing decisions, the answer to this question ultimately depends on your needs and budget as a homeowner.
It’s worth noting that every attic requires a specific amount of intake and exhaust – too much or too little can have a negative effect! It requires the right balance to ensure your attic and roofing stay in good health.
Mixing ventilation systems can also be a problem. For example, if you have a soffit to ridge vent system but then install a fan to run all the time, this will prevent the ridge vent from working properly. Also, installing ridge vents on a roof that already has gable vents will cause massive areas of dead air.
Nine times out of ten, the ridge vent system is better for a roof because it pulls air from the whole surface under the roof decking. It also doesn’t rely on electricity, and it can’t break down unbeknownst to you. It also has a smaller profile, which means it will blend in with your roof more. But if you have an area of the roof that can’t have a ridge vent, then an attic fan is a fantastic solution.
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Top-Rated Attic Ventilation and Insulation Solutions
RoofPRO is a top-rated provider of both attic ventilation and insulation solutions. We can help you keep your home protected and energy-efficient all year round! Learn more about our full suite of attic solutions here.
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