How To Tell If Your Roof Has Soffit Vents

Grab a flashlight and inspect your attic during the winter.

How to tell if your roof has soffit vents.

These specialty vents do not affect the. Most effective ventilation uses a ridge and soffit continuous ventilation system but even these designs can vary from roof to roof. Roof ridge vents are placed along the ridge line of the roof. Static vents are also called louvered or turbine vents.

To achieve the best ventilation intake at the eaves must be balanced with the exhaust through roof vents at the peak. If you live in an older home your roof might not be constructed for roof ridge or soffit vents. 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. Soffit isn t necessarily vented at all but if a home has attractive roof overhangs it usually presents an opportunity to introduce air into the attic space and facilitate natural ventilation.

If you don t know how your roof vents work or if you re unsure about your attic ventilation in general you should talk to a roof inspector about your current system and any inherent weaknesses that may be at. How to check attic ventilation. Almost all homes are fitted with some kind of roof vents at the peak of the roofline be it individual roof vents hip roof ventilation and many homes have gable vents as well. Ridge vents are used for exhaust or outflow of moisture heat and stale air.

Vents come in various styles. Soffit vents and eaves are placed at the lower extremes of the roof and provide the intake ventilation. Enter square footage calculate or enter the square footage of the attic or area to be vented. To avoid rotting wood clumping insulation and mold your attic needs to be properly ventilated.

Rafter vents or insulation baffles install in any rafter space to create narrow gaps that direct fresh air from the soffit vents to the peak of the roof. As a homeowner it is important that you review the soffit areas of the home for soffit vents. They go on top of the roof and are cheap to put in. An important part of installing any system of ventilation into your roof system is to make sure that there is a point of entry and a point of exit for airflow.

The air comes through the eaves and then goes out through peak vents at the top. A soffit vent is installed underneath the roof s eaves. The soffit vents allow convective air movement from the. Moreover if you have asphalt shingles on the roof attic.

A soffit vent is simply a vent installed into the underside of your home s eaves called the soffit that permits fresh outside air to be drawn up into the attic. If you see dampness or frost you need better roof ventilation and some attic vents.