5 Steps To Cool Your Attic

Your attic is more than a storage space or a mechanical room for your HVAC. Your attic breathes; the air coming into your attic flows through your soffits and up underneath the roof. The cool air outside, helps cool the roof shingles. Shingles can get too hot. Although it may not sound too important, your shingles can deteriorate quickly on a roof with inadequate cooling. Initially the shingles will look perfectly normal, as time goes by, the shingles become blistered and may cup. Any deterioration on your roof, albeit small, is always a concern.

Next up, the attic often provides room for your ductwork, HVAC and anything you have stored in the attic, all of which will be affected by the heat. Consider this; your ductwork carries cool AC in the summer throughout your home. Each duct that passes through your attic gets hot and the air inside the duct, aswell. That heat will make its way into your home. The AC may not feel as cold from some vents, have you ever noticed?

5 Steps to keep your attic and your home cool:

1: Clear insulation away from the soffits to increase airflow. Install baffles to help prevent further issues. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Durovent-22-in-x-4-ft-Rafter-Vent-Pack-of-10-XUDV2248/205466794

2: Expand your soffit vents or add more vents to allow more air into the attic.

3: Clear out and open up your ridge or roof vents; most vents are not installed with a complete opening available, this is a simple fix.

4: Install gable vents if ridge vents are not an option for your home, or if your home does not have sufficient eaves to allow for soffit vents.

5: Add power ventilation fans to your roof. Fans can be added strategically to improve airflow on the hottest days. Fans provide the option to drastically increase airflow, but only when the attic needs it, through the use of temperature control switches. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Flow-1250-CFM-Black-Power-Roof-Mount-Attic-Fan-ERV5BL/205924921