Sick of Stale Air? How to Check Your Attic Ventilation

In the Amarillo area, just maintaining a comfortable temperature in your home isn’t enough. Find out how to check your attic ventilation and why keeping your home ventilated is so important for indoor air quality.

Scrutinize the Attic

Prior to the mid-20th century, ventilation was never an issue in homes because most didn’t have particularly tight building envelopes. Instead of keeping the home sealed up, most homeowners took advantage of windows and doors to maintain a supply of fresh air. Now that most homes have tight building envelopes, adequate attic ventilation is critical for keeping your home’s air fresh.

Check on your attic’s ventilation situation by inspecting the attic space. A properly ventilated attic will have dry ceiling rafters and metal fasteners that don’t bear any sign of rust. An attic with bad ventilation, however, will show signs of high humidity, as well as rust, mold, and moisture.

Examine Vent Openings

Next, take a look at the attic vents. It’s not uncommon for vents to be blocked by insulation and natural matter like dirt and leaves. If your attic vents are obstructed, though, it’s important to remove the debris before it turns into a larger issue. After all blocked vents won’t allow air to pass through, which can cause significant ventilation problems.

Check the Temperature

Keep an eye on the temperature of the air that flows through your attic. Since attic ventilation helps keep the temperature even through the rest of your home, you don’t want the attic temperature to climb too high. If your attic is susceptible to serious heat, consider installing an attic ventilator to better regulate the temperature in your home.

Do a Smoke Test

For a comprehensive picture of how well the air flows through your home, perform a smoke test. Light a smoke stick and hold it near possible air leaks in your home. Take note of how the smoke behaves. If some escapes to the attic while some slips outside, your home likely has good ventilation.

Does your home’s ventilation need some attention? Contact the Amarillo area ventilation experts at Grizzle: 806-553-4690.

Image provided by Shutterstock