Ventilation

A critical component of any roof system, whether low slope or steep slope and whether torch on, metal, concrete or clay tiles, tar and gravel or asphalt shingles is ventilation. Ventilation is made up of two components – Intake and exhaust. Intake is commonly achieved through soffit vents and exhaust is commonly achieved through roof vents near or along the ridge.

Advancements in technology have now developed vents that are installed on properties that do not come equipped with soffit vent possibilities. These vents are sometimes called “smart vents” or “edge vents” and are installed along a row of shingles just upslope of the external wall(s)

Exhaust vents can come in various shapes and sizes. The standard choices are turbines/whirlybirds, static air vents or ridge vents. I choose a good quantity of static air vents and present a very good case for my position in discussion. Check out our Gallery page on this website for photos of my work.
The two roof systems that do not overtly benefit with specific attic space air vents are cedar roofs and concrete tile roofs. These two roof systems are very air-permeable by nature and allow air movement between each and every shingle and tile.

In a perfect world, venting is balanced. Equal intake to equal exhaust. However, without a slide rule and a trigonometry calculator this is difficult to absolutely achieve. Therefore, I defer to a substantial amount of exhaust vents with the strategy of at least allowing or encouraging the air to escape the enclosed area of the attic or ceiling space.
It is a proven fact that proper ventilation contributes to a longer life cycle for your roof system and a more comfortable interior living environment. For further information on ventilation please contact Greg at Crucial Roof Services Ltd. We are your roofing specialists in the Greater Vancouver Regional district.

The attached photo shows what a worse-case scenario looks like when you don’t have adequate exhaust. The air pressure inside the ceiling space of this house was so strong that it forced these blisters into the roof membrane. The moral to this story is find a roofing contractor who understands that proper and adequate ventilation is critical to a well performing roof system and your living environment below it. CRUCIAL DOES.