What Happens When a Kingston Roof Doesn’t Have Proper Ventilation?

One of the most important aspects of the way your Kingston roof is designed and built is proper ventilation. You simply cannot over-estimate the importance of Kingston roof ventilation.

What happens when a Kingston roof doesn’t have proper ventilation? Improper roof ventilation allows for the formation of condensation, moisture accumulation, and damage to the roof deck and, eventually, to the stability of the roof. Improper roof ventilation for a Kingston roof can also affect the health of your family.

The industry standard for Kingston roof ventilation to provide 1 square foot of intake ventilation and 1 square foot of exhaust or outflow ventilation for every 300 square feet of attic space, provided the area is insulated with a vapor barrier. If the area is insulated without a vapor barrier, the requirement doubles.

Proper ventilation of the roof and attic of a Kingston home achieves several important functions:

It makes the attic space cooler
It makes the home more energy efficient
It prevents condensation and accumulation of moisture on the inside of the roof deck, and prevents rotting of the roof deck
It reduces the risk of fire

Several types of vents can be used to properly ventilate the roof of your Kingston area home. Roof ridge vents are placed along the ridge line of the roof. Ridge vents are used for exhaust or outflow of moisture, heat, and stale air. Soffit vents and Eaves are placed at the lower extremes of the roof and provide the intake ventilation. If you live in an older home, your roof might not be constructed for these types of Kingston roof vents. Older homes were not built with the tight seals of today’s houses. There were cracks and openings around windows and doors, chimneys and other openings. These cracks and openings allowed fresh air to flow into the house. On the principle that hot air rises, the accumulated heat and moisture would rise to the attic and out the roof vents.

Without adequate Kingston roofing ventilation, moisture rises with the hot air and forms condensation on the inside of the roof deck. This moisture is released into the air inside the house from bathing, cooking, plants, laundry and other causes. When the condensation forms on the roof deck, it begins to rot the wood. This introduces mold spores into the air, as well as damaging the wood. The result, if the problem is not noticed and repaired, can be destruction of all or part of the roof deck and creation of unhealthy air inside the house.

In our increasingly airtight homes, the importance of proper Kingston roof ventilation cannot be over-emphasized. It is important to take the time and do the research to understand the ventilation needs for your home in your region and how best to meet those needs. Contact your local Kingston roofing contractor today for more information on roof ventilation systems.

If you are looking for expert roofers then please call (613) 531-4453 in Kingston, (613) 382-1883 in Gananoque, or (613) 498-0297 in Brockville, or complete our online request form.

Sarah Taylor

My husband and I bought a fixer-upper a few years ago knowing that the roof would need to be replaced sooner rather than later. We approached several companies for quotes in January/February to re-shingle the roof and put plywood down underneath. We contacted DM Roofing, who was recommended to me by several co-workers. We chose DM Roofing for a number of reasons: 1. Their competitive quote 2. The timeline they could get the work done (far and away the best timeline of anyone we reached out to) 3. Friendliness 4. Prompt and professional responses Darren was able to cut me a deal on the shingles and plywood and gave me a further discount on the remaining unused shingles, which we are planning to use for our shed. The actual work was really well done. Everyone I spoke to on site were very nice and considerate of our property. They finished most of the work by the time I got home and returned the second day only because they ran out of cap for the edges. After the work was done, we asked them to cut out an area for a plumbing vent (for a future project), which they did for us with no issue. I really appreciated every step of the process with Darren and his team. I would recommend them to anyone.

Barbara Savage

We recently had DM Roofing replace the shingles on our garage roof. They were friendly, hardworking and left a clean workspace when done. Great job!

sheila garsnell

DM Roofing replaced my roof. On time, professional workers and the clean up was great. Very happy with the job.

Susan Garsnell

Built a brand new house. Dm roofing did the job for my family. Not only were the guys pleasant but efficient. They arrived when they said they would and left the place spotless. I would recommend them wholeheartedly

Loretta C

I was unfortunately behind one of their work trucks and if they do roofs the way they drive I’d never hire them.

John Karagianis

Excellent roofing service. Honest, efficient, cost effective, knowledgable and highly professional. I have nothing but praise for my new roof, and the cost matched their initial quote. This is the second time I have used their services. Impressed both times.

Zhao Lu

DM roofer delivered the job professionally, smooth communication and reasonable price. Excellent!

Myra Lee

I had a good enough experience with DM Roofing in terms of the initial sales and installation experience. However, trying to get them to come back to fix small issues was like pulling teeth. It feels like some jobs are too small for them to bother with, which is disappointing.

jacques leblanc

My roof was leaking called DM roofing. They gave me a quote within 15 minutes and started the job 3 days later. The crew that did the roof were very knowledgeable and very efficient, Satisfied with the job done. No complaints

Garry Dion

DM Roofing installed our Shingles 18 yrs ago and did a super job. Recently I had a concern about the roof after the last snow, wind, and warm weather. Called Darren , he came, inspected the roof and Assured me that everything would be ok after a few adjustments and I followed up with his recommendations. This is in the process of being done. Thanks Darren.