Should You Close Your Roof Vents During Winter?

Ice dams are the number one cause of roofing problems and premature roof replacement in winter. The way ice dams form is an interesting process. The hot and humid air from your home rises to the attic, heating up your roof gradually. This heat melts any accumulated snow on the roof which then flows down into your gutters. Sometimes, however, this runoff refreezes even before it reaches the troughs, forming a barrier of ice on your eaves. This cycle will continue until eventually, the barrier gets high enough to prevent water from draining properly off your roof.

If you can disrupt any step in this process, you can essentially prevent ice dams from plaguing your roof. The most common way people do this is by ventilating their roof and their attic. Let our experts at South Shore Roofing, Inc. explain the value of proper vents on your roofing system.

How Ventilation Helps

You don’t have to be a professional roofer to know that the root cause of ice dams is the hot and humid air that comes up from your home. This air gets trapped in your attic and sets off the series of events that lead to ice dams. However, if you provide this warm air a way to exit your attic, then you can keep your roof cool. Roof ventilation is this “exit,” and this is its main purpose.

How Ventilation Harms

Keeping your vents open during winter helps regulate humidity levels in the attic but, at the same time, it also gives the cold air outside a way to enter your home. As you continuously heat your home, this cold air can wreak havoc on the energy efficiency of your heating system.

Should You Cover Up Your Vents?

The key to maintaining a balance between the cold air outside and the hot air inside, is to ask your roofing company to improve the insulation in your attic. This way, the cold air can have minimal effects on your heating, and you don’t have to worry about closing up your vents during winter.

At South Shore Roofing, Inc., we offer roof ventilation and attic insulation services to keep your roof safe this winter. Give us a call at (781) 826-7663 or fill out our contact form and request a free estimate today.