Roof Attic Ventilation Requirement
The roofing industry also has practical guide lines for attic ventilation.
Roof attic ventilation requirement. Throughout the balance of this digest the terms attic and roof will and can be used interchangeably. Proper attic ventilation consists of a balance between air intake at your eaves soffits or fascias and air exhaust at or near your roof ridge. The key to proper ventilation of your roof and attic is balance. Code requirements the international building code.
Typically building codes include minimum requirements applicable to attic ventilation. The ventilation amount and opening size requirements can be found in section 806 roof ventilation of chapter 8 roof ceiling construction. You can calculate attic ventilation requirements by determining the square footage of your attic. Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under the eaves allow cool.
Explore owens corning ventilation products. The amount of space you devote to intake must be equal to the amount you allow for exhaust and these must be calculated according to the size of your attic and slope of your roof. Attic ventilation requirements how many attic vents your roof needs industry standard for proper attic ventilation recommends for no vapor retarder type of attic insulation no paper plastic or aluminum layer between the attic floor and insulation layer 1 sq. You can also contact your local municipality to check on building code in your area.
See the benefits of attic ventilation a new roof is more than just shingles. In cold climates the primary purpose of attic or roof ventilation is to maintain a cold roof temperature to control ice dams created by melting snow and to vent moisture that moves from the conditioned space to the attic ventilation acts to bypass the vapour barrier created by most roof. Feet of attic space divided 50 50. Most building codes require a ratio of 1 150 ventilation space to attic floor space.
Effective attic ventilation systems reduce damaging heat and moisture in your attic promote energy efficiency by helping to reduce the load on your air conditioner in the summer and also reduce the risk of ice dam formation on your roof. Let owens corning roofing help you calculate exactly how much ventilation you will need for a healthy and balanced attic with our 4 step ventilation calculator. The majority of the requirements related to attic ventilation have not changed much from the previous editions. Proper attic ventilation can be an impor tant performance consideration when design ing and installing steep slope roof systems.
Attic ventilation works on the principle that heated air naturally rises primarily utilizing two types of vents. Federal housing authority recommends a minimum of at least 1 square foot of attic ventilation evenly split between intake and exhaust for every 300 square feet of attic floor space.