The Invisible Roof Killer
When I tell a homeowner their 12-year-old roof needs to be completely torn off and replaced, they are usually shocked. "The warranty said 30 years!" they tell me. And then I take them into their attic, and the problem becomes incredibly obvious.
The air feels like a sauna, the decking is warped, and the nails are rusting. The culprit? Poor ventilation.
The Oven Effect
During the summer, the sun beats down on your roof. If your attic doesn't have proper intake vents (at the soffits) and exhaust vents (at the ridge), that heat gets trapped. Attic temperatures can easily reach 150°F. This bakes the asphalt shingles from the inside out, causing them to blister, curl, and prematurely age.
The Winter Sponge
It's just as bad in the winter. Warm, moist air from your showers, cooking, and laundry rises into the cold attic. Without ventilation to carry it away, that moisture condenses on the cold roof decking like sweat on a glass of ice water. Over the winter, the wood absorbs this moisture, leading to black mold and structural rot.
How I Fix It
Roofing is about balance. You need an equal amount of cool air entering the bottom of the roof and hot air escaping the top. When I install a new system, I calculate the exact Net Free Area (NFA) required for the home. We install high-quality ridge vents and clear any blocked soffit baffles. It's the only way to guarantee the shingles will last as long as the manufacturer promises.