Should You Cover Your Roof Vents In The Winter

Closing your vents makes the attic space too warm and dry dangerous conditions for mold as well as pests.

Should you cover your roof vents in the winter.

By covering the turbine in winter this effect is lost and moisture can quickly build up in the attic causing structural damage and increasing the chances of mold and mildew. Think about it you d better believe that if covering your air conditioner in the winter was making a significant difference in the longevity of your air conditioning unit then the major companies would not only recommend it but they d probably provide you with a cover as part of your purchase. Even though vents can cause attics to become colder in the winter months they should still never be covered. They should be treated as partially conditioned space to control moisture and decrease energy use.

According to the guy who writes the home improvement column in the local paper if you add a ridge vent you should close off the gable vents. During the winter roof ventilation works to keep temperatures even. In the winter the vents will cause the attic to become cold but this should not damage your home or increase the energy use of your home so covering the roof vents is not necessary. You should absolutely leave your roof vents open during the winter do not cover them.

Regardless of the type of roof vent their purpose is the same which is to create air circulation and prevent attic and roof damage in the winter. More recent thinking from building scientists dictated that crawl spaces should be sealed insulated and installed with a vapor barrier. Having your attic properly ventilated during the winter means that your roof won t get too warm because you re trapping air in the attic itself. We replaced the roof recently and when we did we added a ridge vent.

As built the attic of our 22 year old house was ventilated with gable vents and soffit vents. Roof vents allow air to circulate through your attic and exit your home. In the winter it seems to make sense to cover the vents like you might do for your external water faucets and the covers are relatively inexpensive and easy to find running around 10 20 each at most home supply stores. Continuous soffit vent and a ridge vent beats a turbine vent any day.

Blocking the vents can even harm your home by trapping moisture inside the attic. But like a lot of things in life just because you can doesn t mean you should. Well now you know. If your roof isn t warming up too much during the cold snowy weather then the snow that lands on your roof won t melt immediately only to refreeze on the edges where it can form ice dams.

A debate ensued and because some builders are slow to change many foundation vents continue to be installed. Roof turbines not only work to remove hot air from summer attics they also provide ventilation to reduce moisture. And in fact just so you know those spinning roof vents are probably not the best way to vent your roof.