Should Roof Vents Be Covered During the Winter?

Maintaining your home’s HVAC in Oklahoma City, OK is the best way to avoid breakdowns and costly repairs. Luckily, there’s some home maintenance you can do yourself, like making sure your heating and cooling system and its components are ready for winter. Should you also cover your roof vents when outdoor temperatures drop? Read on to find out!

Roof vents in the winter

The reason for roof vents is to provide roof ventilation all year round. This is important even in winter, because the roof still needs to ventilate. During the winter, roof vents allow moisture to leave your home’s attic space to prevent mold and mildew growth. So, the short answer is no, you should not cover them in the wintertime.

Another thing roof ventilation does is keep temperatures stable. It helps prevent ice dams, which happens when water backs up underneath shingles, freezes and damages shingles and gutters. When roof vents are closed, too much warm air accumulates in the attic. This warmth causes snow and ice on top of the roof to melt at a rapid pace, and water can flow freely between shingles. This is not good. Additionally, closed roof vents will only make the attic warm and dry, which are perfect conditions for mold growth and attracting pests.

Clear, don’t cover roof vents

Wintertime brings heavy storms that result in an abundance of snow and ice. You need to keep your home’s roof vents free and clear to allow proper ventilation and airflow through the attic. Ice removal is also necessary, since ice buildup on top of your house weighs heavily on the roof structure. This can create a dangerous situation. Unless you know what you are doing, do not attempt to climb up on a snow-covered roof at any time. Hire a professional snow and ice removal service to help.

Take care of roof vents

Although you should not cover your roof vents in the winter, they still need proper care and maintenance. Plan on performing roof vent maintenance during the fall season for an easy, breezy winter. Here are a few steps for homeowners:

• Look on, under and around eaves for debris. Brush debris away.
• Don’t forget to clean the attic fan. Remove chunky debris, but make sure the fan is also free of dust, dirt and cobwebs.
• There should be nothing blocking your roof vents. Carefully climb up on the roof to clear leaves, sticks, other tree debris and other materials away from the vents.

Follow these steps and air will be able to flow throughout your attic and properly ventilate the space all winter long. This simple roof vent maintenance can also prevent moisture accumulation and dangerous mold problems.

Heater trouble in the dead of winter is never a fun experience, but help is not far away! Contact the team of experts at Dailey Heating & Air Conditioning the moment you notice a problem with your HVAC in Oklahoma City, OK. Call us anytime with questions or to schedule a service appointment.

Categorised in: HVAC

This post was written by Writer