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Loft Ventilation - Insist on the best!

Normally we only think about loft ventilation when we have an issue.

Perhaps you’ve gone to get your suitcases out of the loft only to find they’re covered in mould, or you’ve noticed condensation on the roofing felt, or roof timbers etc.

If that’s the case you need to do something now!

Condensation in your loft will not only cause damage to anything you’ve stored up there but it can get inside your loft insulation reducing it’s effectiveness; and once your insulation is damp you’ll struggle to dry it out.

If it gets really bad condensation can eventually saturate your insulation (especially if the condensation is constantly dripping in one location). This will lead to damp patches appearing on the ceilings below as can be seen in the following image.

Even if your roof seems ok, it’s worth checking to make sure you’re got adequate ventilation in order to avoid potential issues in the future.

Why Has Loft Ventilation Become a Hot Topic in Recent Years?

In the past our homes were poorly insulated and pretty draughty. So water vapour rarely got a chance to build up inside as it was replaced by fresh air coming in via these draughts. Meaning it was removed before it got a chance to create any problems.

At this time loft areas were also warmer than they are today as very few would have been insulated. So any heat in the house would rise up and warm the loft area making it less likely that any water vapour that hadn’t been removed by the draughts in the house would condense in the loft.

Now however, we all want to reduce our heating costs and keep our homes as warm as possible for as long as possible. So we insulate the walls and loft and reduce the draughts through the fabric of our home by fitting modern windows and doors etc.

These measures may be great for reducing the running costs of our house and helping it stay warmer for longer. However all this extra insulation means the loft area (above the insulation) is now cooler as the heat is trapped in the rooms below.