Ventilate when you insulate

It’s getting to that time of the year when the clocks go backwards, the days shorter and we really start to feel the drop in temperature. If our property is not well ventilated, this is where we can see such issues as damp and condensation build up. At first glance, wiping your windows clean throughout the day may seem harmless but this water build up can be a costly problem.

Ventilation considerations

When upgrading the levels of insulation in a roof space, it is important to consider existing levels of roof ventilation and the importance of ensuring that these are adequate. An increasing number of problems arise after adding or increasing the level of roof insulation.

After prolonged cold spells, high levels of condensation can cause a build-up of mildew, mould and timber decay. This condensation accumulation can often go unnoticed for very long periods, and cause lasting damage. When insulation thicknesses are increased in lofts and attics, the result is that less heat is lost into the roof space but this also means that the temperature of the air, roof timbers, roofing underlays etc. all become much colder; without the provision of adequate ventilation the chance of condensation then dramatically increases.

Roof ventilation

When introducing roof ventilation retrospectively, the quickest, simplest and most cost effective method is usually to introduce ventilation openings through the roof surface using roof tile vents in the place of existing roof tiles. This often has to be done when there is no scope for the provision of ventilation openings at the eaves.

For more information on our tile roof vents, please visit our product pages.