Clearing the air on attic ventilation

By Emma Peterson.

Learn about Quarrix’s unique solutions for balanced attic ventilation that protects the roof’s health and lifespan.

When many people think about installing a roof, they think in terms of what they want to keep out of their home, like wind, hail and rain. Blocking these elements is a big part of protecting your home, but sealing a home too tightly also has its issues. One big example is trapped air in attics. This trapped air can lead to a variety of issues including moisture build up and increased HVAC costs. These are just a few reasons why a properly balanced ventilation system is key for every space. In this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Mark Huysken of Quarrix Building Products stops by The Coffee Shops™ to explain the basics of building a balanced ventilation system.  

Mark, who is a strategic account manager at Quarrix, explained in a bit more depth why ventilation is crucial, sharing, “Trapped air and heat in an attic is going to do a couple of things. One is it's going to cause your cooling bill, if you're running air conditioning to rise because the heat is built up in the attic... That can in turn cause all kinds of damage to the structure in the attic. The wood, your decking, can warp. If you've ever seen a wavy roof, that's usually caused by heat buildup and moisture buildup and those sorts of things. And it can also destroy the shingles.”

So how do you design a ventilation system that avoids these issues? Use the right products. Quarrix manufactures a variety of vents (both for the ridge and the soffit) that can be combined to create a balanced ventilation system that keeps air moving and avoids moisture buildup. Mark shared a bit about their product offerings, saying, “Our product can be installed in the winter, and it can be installed in the summer. It doesn't make a difference. But also what's different is we don't have an external baffle... Our unique design allows us to handle that wind driven rain or snow head on. We don't need the baffle to stop it.”

The core of this unique design is the membrane that Quarrix uses. This is something that can seem confusing, Mark said that there is “a misconception that air cannot pass through when it’s actually engineered so that 71% of airflow goes through the membranes.” A great way to understand how this works is to watch Quarrix’s StormStop Smokehouse Demo on their YouTube. Mark explained, “Our smokehouse allows people to see that the membrane does work. It uses a ridge cap and vent and shows that the smoke is not going to go anywhere but through our membrane and our three-inch flutes.”

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about Quarrix’s unique attic ventilation solutions.