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Welcome to the Solid Rock Blog!

By Dan Kostenbader | June 12, 2025

Welcome to the Solid Rock Inspection blog. This will be the place where you can see the latest things I’ve discovered while inspecting, home maintenance tips or maybe just learning something new about your home and how it works. I’ll be adding new content regularly, so stop by often and check it out.

I thought that I would start by talking about something that I see fairly frequently and that is attic ventilation problems.
Roof system ventilation and insulation are important for a number of reasons, including:

  • condensation control;
  • temperature (or heat) control;
  • energy efficiency; and
  • the prevention of chronic ice dam formation.

Ventilation of attic areas is intended to prevent the accumulation of moisture vapor in the attic-roof space and to dry low levels of condensation that may form on the underside of a roof deck. Ventilation is also intended to reduce the temperature of the roof deck during hot periods to improve shingle durability. Reducing attic temperature through ventilation and insulation also improves energy efficiency during hot periods. And in the case of ice dams, elevated attic and roof temperatures during the winter can cause snow on the roof to melt. Insulation and roof ventilation help to keep the roof’s exterior surface cold and minimizes the development of melted water and, consequently, ice dams.

Ridge Vent with Baffles Image

Where vents are installed at the eaves, the insulation should not block the vents or the free flow of air. Where eave or cornice vents are installed, insulation must not block the free flow of air. There should be a minimum 1-inch space provided between the insulation and the roof deck sheathing and at the location of the vent.

This clearance can be provided by a rafter vent component, often referred to as a baffle. The ridge vent itself may have external baffles and a weather filter (a mesh material) integrated into the vent’s design to help prevent the entrance of rain or snow through the openings of the ridge vent component.

Without proper ventilation, problems can certainly develop. The most immediate is that your house is overheated and your air conditioner has to work harder to cool your house. A longer term issue, however, is that mold can develop in your attic which shortens the lifespan of your roof sheathing and can affect the health of you and your family.

If you are in doubt about what might be happening in your attic, give me a call and we can check it out.

Thank you for stopping by.

Parts of this blog were reproduced with permission from InterNachi. nachi.org