When it comes to heat in the attic, it becomes a difficult process to manage depending on where you live. Hot days in the south can become very how attic experiences. In many cases, the attic can reach 150 degrees or warmer depending on the ventilation availability. If this occurs, the HVAC needs to kick in and assist in cooling the home. How hot can an attic get in the summer? It could become over 150 degrees in the summer in an attic. Look at ways to prevent this.
Let’s take a look below at ways to cool the attic in the summer.
What Is An Attic?
Attics are amazing spaces open for most homeowners to store various items. Attics are the final open space in a home that is located below the roof. Most attic spaces are open rooms that allow for storing various items like decorations or extra homeowner items.
Why Does It Get So Hot?
The heat in the attic gets interesting during the warmer months of the year. Let’s take a look at the reasons why the attic gets hot in the summer or warmer months.
- Thermodynamics – When the shingles and the sheathing absorb the heat and release it to the joists, insulation, boxes, and surrounding air.
- Convection – Soffit vents will bring in hot air as it rises and release it through the peak.
- Radiant heat – The main reason the attic gets hot. The roof traps and stores the heat from the sun and will release it into the attic.
How Can I Cool The Attic?
Believe it or not, there are many ways to cool an attic in the summer. Keeping the attic energy efficient is a great way to save money on your cooling costs. Let’s take a look below at some of the best ways to keep your attic cool.
- Install attic ventilation fans – These fans will pull the hot air out of your attic space and release it to the outside of the home.
- Add more insulation – Adding attic insulation helps the attic stay cool. Any insulation with an “R” value that is higher keeps that attic warm. So, be aware of the type of insulation used.
- Reflective Metal Roofing – Installing a metal roof that is reflective will deflect the sun’s UV rays and keep the attic cool. Anything that can absorb or deflect the sun allows the area that it covers the chance to stay cooler.
- Passive vents – The gable, soffit, and ridge are all passive vents that keep hot air out of the attic space.
- Seal cracks and crevices – Be sure to seal up your attic spaces so that hot air doesn’t raise up from the inside of the home.
- Use lightly colored shingles – Lightly colored shingles will not absorb and trap the heat as much as darker shingles do. This will lower your electric bill by about 20%.
- Use shading landscaping – Installing more trees and shrubs to shade your home will keep the entire home cooler. This will keep the attic cooler as less heat is available to rise up into the attic.
- Install radiant barriers – Spray the attic ceiling with a radiant barrier. This ensures that heat is kept out and reduces your cooling costs. You should see a reduction of 5 – 10% in your cooling costs.
Other Recommended Maintenance
Now that you know how hot an attic can get in the summer, let’s take a look at other areas of maintenance. One of those is fungal growth on trusses. If you look at the trusses in the attic and notice that fungus is growing, have a mold specialist check it out to see if it will be a serious issue.
Next, if you notice that your crawl space has flooded from rain, or pooled up with water, you need to dry it out. This can be done by using a dehumidifier, wet vac, vapor barrier, or drainage system.
Lastly, if you notice that your electric bill goes up, there may be an issue in your attic. It may be that you need to air-seal the attic. This is to keep the cooler air in and the hot air (or cold air) out. There is a process to do it unless you hire a professional.
When Do I Call A Professional?
If you have an issue with your attic getting too hot, you will need to contact your local home inspection team to take a look. They can see if there are areas where the air is coming in or escaping. Additionally, they can also refer a professional if they are not able to fix the issue. Fixing it sooner than later will help you keep a cooler house in the summer months and a warmer house in the winter months.
Conclusion
The attic is an area in which we store items we are not using at the moment and also a place where unwanted hot air can come in. If you can make sure that heat is not going through the vents, attic door, or insulation, then you can keep the attic cooler. However, if air is escaping, you need to get it fixed. Reach out to Enviroquest Home Inspections for a look at your attic and complete home inspections in Harrisburg, PA.