If you are a home building contractor, you already know everything you need to about ventilating a home to keep it insulated and safe. Yet, many homeowners want to ensure their homes are adequately ventilated without paying hefty consulting and contracting fees each time they have a question or make a repair. That is why it helps to understand something about your home’s ventilation system and learn how to handle some of the minor adjustments yourself.

Every home needs to be adequately heated to protect family members from getting sick or developing hypothermia. But too much heat can feel uncomfortable during the warm season or in tropical climates and promote the growth of mold or other bacterial invasions that require a warm, moist environment to grow and thrive. A home’s thermostat that is linked to the heating

and cooling system provides much of the temperature control a family needs to be comfortable year-round. But attic space permitting air flow can increase your home’s comfort level by preventing moisture buildup and promoting air exchange during temperature extremes outdoors.

An attic ventilator usually provides this needed service. Since the attic is separate from the sealed part of the house that receives warm and cold air from the furnace and air conditioner, it is the ideal place to circulate indoor air outside, and outdoor air inside, to break up air pockets that can nurture mold, bacteria, and other unwanted germs. If your attic ventilator, which is usually perched on the highest point of the attic, proves inadequate, you may want to consider adding soffit vents beneath the eaves and used with a continuous ridge vent for maximum airflow.