Why Is It So Hot In My Attic

Not the overabundance but the lack of insulation in the attic.

Why is it so hot in my attic.

The attic is a huge determinant in keeping your entire home cool so the first place to start cooling your home should be the attic. A hot attic is bad for several reasons. Another reason your attic is so hot is because of insulation. In order to cool the upstairs in summer it s important to know why these hot spots are present.

They have thermostats that turn the fan on at a recommended preset temperature of 100 110 degrees. High temperatures inside your attic shorten the life span of shingles. I live in northern virginia hot humid climate in the summer and use heat pumps to heat and cool my house throughout the year. Hotspots can be a pesky and frustrating part of the summer experience.

Install electric ventilators and attic fans which remove hot air from an attic. My idea is to vent the build up of hot air that has risen to the ceiling in the hotspot rooms into the attic so that air from cooler parts of the house can move in. Low cfm similar to a bathroom vent 300cfm and only in the hot spots basically by adding an inline ducting fan to the return ducts for the hotspot rooms. Excessive heat deteriorates items you store in the attic and can cause moisture.

However for best results you must have sufficient vents to allow for the free airflow. I have a shop in my attic for some of my hobbies and it get s very hot in the summer. You would think that an attic fan sometimes called a powered attic ventilator or pav would keep the attic space cooler by exhausting hot air. I have large attic with ridge vents and screened vents at either end of the attic to maintain air flow.

In addition hot air in your attic could increase moisture levels which could result in wood rot and mold growth. One of the biggest reasons the upstairs gets so hot is that the current sealing insulation and ventilation systems are not working correctly. Within the attic insulation is a must. It is placed at the highest point of your roof so that the hot air rises to get out.

If hot air is allowed to sit in your attic it could overheat the shingles on your roof and cause damage. Alternatively install passive vents such as gable soffit and ridge vents which are openings in the roof that allow hot air to escape.