Swapped my old box vents for a proper ridge/soffit setup and suddenly the attic wasn’t a sauna anymore.
That’s exactly what I noticed too. Before I started working with roofs, I always assumed shingle color was the main thing, but after seeing how much difference ventilation makes, it’s kinda wild. Have you ever had issues with pests getting into those new soffit vents? I’ve heard stories about birds or wasps making themselves at home, but maybe that’s just if the screens aren’t installed right. Also, curious if anyone’s actually seen those “smog-reducing” granules do anything measurable—feels more like marketing than science, but who knows...
Have you ever had issues with pests getting into those new soffit vents? I’ve heard stories about birds or wasps making themselves at home, but maybe that’s just if the screens aren’t installed right.
If you’ve got decent screens in your soffit vents, pests shouldn’t be a real problem. I’ve seen a few jobs where the mesh was either missing or just cheap plastic, and yeah, you end up with birds nesting or wasps building right inside. Metal screens are the way to go—costs a bit more up front, but you don’t want to be up there every spring clearing out nests. I’ve also seen squirrels chew through the cheap stuff, which is a whole other headache.
On the shingle color thing, I used to think the same—dark roof, hot attic, simple as that. But after swapping out a bunch of ventilation setups, it’s wild how much more impact airflow has. I’ve seen light-colored roofs with terrible venting that still cooked the attic, and darker ones with good ridge/soffit combos that stayed reasonable. Not saying color doesn’t matter at all, but it’s not the main thing.
As for those “smog-reducing” granules, I’m pretty skeptical. I’ve installed a few Malarkey roofs for folks who wanted the eco angle, but nobody’s ever shown me any real-world numbers. Feels like one of those things that sounds good in a brochure but probably doesn’t move the needle much in practice. If someone’s actually measured a difference, I’d be curious to see it.
Has anyone here actually noticed a difference in attic temps after switching brands, or was it mostly down to venting and insulation changes? I keep hearing people say Malarkey runs cooler, but I wonder if it’s just because they’re usually paired with better installs.
- Had a client with Malarkey shingles after a hailstorm—attic temps didn’t change much until we fixed the soffit venting.
- Metal screens kept out wasps, but squirrels still tried their luck.
- Honestly, shingle brand mattered less than airflow and insulation in my experience.
- Haven’t seen those “smog-reducing” granules make a real-world difference yet... maybe it’s just marketing.
- Metal screens kept out wasps, but squirrels still tried their luck.
I’ve wondered about those “smog-reducing” granules too—never seen any proof they do anything noticeable, at least not here. I had standard Malarkey shingles put on after a windstorm a few years back. Honestly, like you mentioned, changing out the insulation and adding ridge vents made more difference than the shingle swap. Out of curiosity, did anyone notice their attic getting quieter with different shingles? Mine seemed a bit less noisy in rain, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
- Haven’t seen any real-world proof those “smog” granules do anything measurable, either.
- Attic temp drops seem way more tied to ventilation and insulation upgrades than the shingle brand.
- Some folks report rain noise differences, but in my experience, unless you switch to metal, it’s hard to notice much. Maybe a bit of a dampening effect with heavier shingles, but nothing dramatic.
- Most noise complaints I see are from poor attic insulation, not the shingles themselves. If you noticed it’s quieter, probably more to do with that.
