Curious—anyone tried adding more natural venting, like ridge vents, instead of just fans?
I’m with you on the “bird nests (gross)”—pulled a whole mess of twigs out of my soffit vents last spring. Never thought I’d be up there with a shop vac, but here we are.
About ridge vents, I swapped out a couple of old box vents for a continuous ridge vent when I re-roofed last year (asphalt shingles, Midwest climate, pretty average pitch). Honestly, it made a bigger difference than I expected. The attic temp dropped noticeably in summer, and I haven’t had any ice dam issues since, which was always a headache before. Powered fans always seemed like overkill to me—plus, one less thing to break down the line.
Spotting moisture early is so underrated. I used to ignore those little water stains until mold started creeping in... lesson learned. Your step-by-step approach is spot on. Sometimes the basics really do save you from bigger headaches (and bills) later.
Ridge vents are seriously underrated—glad to hear someone else noticed a real difference after switching. I’m with you on powered fans being more hassle than help. Had one seize up on me mid-July, and suddenly my attic turned into a sauna. Not my favorite surprise.
One thing I’d add: if you’re in a spot with gnarly storms (hail, high winds), those ridge vents can take a beating if they’re not installed right. Ask me how I know... Ended up patching some leaks after a big storm last year because the vent flashing wasn’t sealed tight. If you’re doing it yourself, double-check the shingle overlap and use a good sealant, especially at the ends.
Also, can’t stress enough how much keeping soffits clear matters. I’ve pulled out everything from bird nests to what looked suspiciously like a squirrel’s winter pantry. If airflow gets blocked down low, even the fanciest ridge vent won’t help much.
Spotting moisture early is huge. I keep a cheap humidity sensor up there now—beats crawling around looking for stains every month.
- Great callout on soffit maintenance—blocked intakes are a sneaky culprit for attic issues.
- Humidity sensors up there are underrated, honestly. Cheap peace of mind.
- Seen a lot of ridge vent leaks from rushed installs, especially after wind-driven rain.
- Your point about shingle overlap is spot on—can’t cut corners there, or you’ll pay for it later.
- Love seeing folks take the time to check these details themselves... saves a ton of headaches in the long run.
Totally agree on the soffit intakes—mine were half blocked with old insulation and I didn’t even realize until I crawled up there last fall. Cleared those out and noticed a big difference in attic temp. I’m still on the fence about humidity sensors, though... seems like one more gadget to check, but maybe I’m just being stubborn. And yeah, shingle overlap—my neighbor tried to DIY his and ended up with leaks after the first storm. Sometimes it’s worth double-checking your own work, even if it feels nitpicky.
Clearing out those soffit vents made a bigger difference for me than I expected too. I had a bunch of old insulation bunched up in the corners—never realized how much it was choking off airflow until I actually poked around up there. After I fixed it, the attic felt less like a sauna in July.
About humidity sensors... I get where you’re coming from.
I thought the same thing at first. But after last winter, when we had that weird cold snap and my bathroom vent started dripping, I caved and put one in. Turns out my attic humidity was way higher than I thought, especially after showers or laundry. It’s not something I check every day, but it’s been handy for catching problems before they turn into mold.“seems like one more gadget to check, but maybe I’m just being stubborn.”
And yeah, shingle overlap is no joke. My cousin tried to save money by doing his own roof and ended up with water stains on his ceiling after the first big rain. Sometimes being picky is just smart—especially when you’re the one who has to fix it later.
