Roof Space Ventilation Building Regulations

Minimum requirements bs 5250 sets out the minimum requirements for roof space ventilation.

Roof space ventilation building regulations.

Pitched roof spaces should have ventilation openings at eaves level to promote cross ventilation. Duo pitch roofs greater than 200 pitch or greater than 10m span should have additional ventilation at the ridge to assist airflow through the roof void equivalent to at least a 3 mm wide continuous gap. Cold roofs versus warm roofs. Around 25 per cent of heat loss occurs through a building s roof but high levels of insulation in historic roofs can be counter productive sometimes even accelerating heat loss in the long term.

Isbn 978 1 85946 679 7 pdf 683kb this file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Jonathan taylor s article unpacks the key issues including the role of moisture ventilation and buffering. 1 300 ventilation ratio recommended. Roofs with a pitch of 15 or more.

In many pitched roofs a ventilation slot is built in along two opposite eaves so that air can flow across the roof space. The requirements will be met by the ventilation of those roofs where the moisture from the building can pass through the insulation. Roof space air quality 9 1 roof spaces with dampness problems such as from leaking roofs lid less water tanks moisture being vented into the roof space and moisture rising from the ground through building cavities require special attention. If the attic is equipped with high and low ventilation openings the requirement is 1.

Otherwise ventilation is required and this is known as a cold roof system. A roof void above an insulated ceiling. Both building regulations and nhbc require ventilation to be provided in roof spaces. Attics must have a minimum of 1 square foot of ventilation openings for every 150 square feet of floor space.

When ventilating a roof the air should be able to enter at one end and travel through to the other end where it can exit. The air gap dimensions shown on the drawings are the minimum widths required for clear continuous ventilation air paths at the eaves. For example in the average house with a cold loft there should be a minimum of a 7mm continuous ventilation gap at eaves when using a vapour permeable underlay with a normal unsealed ceiling. Roof voids must be ventilated in order to stop warm air condensing on cold surfaces.

Therefore it s important that the ventilation slots aren t blocked. Roof insulation thermal resistance at roof perimeter should be equal or greater to thermal resistance of exterior wall. The recommended ventilation ratio to provide for vented attic assemblies when an air barrier is present is the 1 300 ratio as specified by most building codes. The roof space isn t intended to be a storage area so if you do put items up there you.

Condensation encourages rot and mould growth. Contribute positively to moisture control in dwellings tending to be short of ventilation.