Roof Ridge Vent - can I plug it for the winter

[Art M]

Just wondering if it would be a bad idea to stuff some pink insulation up my ridge vent to keep the attic warmer and cut down on my heating bill. I live in Virginia.

--Art

[HA HA Budys Here]

Yes, it would be a very bad idea. The air in your attic is not supposed to be heated, there should already be insulation between the ceiling of the house and the floor of the attic.

[Michael O]

Yes, it's a bad idea.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

It may keep the heating bill down just a tad, but it can cause the roof to rot away from the trapped moisture. The colder the better. That means the insulation in the ceiling it doing the job of keeping heat in the house.

[PJx]

Ice Dams = roof leaks.

PJ

[Gary Brown]

"Art M" Just wondering if it would be a bad idea to stuff some pink insulation up my

Go to this site, then click on everything in blue "energy loss, heat build up, moisture & condensation, etc". You will have a better understanding of how a house works. To repeat the advice already given, the answer is:don't block your vents.

[djp]

I would not do it, most of VA has high humidity and has not gotten that cold. If you did block the vents the humidity would most likely be even higher. The end result of this would be:

1. The moisture would attack the underside of the roof deck.
2. The Moisture would get into the insulation, making it less effective.
3. Warmth plus humidity = mold/mildew. and if the weather turns cold and we get snow you could get some Ice Damming.

It would be better to increase the insulation in the attic to R-48 or more and look at the other things like weather stripping.

[Steven Johnson]

Naw, keep the roof cold. Insulate the ceiling instead. The ridge vent is purposely installed at some expense, for a reason. The reason is to keep the roof cold. That helps in preventing ice dams. Keep the ceiling warm and the roof cold.

Steve Johnson