Pick a house in Oklahoma and look at its roof. Chances are you will see some big round whirly bird or turbine vents. These pinwheels are not for decoration—they are actually in place on your roof to make sure your home has proper and healthy air exchange.

Proper ventilation is important to the well-being of the actual materials your home is built from. Covering the ventilation system can lead to serious (and expensive) health problems for a home’s structure. Trust us when we say don’t cover your air vents.

In the summer, the vents let the rising hot air in your home escape. So it might seem like a good idea to trap the warm air inside during the winter months, but doing so is a mistake.

Even though you could go to a home supply store to buy relatively inexpensive covers in the winter, you shouldn’t. Trapping warm air in your attic can cause the moisture in the air to condensate. The excess moisture in your attic can lead to mold forming and growing inside the home. Warm air trapped in an attic can also lead to ice dams forming in gutters. Ice dams happen when the snow on a roof melts, runs off into the gutter, then refreezes. They can cause damage to both the gutters and the roof.

If you want to keep your home warm in the winter, try checking if you have proper insulation on the attic floor. This keeps the warm air in your house while still allowing for proper ventilation.

Covering attic vents also traps harmful chemicals, physical particulates, and unwanted moisture inside the home. It’s never a good idea to block the natural flow of air in your home. Again, proper ventilation leads to a healthy home!

If you would like more information on roof ventilation, read more from Energy Star. And if you think your roof may be in need of repair or replacement, contact us for information and to schedule a free roof inspection.