What are the biggest parts of your house? The roof. The walls. Windows. Doors. But what about the little, but essential, parts, like soffit? Tucked under your eaves, soffit is a critical part of any home. Bridging the gap between siding and rooflines, soffit provides vital ventilation to and from the attic and protects your home from pests and weather.

Proper ventilation is essential to managing energy costs and keeping your home a healthy place to live. A good ratio of vented to non-vented soffit is needed to make sure attics stay cool and dry and to promote continuous airflow. This optimizes a home’s breathability. Without good soffit ventilation, your roof’s structure, your attic and everything inside would be prone to mold growth and rot.

And ventilation does more than keep the air flowing. It helps cut back on costs to maintain your home. Soffit keeps the air under your roof cooler, which protects your shingles on hot days and prevents premature aging. In fact, some shingle manufacturers will cite improper ventilation in warranty disputes, so it’s important to make sure your soffit is doing its job.

Keeping your roof well ventilated can save you money in the long run. And good soffit ventilation will also reduce air conditioning energy costs while keeping your upper floors comfortable in the summer.

Soffit also provides a critical line of defense when the worst happens. Rollex’s aluminum soffit is Class A fire-rated, meaning it can withstand the spread of fire.

Properly installed aluminum soffit never needs repainting and prolongs the life of your roof and home. It stops water vapor from condensing inside your attic, protecting any personal items stored there. It also eliminates moisture trapped in insulation, which would otherwise result in reduced R-value and mold growth. Finally, soffit inhibits the formation of ice dams that cause leaks in your home’s interior.

To do all this, your soffit needs to be checked regularly for damage. Taking care of your soffit protects your roof from harsh winters and extreme summer weather. Consider the following steps to maintain your soffit:

• Clean your gutters, especially in the fall. Frozen leaves and ice can result in poor drainage. If your gutters aren’t draining properly, that water has to go somewhere, and you don’t want it getting trapped in the space between your fascia and soffit where it can freeze and cause more damage.
• Check your venting. Older soffit may not have soffit vents, and newer ones still need to be inspected to check for damage and deterioration. Homeowners typically need a square foot of soffit venting for every 150 square feet of attic space. Make sure your soffits are adequately vented and that vents aren’t blocked.
• Don’t overheat your attic. This is especially true for unfinished attics. An overly warm attic can create ice deposits and ice dams on your roof. Check to make sure there is no mechanical equipment in your attic that creates excess heat.

Insulate your attic. Good insulation will help keep your heating and cooling bill down. In the summer, it keeps your cool air inside the home and in the winter, keeps your heat inside your home. However, it’s important to make sure your insulation does not cover your vented soffit or you can inhibit important ventilation.

Over 1 million homes are fitted with Rollex’s aluminum soffit. It is manufactured in the USA with positive interlocking panels and square groove “I-Beam” construction. This provides a secure and great-looking installation, improving not only your home’s appearance but also your property value. With over 25 designer colors available, we have the perfect soffit for your home.

And aluminum soffit is an environmentally friendly choice. Our soffit, along with being low-maintenance, is made with recycled material. So you can rest assured that protecting your house won’t hurt the environment.

For more information on Rollex’s soffit products, visit our website.