Attic Ventilation Options: What You Need to Know

As a roofing contractor, you understand the importance of proper ventilation. Without adequate airflow, a home faces an increased risk of developing heat and moisture damage, mold, and ice dams in the winter. All of these risks can hinder the roof's performance by causing premature deterioration.Ventilation products allow a home's attic to intake fresh air and provide a way for hot, moist air to escape—an essential function for the roofing system's optimal performance.Achieving balanced airflow for a home means choosing the right ventilation products. Not every ventilation solution works for every home, so it's important to select the right vent for the roof style. Quality and performance matter too, which is why there is no better team than the dedicated people who work hard each day to manufacture the full line of Master Flow™ attic ventilation products and rooftop accessories in the tiny town of Burgaw, North Carolina.Meet the Burgaw Manufacturing Plant FamilyBurgaw was established in 1879 as a railroad town and is known for it's small-town charm that is filled with friendly faces and families that have deep roots in the community. The town is known for it's annual Blueberry Festival that draws thousands to the area to celebrate the blueberries that are grown in the surrounding counties. But for those who live there year-round, they know it as the home to GAF's manufacturing facility, which provides career opportunities and a livelihood for many of the town's residents. In fact, GAF employs 250 people in this town of just 3,000 residents, making it a significant contributor to the local economy and community.One of those Burgaw GAF family members is Steve Boehling, General Manager at Burgaw GAF, who explains that the company has been manufacturing ventilation products there since the early 1990s. Over the years, the team has produced thousands of premium GAF products, and the plant has become a pillar of the surrounding community."The plant was built in 1994, and GAF purchased the facility in 1998," Boehling says. "It's a large facility, about 400,000 square feet, and employs around 250 people." In a town with a population of only a little over 3,000, it's made quite an impact on locals' lives.Boehling describes the plant as "one big GAF family" with people who have spent their entire careers there. "We are very involved in this community. We have employees that have worked at that facility since it was first opened, which says a lot about the type of culture we have created," he explained. "You don't do that with companies you don't like. People are building their lives here."Todd Christiansen, Vice President of Sales for Master Flow™ at GAF, echoes this sentiment: "As one of the leaders of the GAF Burgaw manufacturing facility, we take pride in the positive impact we create every day - not just in the products we manufacture and deliver to the market but in the livelihoods we support and the local communities we strengthen."GAF Master Flow™ Solutions: Made with Pride and PrecisionThe GAF plant in Burgaw manufactures all the company's Master Flow™ solutions, including power vents and rooftop accessories like the Pivot™ Pipe Boot Flashing. This product's all-metal design is aesthetically appealing and delivers superior protection; it can withstand 110 mph wind-driven rain and has UL2218 Class 4 impact resistance. Christiansen explains the plant also produces Master Flow™ Versa Caps, which are ideal for chimney flues and hot stacks.These Master Flow™ ventilation solutions are manufactured with precision by the skilled craftspeople at the plant who call the small town of Burgaw home. Many members of the team have spent their entire careers there and they take pride in the contribution that their town is making to help protect what matters most. The production team understands the importance of ventilation in roofing systems and its members are excited to talk about the products that they produce, especially when they see that they are helping contractors find the right ventilation solutions for their customers.Among all the products manufactured at the Burgaw plant, one of the most popular among roofing professionals is the Master Flow™ SSB960 Super Slant-Back Roof Louver. The vent allows heat and moisture to escape the attic and works well on roofs with limited ridge lines. Its slant-back design protects against strong weather, and it comes in various colors to complement the chosen roof shingles. "The super slant-back is our most popular louver in the contractor world," Christiansen says. "It gives you 60 square inches of NFA, or net free area, which is about 20% more than other brands. It provides a good solution for anybody looking to ventilate through the natural flow of the air."Those looking for powered ventilation solutions can count on the Master Flow™ Power Attic Vents ERV Series. Christiansen explains that a focus on quality components and safety differentiates this product line from competitors' offerings. "We use an upgraded motor for all our units, not just the high-end ones," he notes. "We also have safety-related assurances, including hemming the dome of our unit so if somebody picks it up by the dome, it won't be as sharp on the edges."In addition, Christiansen points out that the ERV Series vents use a higher-quality bracketing system than other models on the market, a nod to the Burgaw team's commitment to delivering the highest-quality products. GAF also recently enhanced its powered ventilation line by launching models such as the Master Flow EZ Cool™ vent that can be plugged into a standard 110-volt outlet, eliminating the need for an electrician to be onsite during the installation.Experiencing the Master Flow™ DifferenceBeyond superior performance and quality, one of the things that makes Master Flow™ stand out is that the products are eligible for coverage under GAF residential enhanced warranties."When you look at putting on a full roofing system, you want to have all the components coming from the same manufacturer," Christiansen says. "It gives you a lot of peace of mind as a homeowner to only have to make one phone call."By manufacturing its own line of ventilation solutions, GAF has control over the quality, performance, and customer service that comes with the products. But it wouldn't be possible without the talented and highly skilled team in Burgaw that stands behind the production of each of these solutions.Curious to see the full line of products they make at the North Carolina plant? Explore the GAF rooftop accessories page to learn more.

When developing a new roofing product, it's important to ensure it meets the local roofing codes and requirements in multiple jurisdictions. These standards are often regionally similar, but some may require additional testing or the use of certain raw materials. The product development team at GAF works hard to ensure products meet some of the strictest codes, so they can provide years of protection no matter where they're installed.Jeremiah Hershberger, GAF product manager of residential accessories, recently discussed the role codes and standards play in residential roofing product development, specifically concerning roof vent code requirements.Why Are Product Codes and Standards Important?The main purpose of building codes and standards is to maintain public health, safety, and welfare in all structures. They do this by ensuring that buildings are constructed in such a way as to minimize potential hazards, like fire, structural failure, or storm damage.Building codes exist to improve the safety and livability of buildings. They set minimum requirements for the materials and systems installed, as well as their installation methods. In the US, building codes are upheld and enforced by state, county, and city governments through the permitting and inspection processes.Standards also provide minimum design and performance metrics for products and systems. However, unlike local building codes, they are often universally upheld (nationally or worldwide). Organizations like ASTM International and the National Fire Protection Association are responsible for creating, updating, and communicating these standards. Local building codes often use these standards to set minimums for product and installation quality.How Do Roofing Codes and Standards Affect Product Development?"The goal of product development at GAF is to provide enhanced value for our customers and contractors," Hershberger explains. Ultimately, customers need to be confident in the performance of GAF products and building codes and standards provide a minimum threshold for product performance. Accordingly, they must be taken into consideration when designing products.Codes are prescriptive performance requirements for buildings. They include both the materials used to construct the building and how they're installed. All products used in a particular building must meet the local code requirements for that county or city.Standards are used as bases of comparison. Types of standards include:Testing standards that define methods and minimum acceptable resultsRating standards that provide a way to fairly compare productsDesign standards that set the criteria for specific roof system designsWhen products are developed for use in many geographic areas, they must meet several locations' requirements. For instance, when developing a new off-ridge ventilation product, GAF considers not only how much net free area (NFA) the unit will have, but also the performance characteristics required to meet Florida Building Code, Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), and Miami-Dade standards so the product can be used in areas that adhere to those codes.Why Does GAF Pay Attention to Codes and Requirements?"We want our customers to be confident in the performance of our products not based solely on our word but also on the basis of third-party standards that level set the industry," notes Hershberger. "Codes and testing requirements provide customers with that outside assurance that our products will hold up to the environmental rigors of a specific region or location."For example, TAS-100(A) tests a product's performance in wind-driven rain. The test provides information on how well a ventilation product will perform in such an environment and helps the product development team learn how likely it is that a ventilation product might leak, so we can then mitigate that risk.How Do Codes Affect Product Quality?Codes may specify what raw materials can be used to make a product or how it will perform in certain standardized tests. For instance, ASTM E108 or ANSI/UL790 Class A roofing fire ratings require a high degree of fire protection to the roof deck, which directly affect the materials used to produce these products. Similarly, the UL 2218 Class 4 impact test or the ASTM E330 Uplift Pressure Test show how a product performs under naturally occurring forces (e.g., hail or wind)"GAF strives to find the balance between performance, strength, and ease of installation (or handleability)," Hershberger says. "This often leads us to develop products that use higher grade materials (better performance over time), are simpler to manufacture with fewer points of potential failure, and are easier to install correctly (ensuring repeatability)."How Codes Affect the Development of High-Quality Roof VentsCreating high-quality roof vents and rooftop accessories didn't occur by accident. The GAF development team focuses on roofing codes and requirements through an intentional design process to drive innovation. From product ideation to design, development, and launch, the team ensures products meet or exceed several codes and standards, including:Florida Building CodeSets minimum performance standards for roof construction, such as wind resistance, fire performance, and roof ventilation requirements. Products must be approved by the state before being installed.Miami-Dade CountyThis county in Florida has some of the strictest building codes in the country due to its classification as a High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. Products used there must also be approved by the county as meeting not only Florida Building Code, but the stricter county requirements.Texas Department of Insurance (TDI)Regulates insurance companies and the insurance/claims process in the state of Texas. Roofing products are evaluated based on TDI-adopted building specifications regarding products used and installation methods.Other tests performed to ensure product performance include:TAS-100(A). Determines the water infiltration resistance of a ridge area ventilation system (ridge vents, static vents, turbines, or powered vents).Simulated snow/ice dam. Ice dams can form when a roof is not properly ventilated, leading to snow melting and refreezing along the lower edge of the roof.UL2218 Class 4 impact test. The UL2218 test is a steel ball drop test that evaluates the impact resistance of roof coverings. Class 4 products are shown to withstand the 20-ft drop of a 2-inch diameter steel ball without cracking through significant damage.Ensuring Roofing Products Are Up to the TaskThe product team at GAF routinely performs these tests to ensure roofing materials meet local roofing code requirements. The company then makes the results publicly available, helping customers nationwide rest assured that they can rely on GAF roofing products to perform as expected.For more information on the GAF ventilation products that meet or exceed code requirements, explore the ridge and off-ridge ventilation offerings.

Protecting what matters most includes promoting the career growth of roofing industry professionals like you. That's why GAF offers a wide range of learning opportunities, including CARE courses, online training, in-person training, and roofing summits and expos.Recently, third generation roofer, Jeremy Simpson of Simpson Roofing Company, spent a day at the GAF Northeast Roofing Summit and Expo to learn more about the latest updates in the residential roofing industry. While the majority of the work the Simpson Roofing Company does is commercial, they are always looking for ways to expand their knowledge by learning about innovative ideas, new products, new software, and new technology in the residential space.Simpson attended breakout sessions on topics including Principles of Ventilation, AI in CRM, and Sales. "I love coming to these GAF summits, because they really line up all the pertinent info for your business to succeed" says Simpson, "I promise you it's worth its weight in gold!"To learn more about on demand, hands-on, and in-person training opportunities through GAF, visit our CARE Contractor Training Center.Video TranscriptMy name is Jeremy Simpson from Simpson Roofing Company. We are out of Vernon, New Jersey, and Patterson, New Jersey, two locations. Today, I'm here at the GAF Summit, and I'm looking to just learn new things. We are a third-generation roofing company. We predominantly do commercial, but all throughout the years, we've done residential. That's why we're here today at this event. We're trying to get updated on the new stuff that's coming out, specifically from GAF. Innovative ideas, new products, new software, new tech. So follow me along today as we explore the GAF summit.[00:00:45]Today, we're going into the principles of ventilation. Designs change, architecture changes, and you need new ways of ventilating. And I don't know all of them. So I want to get some info and see what GAF has to offer as far as new products and new thoughts on how to move the air around. So we just got out of our first breakout session about ventilation. A lot of math, a lot of numbers going into the calculations of moving air around in your attic space to have a really good performed roof system. I didn't know all those details. Now I know, got to use it going forward from there.[00:01:19]I just got out of the AI CRM breakout session there. A little bit of an information overload, and that was a good thing because it really showed me how much I was missing the CRM and AI, it's the future. It's coming.[00:01:37]So I just got out of the third and final breakout of today's GAF Summit, and it was about sales, and it was very interesting to see the different dynamics that take place in the residential market when you're dealing with a homeowner versus something commercial, where oftentimes you don't even get to see who you're selling to. So to find out those little intricacies inside that process was super insightful. The best part of today was everything. I love coming to these GAF summits because they really line up all pertinent information for your business to succeed.[00:02:11]Thank you so much for tagging along today. It was super fun for me. I hope you got a little bit out of it as well. And if you ever find a time to come out to one of these GAF summits, I promise you it's worth its weight in gold.