How Do I Know If My Roof Is Properly Vented
There are three major ways that you can assess if your roof is properly vented.
First, you should see a slight dip in your utility bills as you are now spending less on heating and cooling.
Secondly, you dont detect any signs of warping or leaking in your roof. These are often signs that moisture is getting trapped, which proper roof venting should prevent.
Thirdly, you should see a decrease in the pest population. Insects and rodents prefer warm and damp environments. A properly vented roof will make your home less pest-friendly.Can ridge vents leak?
Yes. If the weather doesnt cooperate or if they are badly installed, rain can leak in through a roof vent. This is why its important to check the vents and the areas around the vents after a big storm.
You should also look at sealing or weatherproofing the area where your vent is attached to your roof and inspect the vent itself for cracks.
What Happens If Snow Blocks Ridge Vents
Like any vent, if snow covers a ridge vent and blocks it, the vent will not function correctly, since there is no room for the air to escape.
If snow builds up, the vent will stop working, but since ridge vents are at the highest point of the roof when the wind blows and the sun shines, the vents will quickly get unblocked. Furthermore, when it snows heavily, warmer air in the attic still works its way to the top, often melting off the snow covering the vent.
That being said, ridge vents are not ice-dam-proof. There is nothing you can do about this except wait for the ice to melt, and the moisture to expel naturally.
What A Ridge Vent Looks Like
If you are unfamiliar with ridge vents, the odds are you have seen many in your life without realizing it. That is because ridge vents perform their main functionality with subtlety.
Ridge vents consist of nothing more than a small gap that runs along the peak of a pitched roof. The openings of these vents often measure just a few inches.
Ridge vents also blend well with the shingling that is common on so many single-family homes. That unobtrusive look is one of the reasons ridge vents are such a popular option. But ridge vents also prove to be highly functional too.
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How Much Do Roof Ridge Vents Cost
Another disadvantage to roof ridge vents is the cost of installation. Especially in an older home that requires additional systems for the ridge vent to work properly, the pricetag for ridge vents can be quite high.
While the cost of installing a roof ridge vent varies depending on the size of your roof and your geographical location, you can expect to spend a minimum of $500 on the ridge vent alone. If you have a complex roof design or unusual roofing material, a roof ridge vent system may cost up to $1,500.
The best way to receive an estimate for installing a roof ridge vent on your home is to work with a professional roofing company in Tulsa.
How To Tell If Your Ridge Vent Is Installed Properly
Having your roofs ridge vents properly installed is important in preventing roof venting deficiencies. A properly installed ridge vent ensures that fresh air circulates continuously, improving your indoor air quality. Also, it prevents the growth of mold and mildew in the attic crawl space and the underside of the eaves.
Determining if a ridge vent is installed properly requires a professional eye, so continue reading if you dont know what to look for.
In general, to find out if your ridge vent is installed properly, walk along its entire length and pull the vent slightly upward every few meters. Inspect the vent for any loose seams or fasteners have them repaired as soon as possible. Even a nail slightly out of place can cause problems later on.
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Mastering Roof Inspections: Attic Ventilation Systems Part 3
The purpose of the series Mastering Roof Inspections is to teach home inspectors, as well as insurance and roofing professionals, how to recognize proper and improper conditions while inspecting steep-slope, residential roofs. This series covers roof framing, roofing materials, the attic, and the conditions that affect the roofing materials and components, including wind and hail.
One of the most efficient ventilation methods is the continuous soffit vent combined with the continuous ridge vent.
To form the ridge vent, a slot is cut out of the roof sheathing along the ridge. A fibrous material is installed over the top of the slot and held in place by a cap. The fibrous material will keep out insects while still allowing air to flow. The cap holds the fiber in place and diverts air.
Occasionally, youll find a ridge vent with nothing installed to keep insects out. This is a defective installation.
This grey fabric is one type of barrier, but you will see other types.
This is the vent for the bathroom exhaust fan improperly terminated inside the attic. Bathroom and laundry vents should terminate at the outside — not just beneath the ridge vent
and not under the insulation.
Although thermal buoyancy — which is the tendency for hot air to rise — will evacuate hot air from an attic space or rafter bay, ventilation is much more effective if the air is actively pulled out of the upper vents by other forces, such as air-pressure differentials.
Adequate Ventilation
Why Roof Ridge Vent
One of the main advantages of using ridge vent instead of static or gable vents is that they provide a better and more evenly distributed airflow down the entire length of your roof, instead of other roof vent types that only introduce exchange in small areas when are the vents are installed.
Roof ridge vents are excellent at keeping pests out of the attic because of the tiny vent holes in the that big enough for them to enter, and low profile, even the design of roof ridge vents looks better aesthetically on many roof types.
Want to learn more about ridge vents? Keep reading to learn some things that pro roofers have to factor in when making a decision on which roof ventilation type is for your roofing system.
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What Type Of Installation Do I Need
Ridge vents come in both adjustable and fixed models, but experts recommend using the former because their design makes them easier to adjust for airflow needs. What this means is that although some homeowners may have experience or enjoy doing DIY projects, most people will want to hire a professional for ridge vent installation.
What this means is that even if you dont think your roof needs an adjustment, its best to have professionals examine the site before proceeding with the installation. What this means is that in order to be sure of ridge vent quality and compatibility, experts recommend only installing one made by the same company.
How Are Box Vents Installed
This type of vent is installed over a hole cut in the roof. From the ground, they look like a low-profile metal box sitting on top of the shingles. Unlike a singular ridge vent, you will likely need to install more than one box vent depending on the square footage of your attic.
Similar to ridge vents, box vents rely on the natural wind and air pressure to remove warm air and moisture from the attic. One advantage of box vents is the reduced cost of investment.
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Roof Ridge Vents Are Not Ideal For Every Home
Depending on the age and design of your home, roof ridge vents may not be the most effective ventilation system. Most older homes, for example, still need older ventilation systems that work with how the home was designed.
Ridge vents will only work as they should if the rest of the home is designed to promote air circulation. This type of roof vent works best in homes that have been designed to be energy-efficient.
In an older home, you may be able to install roof ridge vents along with a soffit vent system to allow for proper air intake and exchange.
Purpose Of A Ridge Vent On The Roof
A ridge vent on the roof serves a very important purpose. When a ridge vent is installed, the damp, warm air that accumulates in the attic has a way to escape. This ventilation prevents your home from gathering excessive moisture that can lead to the formation of mold and mildew.
In addition to allowing air to circulate, a ridge vent on your roof prolongs the life of your roof. It also helps to moderate the overall temperature of your home, increasing your energy efficiency. For these, and other, reasons, roof ridge vents are considered an essential part of most modern roof design.
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Is A Ridge Vent Best For A Roof
It all depends on the roof. Weve mentioned some factors above which make a ridge vent a good fit for certain roofs and a bad fit for certain other roofs.
You need to look at your roof and assess if a ridge vent is indeed the best for your roof or if you should look into the other types of roof vents.
For another related article visit our page about the types of roof shingles.
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Intake Bring That Fresh Air In
Hot air leaving your attic is important for your homes health and roofs longevity, but hot air is generally pretty stubborn! It doesnt want to leave without being forced out, so we need something to act as a bouncer. Enter: cooler air.
Cool, fresh air is the other half of a great venting strategy. The cooler air comes into your attic space via intake vents that are placed lower on the roof line than the exhaust vents mentioned above. Because the cooler air enters underneath the hot air , the intake ventilation will help push the stubborn hot air out of the attic space. The cool air, by way of intake style vents acts as our bouncer.
As long as you have exhaust vents with a large enough surface area, then this cooler intake air will help thrust the hot air out of the home. In a perfect world, its all a complete cycle
Cool air in through the intake vents and hot air out through the exhaust!
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What You Should Do Immediately About Improperly Installed Ridge Vent
If youre able to determine if your ridge vents are not installed properly, there are things you can do depending on what the problem is.
However, the best thing is to call a roofing professional before you do anything: theyll be able to do the work for you, perform a quality and professional diagnosis on the roof, and offer the best solution.
The next best thing you should do is find out from the manufacturer how to install this particular ridge vent. Look closely at the installation process and find out if the roofer missed anything.
Maybe they didnt nail it properly or cut the slots 3/4 inches on each side of the ridge board, or the ridge caps are dipped in. Whatever fault you find, ask your roofer to get them fixed.
Benefits Of Having A Roof Ridge Vent
Roof ridge vent. What many people dont understand is that the roof structure of their homes is one of the most important parts to keep well-maintained. In order to ensure that your shingles dont become brittle and prone to damage and to ensure a stable roof deck, the ventilation of the roof is absolutely essential.
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Why is this the case?
Well, when you have a properly installed ventilation system, air flows up and through the roof so that the heat and moisture build-up is greatly reduced. As a result, you have less moisture-based rot, less ice damming, and less shingle deterioration.
- Gaf Materials #COBRA 2005 Cobra Ridge Vent
- GAF MATERIALS CORP
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Exhaust Let That Stale Air Out
According to West Texas A& M University, Physics Professor Christoper Baird, heat does not rise, hot air rises. For the purposes of venting your attic space, this is valuable because it is the hot air, which contains moisture, that you want to get out of your attic space.
If the hot air is allowed to stagnant, it can lead to bad-smelling mildew and eventually mold. This is one of key reasons why ventilation is important to your homes health, as mentioned above.
Because hot air rises, exhaust-style vents are generally placed towards to top of your roof line. The most common exhaust vent used for modern roofing systems is the ridge vent. At Roof Hub, we install a ridge vent for every single new roof unless the homes style does not allow for it.
Remember: ridge vents and other exhausts like them allow that hot, humid, moist stale air to exit your home but are only one half of any great venting strategy!
Do Ridge Vents Work In The Winter
The reasons for installing vents are different in different climates. In cold climates, attic ventilation is required to keep the roof cool. A properly ventilated roof reduces the chances of ice dams forming. Additionally, it helps get rid of the moisture that gets trapped in the attic when it moves upwards from the living space.
Regardless of whether you live in a hot or cold climate, ridge vents work the same way, and are installed in the same way.
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Additional Benefits Of Adding A Ridge Vent To Your Home
In addition to the aforementioned benefits, there are additional benefits to using the ridge vent in your homes ventilation system.
Its crucial that you understand exactly how this type of venting option can help keep your home looking nice and operating efficiently. Lets take a look at some key advantages:
- Ridge vents, since they are built to be as flat as possible, also blend in well with most roofs. In fact, since they look somewhat like a flattened book along the ridge of your roof, they tend to be nearly invisible from the ground.
- Since these vents are present across the entire cap of the roof, moisture buildup is almost completely inhibited so that condensation doesnt become a problem.
- These ventilation systems require no external power like wind or electricity and are designed to work year-round.
- Ridge vents are even effective when theres heavy snowfall because warm air, which works its way outside of the house via the vents, will melt the snow and ensure proper air flow.
- Some other ventilation systems leave hot and cold zones throughout the roofs surface, but a ridge ventensures that there is an even temperature distribution throughout the roofs surface.
- Some vents like wind turbines and power vents require external power sources like the wind and electricity a ridge vent uses the natural convection of air, which means that the vents will work year-round with minimal interaction by you, the homeowner.
When Is A Ridge Vent Needed
Any roof that sits on top of an attic space can require a ventilation system. Ridge vents allow for hot air to circulate out of the attic as needed. Often, ridge cap shingles are installed on top of the ridge vent to ensure a clean and finished look to the roofing system .
You always want a clean and smooth look on your roof, with no gaps exposed. Luckily, in this ridge vent system, convection pushes the air to the peak of the roof and allows it to escape through the ridge vents. Also, it is considered a passive system and is efficient at ventilating the attic space of your home. This saves on your attic space cooling costs. This can be more efficient than just the soffit vent.
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Keeps Out Mold And Mildew Troubles And Works All Year Long
The accumulation of both mold and mildew due to moisture accumulation can cause many problems and lead to overall unhygienic living conditions.
So, during the humid months, the humid air can get trapped in your attic and cause a moisture problem. This moisture then leads to the growth of mold and mildew, which can cause allergies and diseases.
However, roof ridge vents can assist with this problem too. As these vents allow the hot as well as humid air to escape your attic, theres no accumulation of moisture. Now, as there is no moisture, no mold and mildew are growing in your house either!
So, along with getting fresh air, you also get a mold or mildew-free living environment.
Why Is A Ridge Vent Better
Roof ridge vents work better than the three vents mentioned above for two main reasons:
Providing an outlet where the hottest air is, ridge vents ventilate homes better than multiple gable or box vents can. Furthermore, you only need to install one ridge vent on the highest ridge of the roof to get the job done. Since ridge vents are non-mechanical, there is no need for an electrical system, either.
Any ventilation consultant will tell you that having roof vents of any kind is better than having no vents. However, ridge vents stand out as efficient, cost-effective solutions to ventilating your home.
If youre installing a new roof, the answer is a definite yes, since a ridge vent will extend the life of the roof. But there is no harm in installing a ridge vent even if you arent replacing your roof since the ventilation system will prolong the life of your current roof just as well.
Ridge vents are known to work best on shingled roofs, but you can have them installed on metal roofs.
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