I own a 1100 sqare foot ranch with an attached 2-car garage. I've had a couple of people out for estimates and they have told me that a ridge vent wouldn't be necessary. They all suggested installing more vents under the overhangs. My fiance's father tells me that we should have a ridge vent put in do to the increased circulation it would create. However, the roof guys that I've had come out state that with the lack of pitch in my roof (there is a slight pitch) that it wouldn't be necessary.
2006-09-20 02:26:46 · 10 answers · asked by mixedupconfusion 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
If your roof has a low pitch (such as 1:10 or 1:12), I wouldn't install a roof vent. There is not enough level change to support good convection and it's too easy for rain to be driven into your ridge vent. If your pitch is 1:3 or 1:4, then a ridge vent is a good idea. It's hard to say more without seeing your roof and attic.
2006-09-20 02:37:23 · answer #1 · answered by svcbench 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes ridge vent is still recommended, you can get more soffit vent, aka under eave vent, but you need somewhere for that air to go. This is what the ridge vent is for to circulate that air.
All answeres above are all right in a way. . .
In a low slope roof ridge vent is still very affective. This is true as long as you have equal or greater venting in the soffits and never mix ridge vent and gable vents. If gable and ridge vents are mixed it can great a suction in the ridge vent and could and I mean slight very slight chance that water or debris can be "Sucked" down through the ridge vent.
The ridge vent will not leak as long as there is any pitch at all, the angle that the rain would have to fall is impossible as long as the ridge vent is installed correctly and the actual opening of the roof the vent is installed over is not larger than recommended.
Lets ponder this, the soffit vents are install along the outside base of the roof and ridge vent is along the top center. Natural circulation is that hot air will rise so the air will move from the soffit vents up the roof line and out through the ridge vent. This allows for much greater heat escape than a gable vent or even a power vent with much less effort. As long as there is ridge vent along the length of the house.
The brand of ridgevent is a big thing as well, each brand lists the net free area of the vent. This is the calculated amount of space available for air to flow through. Industry average is about 18 square inches. The actual air that can flow through this can be drastically different.
The best ridge vents out on the market today are, GAF brand Cobra Ridge Vent series and Headrick Building Products SONN brand. Each of these tests very well out shining the competition by a huge margin.
There is a whole science behind this that is hard to explain in this little space.
2006-09-20 14:50:37 · answer #2 · answered by hansca04 2 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Replacing standard roof vents with a ridge vent is perfectly acceptable as long as the ridge is long enough (roughly 3 feet per old roof vent) and the contractor cuts a notch or leaves a gap at the ridge in the roof decking.
2016-03-17 02:44:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
svcbench was right on the money. 3on12 or less, no ridge vent. 4 on 12 or above VERY good idea for ridge vent. But remember without a few soffiet vents the ridge vent doesnt work near as well. Depending on your climate, a ridge vent will save you lots of money with a/c. Also the new plastic ridge vents are great for keeping water out and very inexpensive to purchase and install.
2006-09-20 04:29:39 · answer #4 · answered by steeple54 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would suggest you go with both the ridge vents and the vents under the overhangs, The ridge vents work great.
2006-09-23 22:02:00 · answer #5 · answered by jjnsao 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd go with the experts on this. If you've got plenty of vents in other areas, a ridge vent is not always an asset. It is, after all, a large hole in your roof. If they are all telling you that, in your home, because of the roof's pitch, adding more vents, elsewhere, is a better option, why wouldn't you believe them? I assume that they are reputable and offer warranties.
2006-09-20 02:35:47 · answer #6 · answered by Leo L 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The soffit vents will be useless if you don't have a ridge vent. The soffit takes air in and moves it through the ridge. This is a relatively cheap method so you should do it. Quite a few states insist on it anyway.
2006-09-20 03:27:28 · answer #7 · answered by jepa8196 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You have to have ventalation in order to have the warrenty be valid.
Heat rises and you need to have vents on the top. It is easier to put the ridge vents on the top than to cut holes for the turtle vents (the box looking vents)
2006-09-20 09:15:41 · answer #8 · answered by Springer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To increase the circulation add a couple of attick fans with auto-thermostats in front of the vents.You should already have an attick on each end of the garage.The fans come on and pull the hot air out of the attick space and blows it out through the vent.My fans cost me $60bucks each and they install to regular 110 circuit wiring.
2006-09-20 03:10:07 · answer #9 · answered by Tracy S 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
all roofs need ventilation not only to cool the attic space but also it keeps the shingles from buckling up. these roofing guys you need to send them back to where they came from. once theyre gone back to their state your *** is out of the money and warranty
2006-09-24 01:24:50 · answer #10 · answered by duc602 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋