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Nick Cellucci is a contributing writer for USA TODAY Homefront. He specializes in educating fellow homeowners on home improvement topics including flooring, renovation, HVAC, home security, moving and solar. His work has been published on Angi, HomeAdvisor, Forbes Home, Mohawk Home and Yelp. Nick is based in South Central Pennsylvania and enjoys traveling in a DIY-renovated retro camper van with his wife.
Roof ventilation prevents excessive heat and moisture from building up in your attic.
A ridge vent is installed at the highest point in a roofline for maximum ventilation.
Proper ridge vent installation involves careful calculations by an experienced roofer.
A well-designed roofing system keeps a house comfortable and protected from the elements. Proper attic ventilation is a key part of that system, and roof ridge vents are among the most popular ventilation options. So, what is a ridge vent, and how does it benefit you to have one?
A ridge vent is a low-profile exhaust vent, typically made of hard plastic or metal, that runs along the peak of a sloped roof. Mesh-covered openings underneath let air out of the attic without letting weather and bugs in.
This passive ventilation system uses no energy. Cooler air enters the attic through soffit intake vents under the eaves, pushing hot, humid air out through the ridge vent at the roof’s peak. Every roof needs ventilation, but not all homes need a ridge vent.
“There are certain roofs it’s not best for, such as roofs that don’t have a lot of ridge line,” said Chris Hock, owner and president of Earth Savings Solutions, a general contracting company in Denver. “A flat roof could also never have a ridge vent because there’s no ridge.”
Let’s explore whether you’d benefit from a ridge vent and how to choose the right installer.
A new asphalt roof can cost $5,000—$10,000.
A metal roof replacement ranges from $7,000 up to $70,000.
Clay tile and slate roofs can cost between $55,200 and $59,800.
A ridge vent lets air circulate through an attic and roof while keeping a low profile that’s practically invisible from the ground. This air circulation is important because if moist air stagnates in an attic, it can create a host of problems.
“If moisture starts happening in your attic, you can get mold and mildew,” Hock said. Moisture can also damage a home’s structure and lead to expensive repairs.
“It’s very important for your house to breathe,” explained Hock, who emphasized the importance of temperature regulation. “If you have a 100-degree day and your attic gets to 150 degrees, you’re going to feel that inside. Conditioning also protects your shingles, because the sun is beating on them.”
Ridge vents offer several benefits that have made them popular among the various types of roof vents.
A ridge vent captures heat from the top of an attic to achieve the most efficient ventilation of any vent type.
“It’s the highest part of your roof, so the most heat would come out of there if properly ventilated from the bottom,” Hock explained. “By opening at the very top of the roof, you get the best ventilation possible.”
If you’re not sucking from the bottom, you’re not getting the equal, balanced flow that is supposed to ventilate your roof. Chris Hock
If you’re not sucking from the bottom, you’re not getting the equal, balanced flow that is supposed to ventilate your roof.
Ridge vents circulate air through an attic and out of the roof to prevent humid air from getting trapped within. Left to stagnate, this humidity would otherwise penetrate your home’s structure and condense under the roofing materials, leading to rot, mold, mildew and other moisture damage that can necessitate costly repairs.
Ridge vents reduce the strain on an air conditioning system by preventing heat buildup in the attic. As the attic and roof cool off, the rest of the house will stay naturally cooler. This means the air conditioner won’t have to work as hard, lowering energy bills, prolonging the HVAC system’s life span and reducing your home’s carbon footprint.
Moisture trapped in an attic can harm the roofing system in both hot and cold weather.
“Moisture inside of your roof because of condensation can cause ice damming,” Hock said. If humidity can’t escape, it can repeatedly freeze and thaw, leading to roof damage that eventually causes leaks.
Excessive heat during the summer can also accelerate wear on shingles. Keeping the attic cooler in turn keeps roofing and roof underlayment cooler, which helps keep shingles flexible and waterproof and extends their life span, according to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI).
Ridge vents are designed to be a one-way channel out of an attic.
“It has a mesh mechanism underneath that lets air out, but typically not weather or bugs in,” Hock said. Additionally, a properly installed attic ventilation system will constantly move fresh air from below, even under calm weather conditions without wind. Insects are less likely to crawl in the direction of a steady airflow.
“Aesthetics is the number one reason for me,” Hock said, referring to a ridge vent’s low profile once installed. These relatively flat vents don’t protrude upward and can even be covered by shingles to disguise them. They’re practically invisible from ground level and minimally affect your home’s curb appeal.
Ridge vents vary in appearance and construction. The most discreet design is the shingle-over ridge vent, which is covered by a layer of ridge cap shingles to help it blend in with the rest of the roof. Exposed ridge vents are typically made of aluminum that remains uncovered, making them more visible. However, they tend to be sturdier in the face of harsh weather.
Ridge vents can also be installed with or without a built-in barrier called a baffle.
Baffles add to the cost of a ridge vent but offer extra protection from debris and precipitation blown by harsh wind. Additionally, a properly oriented baffled ridge vent can create an air pressure differential that channels hot air out of an attic more efficiently.
This is because baffles on a ridge vent divert wind blowing across the roof and direct it upward. The resulting low pressure above the vent opening helps pull air out of the attic, according to InterNACHI.
Ridge vents without a baffle have no barrier to block windblown debris, so they’re better suited to areas with a milder climate. On the plus side, they tend to cost less and provide unobstructed airflow.
Ridge vents are usually installed by a professional roofing contractor. The process starts by cutting a slot out of the roof sheathing along the ridge, according to InterNACHI. A fibrous material layer such as a fabric is laid over the slot to keep insects out. This layer is then covered by a solid cap that diverts airflow.
Ridge vents don’t always require an opening along the entire ridge. It’s a common misconception that more ventilation is always better, according to the Department of Energy.
“You can put as much venting on the top as you want,” said Hock. “If you’re not sucking from the bottom, you’re not getting the equal, balanced flow that is supposed to ventilate your roof.”
To achieve a balanced airflow, ridge vents must work with soffit vents, which are added under the house’s eaves to pull cool, dry air in from below. This cool air pushes warm air up and out through the ridge vents.
“Roofers need to do the calculations to make sure they have proper ventilation from their soffit to go up to the roofline and out the top,” explained Hock. “You could have 40 feet of ridge and only need 20 feet of it to actually be opened up to equal what is coming through the bottom soffit. It has to be a balanced system.”
These calculations are for the proper Net Free Area (NFA), or unobstructed space that air can escape through. The International Residential Building Code requires 1 square foot of NFA per 150 square feet of attic space, according to the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association. The exhaust NFA should also not exceed the intake NFA.
Contact a roofing company for a consultation to learn whether your home can benefit from a ridge vent. When getting a quote for a ridge vent, ensure the pro has ridge vent experience and a working knowledge of NFA requirements. Hock recommends asking questions to vet a pro before signing a contract.
“I would ask them to give me the NFA calculation,” said Hock. “Ask if they understand the calculations. Ask how they’ve come to the conclusion that you need ‘x’ amount of feet per ridge vent. I would see if they know if any of my vents are blocked on my soffit.”
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Erika Skorstad is an editor for USA TODAY Homefront. She covers topics ranging from home warranties to lawn care. Previously, Erika edited content about venture capital, marketing and cloud computing. She has a BS in professional writing with a minor in interactive narrative. Her fiction has been published in Marathon Literary Review, Levitate Literary Magazine and the Burlington Writers Workshop Cold Lake Anthology. Outside of work, Erika enjoys reading psychological thrillers, doing yoga, going on nature walks and spending time with her sassy black cat, Cassie. She lives in Washington.
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