Could the roofing experts on this forum give me the pros/cons of adding a ridge vent as well as explain the different types of ridge vents available and their pros/cons?

thanks for your help....

 

No help available?

 

As I understand, ridge vents are about the best type of venting you can do if you have proper soffit ventilation and air flow in the attic. I've only ever had experieince with the metal type that look pretty ugly. The ones that you shingle over look nicer, but I know nothing about them.

 

They are usless in 5 to 10 yrs because of dirt build up.

 

I can tell you my experiences with roof ridge vents. My home was built in Dec 1991/Jan 1992. In Spring of 1993 we had a snowstorm with very high winds. A large amount of snow apparently blew into the attic thruough the roof ridge vents. When the attic got warm enough, the snow melted, soaking the insulation and dripping down through the drywall ceiling. Wayne Homes (builder) did replace the "defective" vents, but we have still had a couple times since then where snow has again made its way into the attic, the last being last week when we had a blizzard in northern ohio, and the same place on the ceiling was soaked again. Hopefully there are better designs out now.

 

Tigerdunes - hopefully one of the roofing pros will respond to your post soon. I'm not a roofer, but I did some ridge vent research before having my roof redone several years ago. A roof vent is one of the most economic and efficient ways of ventilating an attic. In order to work properly they must have intake ventilation - that's all. This usually comes from soffit vents.

I opted for ridge vents and have been very pleased with the results. I have not had any snow/water or dirt problems. My attic is definitely cooler in the summer. The install was simple for the roofers since the roof was stripped anyway. I don't think it added more than an hour to the job. They just opened the ridge with a circular saw (probably 2-3 inches per side) just before installing the upper courses of shingles. The roofer told me that shingling over the vent was no more difficult than any ridge shingling. I don't know what the additional cost was, it was included in the contract, but I'm convinced that the better ventilation will extend the life expectancy of my roof.

There are many different styles and designs of roof vents. Most designs include a baffle to prevent snow and wind blown rain from entering the attic. I'm not sure what type or style is susceptible to clogging from dirt. I've never heard of that. I can't figure out where the dirt comes from and how it could clog such large holes. That may be an older design or a problem in other parts of the country where dust is prevalent.

I suggest you Google "ridge vents" you'll find a ton of info on style, function and installation.