Question About Formed Aluminum Ridge Vent

Chunkstyle

hey

can any of you guys please give me your opinions of the formed aluminum ridge vent that you see in building centers? it looks like it would offer much better airflow than the ones that are made of layered corrugated plastic that you bend over the ridge & shingle over, BUT there are nailing holes in the gutter/flanges that you use to attach it, which seems like an idiotic idea, at least to my uninformed mind. aren't exposed nailhead penetrations bad, especially in a gutter area where water will collect a bit before running out the weep holes? especially at the ridge, where water could get in and do damage all the way down the roof slope? even if you cement the heads, would that be trouble-free over time?

i'm going to be redoing a roof soon, which currently has that type of ridge. if it is a decent type of vent & if my leak fears are unfounded, i'd like to carefully pull it up & reuse it if possible. the corrugated plastic stuff's pretty expensive, and honestly doesn't look as if it'd have as good an airflow as these existing aluminum vents.

i'm also thinking of adding some screened spot vents (just ordinary vents -- not turbines or anything) to the back side slope while the roof's torn up. it always sounds like there's almost no such thing as too much roof ventilation. any opinion on this, or is it stupid overkill? the roof's ridge is about 24'-0 long, gable ended, and i was thinking of adding maybe 4 spot vents.

i'd appreciate any input you could offer.

thank you!

drew j.

Kevin

You can't reuse them. They're thin and they damage easily. We use metal roofing screws to fasten the vents, not nails. (when we have to use them).

I personally don't like them.

Grumpy

I prefer the "shingle over" type of vents. All the nails from the shingles hold the vents in place very well. Last major storm we had we replaced alot of metal ridge vent with various types of roof over ridge vents.

We reuse NOTHING on a roof. Why would you replace the roof and put on an old vent?

Teetorbilt

My 'cheapie' alum. shingle over vents made it through 2 hurricanes last year. They were a little bent and battered but didn't leak a drop. I assume that they were operating at pressure from the soffit vents.

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Grumpy

That's because they are shingle over, as you said. Most aluminum ridge vents are not shingle over style vents. If they have a baffle then your ridge vent probably produced the burneli (sp?) effect. The same principal of air flow that keeps air planes in the air.