Ridge Vent

boman47k

Got a couple of guestions concerning my new roof.

My hose has one main ridge plus two shorter ridges on each end perpindicular to the main. The roofer ran ridge vent all the way across the main ridge only.

Should the shorter ridges have been vented too, and should the main vent be ran all the way from one end to the end. Most, if not all, the houses I have looked at have the ridge cut back a little from the ends. I'm thinking the shorter ridges should also have been vented even though they are a little below the main.
Also, this is the type ridge bought in a roll. Should it have some kind of cap at the ends?

Btw, these shorter ridges are somewhere around 18 to 23 feet long.

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

genecarp

All ridges should have been vented, we like to hold back about 6'' from the end. The roll stuff is ok, but i prefer more rigid, comes in 3' sections. Do you have proper soffet vents?G

i prefer this

http://www.gaf.com/Content/Documents/21113.pdf

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MJW

Running ridge vent all the way to the ends is not necessary. It's usually an aesthetics thing. Some guys think it looks better if it runs the whole length of the ridge. Myself I think it looks silly because I know it is useless.

As for the other ridges....without a picture, I'm not sure why they weren't done.

boman47k

I am not sure why all the ridges weren't vented. I suspect it was time saving thing on his part. He said "hot air goes to the highest part, etc.."

I will be installing eave vents when I get the facia on. This house has very short lengths of overhang to install the eave vents. I had more overhang built into the the gables, but that doea little to help me on the venting problem witht he eaves. I have thought of running some vents across the gabled ends just above the top plates.

The house next door has the stiffer venting on the stiffer venting on the ridge that comes in 3' or whatever sections, but I did not likew the way it looked ( too much profile).

The lack of areas in the eave that can be vented has to do with the flat roofs on the front and rear of house. The rest is mostly gabled areas.

bodymaster007

Generally I will stop ridge vents 2' from roof edges. simply for the asthetics; any other ridges on a roof that are greater than ten feet in legnth will be vented. I agree with the above posting that stated "the heat goes to the highest point" . considering Alabama summers are similuar to Texas summers, I suggest any venting that could be adressed should be installed.

StormExteriors

HEy bowman
I 2nd the motion 6" form each enad is the standard and unless the other 2 ridges fall over a " non" heat area Ie a garage etc.. they should have been vented with the slight exception of dog house's / dormers
both GAf & certianteed how info on the standrad for ridge vent and soffett vent verses ridge vent ratio I recomend taking a look at that before installing your soffett vents
I have a bunch links but cant post them hmmm
HOpe these help if ya need anything else just ask

mattp

We always run our ridge all the way to the end. IMO it looks complete and not like *****. As far as the other ridges sounds like they need vented but without out seeing it hard to say. Pics?

Tom Struble

i agree whether it works or not i rather see the vent go the full length

it looks goofy to me just poping up

Slyfox

If you run the numbers on exhaust vent, they seldom work out to needing continues ridge, if ever, thus I see that issue as being a cosmetic matter and always explain that to the home owner and go by what they prefer.
They want rake to rake, that's what we do, if not, we don't.

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Darwin

The shorter ridges don't necessarily have to be vented. Heat rises, and the upper ridge vents should be sufficient. However, the lower, short ridges could have been vented; I learned you can never have too much ventilation in a roof.

Good Luck.

MJW

Hot air rises, but ventilation works better as a system. The other roofs should have their own venting more than likely.

Too much venting in a roof can be a very bad thing. The air can come in and right back out. It can actually be short circuiting itself as a system.

Zatol

If the attic space of the lower gables are open to the attic space of the taller ridge then it is recommended to not install a ridge vent on the lower gables. The reason is that the ridge vent on the lower sections would possibly become intake vents servicing the taller ridge vents, "short circuiting" the ventilation system and drawing moisture into the attic. If the attic areas are separate, then it would be best to install the ridge vent on the lower gables. It seems like your roofer did you right...

MoneyOnTrees

Thats the answer right there

boman47k

Now that makes sense!

One of them, I think, only has a cutout between it and the high part. I might be wrong on that, but it seems when I had some insulation blown up there some years back it had a place that the guy had to go through to get to that part. Maybe 2.5X 2.5'.

buildpinnacle

This is actually a textbook answer. Approximately 40% of the net free venting area needs to be on the roof as exhaust venting with the other 60% as intake vents. This example is similar to why you would not put ridge vents and turbines on the same house. The ridge vents would pull from the turbines and not the eave or gable intake vents and make the ventilation system useless.

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JTW

Ok Pinnacle, I am still learning alot about ventilation, but if the ridge vent draws from the gable ends, how does that keep the roof cool( Perhaps it is a given that there are eave vents). I have had a couple of peole tellme that ridge vents and gable vents alone would be unproductive, is that true?