| Ridge Vent Pros | Ridge Vent Cons |
| Roof ventilation is required past code in addition to ridge vents are a skilful method for achieving this | There may live a run a risk of leaking from ridge vents alongside heavy rains |
| A bang-up style to go along your attic cool together with for dealing alongside humidity | Ridge vents are entirely appropriate for sloped as well as non apartment roofs |
| Small plenty to be installed along the entire roofline for maximum ventilation | Lower vents are necessary to properly ventilate alongside ridge vents |
| Improve the ventilation and cooling organisation for your whole family | Improper installation makes them ineffective |
| Inconspicuous ventilation system that blends amongst your covering system | Ridge vents rely only on passive airflow |
| Small enough that you lot won’t take to deal amongst animals getting in | |
| No vent stacks or hood are needed |
Ridge vents furnish passive attic ventilation together with help with whole-home ventilation. Lower vents are needed for optimal ridge vent part. Heavy rains tin can enter through them. They are inconspicuous (no stacks/hoods) as well as small to go along out animals. Poor installation or non-sloped roofs make them ineffective.
Pros of Ridge Vents
Roof Ventilation is Required by Code
Section R806 of the International Residential Code (IRC) requires roof ventilation:
“Enclosed attics and enclosed rafter spaces formed where ceilings are applied direct to the underside of roof rafters shall accept cross ventilation for each assort infinite by ventilating openings protected against the entrance of pelting or snowfall.”
These openings must live between ane/16” together with ane/iv” inwards dimension (bigger than that requires a concealment).
While ridge vents are not required by code, they are a skilful mode to attain roof ventilation, which is required past code.
It is important to check your local code on ventilation before you lot install ridge vents (or any ventilation organization) to ensure that yous comply alongside regulations that may live different from those inward the IRC.
Ridge vents make purpose of the natural airflow inwards a menage. They are designed to permit hot air to filter to the outdoors every bit it rises. This results inward a vacuum-like ventilation arrangement, creating movement in the air by pulling cooler air along alongside warm air inward a continuous upwards flow.
Keep Your Attic Cool
As the highest indicate, your attic is likely to live the hottest expanse inward the house, even inward the presence of an AC arrangement. This is because hot or warm air rises too because sunlight beats downward onto it.
The potential for property rut is role of the argue you lot call for to ventilate your roof (aside from airflow); rut tin effort structural damage.
If y'all install ridge vents that utilise the natural airflow of your family, y'all are going to live providing a fashion for that hot air to escape the attic and live replaced past cooler air.
Not solely do ridge vents assistance alongside hot air inwards attics, merely they too permit humidity to escape through them. This will aid to go along your attic mold as well as mildew gratis too therefore should demote it from your worst nightmare inward price of cleaning too potential wellness threats.
Overall, your attic should live less homey for any interested animals and yous are going to notice that it all of a sudden has a lot more functionality without the gamble of ruining anything you lay upwardly at that place.
Now, if you lot reckon the regular heat as well as humidity issues associated with an attic, imagine how these issues would live compounded if your bath fan was improperly vented as well as terminated inward your attic! If you can’t quite imagine it, I accept place together a bright listing of the Reasons Why A Bathroom Fan Should Not Be Vented Into the Attic.
Even Venting Along Entire Roofline
Ridge vents are placed at the tip of your roof superlative in addition to are elementary enough to install along the full length of your roofline. This makes it tardily to achieve good ventilation for your house inwards a way that complies amongst edifice code requirements.
Using ridge vents is too a expert way to ventilation multiple sections within the attic or rafter infinite, without problem, even if those sections are divided past walls. You don’t necessitate to stress nigh how you volition go sufficient airflow through all the private spaces.
Air circulation is besides more even too efficient when you lot role ridge vents every bit in that location volition be more than access to openings inwards the vent organisation for air to act about.
Ridge vents expect more than uniform (which volition please the asymmetry-disliking members of your family unit!) too only adds to the overall cohesion of your home design.
Placement of your vents will non be an upshot as yous will non have to see vent placement based on any trees or chimneys that might block airflow about a vent stack or hood.
Improves Whole House Ventilation in addition to Cooling
The ventilation and cooling benefits of ridge vents are non express to the attic. The organization industrial plant inwards the same fashion for the entire menage.
Ridge vents help to residue out the temperature of your house past moving air around and inward too out. It helps to go along your whole house cooler inwards the warmer months.
Don’t worry though, this doesn’t mean that your family will live freezing during the wintertime!
By blueprint, ridge vents assistance to trap the warmer air inward your family when the air is freezing exterior. Which helps to proceed your household warm and should assistance go on your heating bills down.
Inconspicuous
Ridge vents are designed to be inconspicuous in addition to to blend into your roof inwards comparing to the bulky turbine as well as stack vents.
They sit at the meridian of a sloped roof too tin be colour-matched to the roof equally they are covered amongst your roofing tiles.
They are pocket-size as well as unobtrusive spell providing maximum ventilation for your home. So, ridge vents won’t interfere with your décor in addition to stylistic endeavors.
Personally, I prefer the ridge vent mode equally they don’t brand your roof look like it belongs on a manufacturing plant the fashion that protruding vents do.
Small Enough to Prevent Animals Entering
No 1 wants to bargain amongst raccoons, rats, mice, birds, as well as a diversity of other animals inward their attic in addition to rafter space. They can crusade a lot of trouble as well as it’sec non e'er easy to go rid of them.
Thankfully, ridge vents are comprised of slim openings that foreclose any freeloaders from getting in. Saving you from costs related to chewed wires, damaged ducts and insulation, the “thrifting” of nesting materials, as well as a whole lot of poop.
There are besides wellness risks to having animals living inward your roof or attic:
- Chewed wires are a burn chance as well as atomic number 82 to farther harm to your electrical organisation. And let’s face up it, the wires that are constitute inward the roof are generally the kind that connect to large as well as important appliances in addition to the lighting circuit.
- Ducts serve a function such as directing plumbing business gases together with exhausted air out of the home. If these are damaged, and so they mightiness showtime pumping those things dorsum into the household.
- Animal feces together with urine in your roof are not hygienic. This is a nifty manner for you to choice up germs together with parasites. You also adventure having your ventilation organisation circulating the particles throughout your household. No i wants to live exposing themselves or their families to that!
With ridge vents, you won’t have to worry most these factors or near animals creating blockages in your ventilation system. Although it is withal worth checking too cleaning these vent openings annually.
Additionally, together with virtually importantly I mean, yous circumvent the scurrying sounds that no i wants to hear on scary film night.
No Vent Stacks or Hoods Needed
When it comes to vent stacks together with hoods, there is a higher risk of leaking. Even amongst the flashing that is installed amongst this type of equipment, there is however a pretty big opening inward your roof that should non actually live in that location.
Ridge vents tally more than seamlessly into the form of your roof together with and then make non share the same problem as vent stacks as well as hoods.
Ridge vents are too less exposed to the elements due to the more integrated installation in addition to and then endure less weathering. This agency you lot are not going to take to supersede or repair them every bit oftentimes too less damage to the vents means less chance of impairment to your home.
As mentioned, some other bonus is that ridge vents accept a lot less touch on on your roof aesthetic than these alternatives.
Cons of Ridge Vents
Risk of Water Leaking Inside From Heavy Rains
According to the IRC Section 806, the ventilation openings must live installed in such a fashion so equally to protect them from rain.
Weather protection for ventilation systems inwards roofs is defined in IRC Section 903.one, which says that your roof system must be installed according to the IRC (or to the adaptations inwards your local code) and the instructions of manufacturers in a mode that protects your construction.
Your roof has a roof assembly. This is a arrangement that is specifically designed to protect your family from weather condition weather condition all yr about.
This agency that if yous accept installed the ridge vents according to the manufacturer’second instructions in addition to and so equally to run into edifice together with residential code requirements inwards your expanse, and so there should non live issues amongst leaking because of ridge vents.
However, if you stay somewhere that usually experiences bad weather condition conditions in addition to storms yous may demand to keep an eye on your attic in addition to rafter spaces for water harm equally stiff winds may be able to blow water within.
Not Appropriate for Flat Roofs
Ridge vents are made to be installed at the apex of sloped roofs. The placement of the vent opening and the mechanics of how they are designed to move air way that ridge vents are non appropriate if yous have a apartment roof.
This is because ridge vents call for a level of summit in addition to an angle that cannot be achieved on flat or flatter roofs.
If your roof is flat, yous will postulate to reckon other ventilation systems that are suitable for your structural needs every bit ventilation is even so important. It volition withal live required past code together with tin can however crusade structural impairment the mode it does alongside sloped roofs.
Box vents in addition to soffit vents may live viable alternatives, simply it depends on your local coding too the structural blueprint of your household.
If you are unsure of anything when it comes to ventilation, it is ever best to contact a professional person.
Works Best in Conjunction With Lower Vents
Ridge vents work amongst natural airflow together with lack an exhaust or fan factor to mechanically create air movement. While this is a groovy ventilation method, at that place is a job inwards price of structural pattern.
Older houses aren’t necessarily designed with the same free energy-efficient structure that y'all tend to observe in newer buildings. This means that you might postulate lower vents in gild to achieve optimal ventilation.
Lower vents, such equally soffit vents, are place in at lower points on the household. Soffit vents are installed nether the overhang of your roof which allows air to get in the household together with helps to make a more than effective ventilation arrangement.
While I order that ridge vents tin can be used in conjunction with lower vents to improve ventilation, this does non mean that they are ineffective on their own if the menage is suitably designed.
I desire to banknote hither that the edifice codes besides specify that if y'all accept vents in the upper section of your attic, y'all besides demand some inwards the lower portions. You tin read more in my article on ridge vents in addition to their fulfillment of code ventilation requirements.
Improper Instalment Can Make Them Ineffective
The effectiveness of ridge vents depends entirely on whether or non they are installed properly.
- If ridge vents are installed on a roof form that is non appropriate, and so they will non provide effective ventilation.
- Improper installation volition besides compromise the conditions resistance of your roof organisation, which agency you lot volition accept problems with pelting as well as snow and this volition impact the temperature balancing capabilities of the ventilation organisation.
- Any blockages in the vents will prevent airflow as well as volition decrease the ventilation character inward your house.
Due to the importance of ventilation for roofs and the coding requirements for this, it is advisable to try professional person assistance too installment to ensure that ridge vents are the best option for the menage together with are installed properly.
Rely Entirely on Passive Airflow
Ridge vents rely entirely on passive airflow to render ventilation for your roof and menage. Unlike turbine or mushroom vents that also accept a grade of mechanical venting because air currents crusade the fan, which tin can aid force air upward through the vents more effectively.
Vents that rely on passive airflow use the chimney result, using air buoyancy. Without the role of a fan, exhaust, or motor that active airflow vents purpose to circulate in addition to move air too wet the passive air vents are a lot slower.
Active airflow is more than continuous inward comparing to passive, although ridge vents are considered to hand continuous airflow in ventilation.
But when it comes to passive airflow, factors such as the temperature of your attic in addition to the air outside, the wet levels inwards the air, the elevation too angle of your roof, in addition to wind velocity tin impact how effective your ventilation is that twenty-four hours.
When it comes to deciding which choice is better for your home you lot mightiness ask to consult a professional person.
Sources
https://greengarageblog.org/12-roof-ridge-vent-pros-as well as-cons
https://roofingcampbell.com/how-much-ventilation-does-a-apartment-roof-ask/
https://www.canadagogreen.com/passive-ventilation-vs-active-ventilation/