Ridge Vents?

[cajunlady87]

In Olebama's thread "Storage in a New Shed", he mentions he installed a "ridge vent". A year ago I recovered my roof and the ridge vents came up in the conversation. The option was those or stick with the turbines.

Now my attic is very steep. Taking a guess I'd say Missasip could stand TW on his shoulders without a problem in the highest part down the middle.

I looked at the ridge vents and all those tiny vent holes. The first thought was all these mud daubers clogging them up, yes it would take a while but still. So I again went with the turbines.

Could someone shed some light on these new vents so I'll know more next time. What kinda cooling effect are y'all getting and how easy do the holes get clogged?

[tjwilhelm]

Howdy, CL! Ridge vents are not so new. They've been around for at least several decades. Here's, in a nutshell, how it works:

They cut the roof sheathing away from the ridge of the roof, leaving a long gap about 6" wide. Over this vent-gap, they place a long strip of very coarsely porous mesh, wide enough to cover the gap and about 1" thick. Then, they cap-shingle over the top of this mesh, leaving the downward-facing edges of the mesh exposed. It's a very effective attic vent, provided of course you have a corresponding air inlet to the attic such as soffit venting. Ridge venting is a good solution to attic venting, so long as it is installed properly for the conditions of your local area.

There are also several other ridge vent materials other than the porous mesh type I have on my roof. A reliable local contractor could recommend the best option for your area.

[cajunlady87]

Ha! Then the guy who was trying to sell me the ridge vent didn't know what he was talking about when he told me it was a new product on the market.

You explained it well and it sounds like something worth having installed. Maybe next time.

[olebama]

I will mention that a co-worker had it installed on her house and she does NOT like it. Dirt and small items are blown into her attic through the coarse mesh and it pesters her to death. She goes up there and vacuums it. This is NOT a finished attic. I tell her that she is crazy.