Ridge Vent

[pennwalk]

I just finished a complete reroof and used the Cor-A-Vent product.

Cor-A-Vent

I did a lot of research and decided that I like this the best. It comes in a lot of different configurations to fit different needs. The web site has complete technical information including drawings and installation details.

I used the V-600 product but there were no distributers near me so I ordered direct. A box that covered 48' was $150 but I don't remember if that included shipping. I only needed 44' but the full box was cheaper.

Take a look at it. We have not had any indication of leaking but with my standing seam metal roof it might take huricane force winds to drive any water inside

They had something like the cor vent on display at home depot but I can't find anyone there who knows anything about it and the display is gone. It looked like interesting stuff. If I ever find anyone at HD that knows anything I would probably faint.

Chris

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Robert, Is the issue with the fabric cobra vent that you have to be careful not to nail the cap shingles down to tight and compress the fabric?

Chris

The worst issue is depending on the cap shingle if you nail it too tight it will tear thru the shingle on a warm day. If you nail them all that way then a good wind will blow them off. This isn't a problem with the multi layered cap shingles.

 

[pennwalk]

Yeah, me too.

Can you access the attic space to see where the water is actually comming from? On my current home I cannot without much difficulty for several feet on either side of the roof peak as the center attic space was converted into a habitable space many years before I bought it. Replacing the peak vent may fix your problem, but it would be a shame to put in a new one and discover that the problem actually lies elsewhere.

The only issue I have ever had with a peak vent was in a house we rented in upstate NY. One year we had a really big snow buildup on the roof and a quick thaw period after that. A bit of snow had built up a cornice on the peak and some had found it's way back into the peak vent. It was like the first type vent heehaw described. It would not have been as much of a problem I think with the second type he described.

Good Luck

Ron, The attic room is built into the attic with the ceiling tile attached to the rafters. We only have standing headroom in the center of the room. The building code would probably keep us from building that room today. Anyway no simple way to see the underside of the roof. We may well be getting a little leakage in the other side of the house but it just doesn't get to the ground floor ceiling. I have thought that I ought to pull a couple of ceiling tiles in the attic room to see if they left space between the insulation and the bottom of the roof to allow for air flow. If there is no air flow up the roof then there isn't much reason to have the ridge vent, except to please the inspector. Now days we would put in that foam channel to keep the space open. It would be a do-able job but I don't have much enthusiasm for it.

Chris

 

[pennwalk]

Use a semi-rigid shingle over type with external baffles to keep the wind driven rain out. The mesh type is too soft - I had to replace one damaged by hail. I believe HD carries Cobra 'Snow Country' or something similar - looks like a good bet.

Those exposed aluminum ridge vents are light weight and if removed/reinstalled could have easily been damaged. Look it over and if it's torn anywhere, replace it.

Some of the issues I see with our ridge vent are that I can't see that they used any of the rubber blocks on the ends and I can't feel them at the joints. I can see that there had been a lot of expansion and contraction at the joint and I can see that the roof tar that they put on the joint is displaced. I think there is a cap piece that is supposed to go over the joints but they were not used on our roof. I see that they used regular roofing nails to fasten it to the roof and I would have been tempted to use roofing screws with rubber washers, About a third of the nail heads were tared over. Many of the nail heads have cracked out the tar blobs. I started to wonder if the reason to tops of the vents are dented is because the way they were installed doesn't allow for expansion. Over all It looks to me like the existing vent needs to be replaced.

Chris

 

[RonMar]

Ron, The attic room is built into the attic with the ceiling tile attached to the rafters. We only have standing headroom in the center of the room. The building code would probably keep us from building that room today. Anyway no simple way to see the underside of the roof. We may well be getting a little leakage in the other side of the house but it just doesn't get to the ground floor ceiling. I have thought that I ought to pull a couple of ceiling tiles in the attic room to see if they left space between the insulation and the bottom of the roof to allow for air flow. If there is no air flow up the roof then there isn't much reason to have the ridge vent, except to please the inspector. Now days we would put in that foam channel to keep the space open. It would be a do-able job but I don't have much enthusiasm for it.

Chris

Sounds just like mine, the insulation will eventually sag and should leave a little gap. IF you can get outside the roof tiles, outside the vertical walls, out towards the eves, you may be able to look up between insulation and sheething towards the peak. I had to go out into one of my attic spaces last night and thinking of this thread, I took a look at mine. I can look up quite a ways on some of mine with a bright flashlight. If you try this Watch for roofing nails protruding thru the roof sheething

 

[pennwalk]

Sounds just like mine, the insulation will eventually sag and should leave a little gap. IF you can get outside the roof tiles, outside the vertical walls, out towards the eves, you may be able to look up between insulation and sheething towards the peak. I had to go out into one of my attic spaces last night and thinking of this thread, I took a look at mine. I can look up quite a ways on some of mine with a bright flashlight. If you try this Watch for roofing nails protruding thru the roof sheething

Darn Ron I guess I will have to crawl out there and take a look Thanks for the warning about the nails.

Chris