Aluminum and Plastic Ridge Vent Installation
By Mark J. Donovan
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A ridge vent plays an integral part in allowing air to circulate in your attic. A ridge vent works in conjunction with soffit vents (located in the roof eves / overhangs) to allow air to circulate in the attic. Without soffit and ridge vents, attic air temperatures can rise to extremely high levels. High attic air temperatures can result in reduced shingle life and elevated temperatures in the upper level rooms of the home.
A ridge vent is located at the peak of a roof and typically runs the length of the roof. There are two types of ridge vent installation methods / materials to choose from. The low cost solution is to use pre-fabricated aluminum ridge vents. |
Pre-fabricated aluminum ridge vents come in 8 or 10 foot lengths, and are available in several colors. When installing aluminum ridge vents, 1-1/4” roofing nails should be used.
A roofing nail should be nailed over each roof rafter or truss when installing the ridge vent. Ridge vent seams should be covered with ridge vent joint straps. The ends of the ridge vent should be capped off with end connector plugs, and a dab of roofing tar should be applied over each nail.
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Aluminum ridge vent installation is quick and easy, however they are susceptible to wind damage. Consequently, you should annually check the ridge vent for loosened nails or dried out roofing tar.
| You may need to install replacement nails, and/or add a dab of fresh roofing tar over the nails and old nail holes.
Today’s preferred choice for ridge vent installation is to use a plastic ridge vent that can then be capped with shingle tabs. Shingled covered plastic ridge vents are less susceptible to wind damage and thus require less maintenance. Plastic ridge vent comes in 4 foot lengths and are installed by butting them up against each other the length of the ridge vent, and fastening them with nails. Three (3) inch galvanized nails should be used to fasten the plastic ridge vent to the roof rafters or trusses. Shingle tabs (1/3 the length of a 3-tab shingle) can then be cut and placed over the length of plastic ridge vent to cap it. The shingles should be attached to the plastic ridge vent using 2” roofing nails. |
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