New roof vents as good as old tech?

[SumpChump]

Ranch house super simple straight run roof, interior of house is 1,100 square feet. A shoebox by today's standards.
15 foot sides. 57 feet long. I currently have an aluminum ridge vent (kind of a trough in shape, that runs perhaps 55 of the 57 feet. It caps about a 3-4 inch opening in the ridge decking.

Is the new ridge vent plastic with shingles over it AS effective? Is it compatible with the ridge opening? Are there any "bewares" when it comes to these low profile plastic vent technologies?

Btw, having Owens Corning duration architectural shingles in summer harvest color blend installed with 6 feet ice dam and then above that a standard synthetic underlayment to the ridge.

 

[andyd]

That 3/4 inch has to have some sort of insect barrier that further reduces its area. I have the new plastic type simply because the last roof didn't have any and time has shown that the roof needs venting. If the aluminum is intact, I would use it, simply because it is there

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Ranch house super simple straight run roof, interior of house is 1,100 square feet. A shoebox by today's standards.
15 foot sides. 57 feet long. I currently have an aluminum ridge vent (kind of a trough in shape, that runs perhaps 55 of the 57 feet. It caps about a 3-4 inch opening in the ridge decking.

Is the new ridge vent plastic with shingles over it AS effective? Is it compatible with the ridge opening? Are there any "bewares" when it comes to these low profile plastic vent technologies?

Btw, having Owens Corning duration architectural shingles in summer harvest color blend installed with 6 feet ice dam and then above that a standard synthetic underlayment to the ridge.
The ridge vent companies sure have done an effective job of making their product a requirement, country wide.

 

[SumpChump]

Hmm, currently appears to be no insect barrier with the aluminum ridge vent channel style.

 

[supton]

Do you have large openings under the eves for ventilation, and clear runs under the roof for airflow? I have read the small 2-3" diam vents do not flow enough; big rectangular ones are better.

I had snow and ice shield done all the way up. Make sure you watch those guys though--I didn't, and they skimped on the edges. Last winter I did have a leak, someplace--maybe the ridge, maybe on the hip, dunno.

 

[DBMaster]

My house was built with the plastic ridge vents. They seemed to be at least as effective as the cap type passive vents. I'm not sure what they are called. I added a powered roof vent (electric fan type) myself and it lowered the attic temperature by 10 degrees. As long as you have enough soffit venting for the intake I believe the powered vents to be the most effective. I think the ridge vents also do a good job of preventing condensation in the attic.

 

[SumpChump]

Soffit is that continuously perforated aluminum. Sound good?

House was built in 1991 on site. I got it in 2003.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: SumpChump
Soffit is that continuously perforated aluminum. Sound good?

House was built in 1991 on site. I got it in 2003.


It does, provided it's all open in the attic/crawl space side. I've seen installers put perforated vinyl or alumimum soffit right over solid wood, with no vent holes, etc.