ridge vent vs turtle vents

[MN Shutterbug]

Due to the storm damage, I'll be getting my roof redone in a week and a half. Presently, we have 4 vents on our roof. Someone who has no knowledge recommended a ridge vent. I've read good and bad things about ridge vents, but much of the info is outdated and opinions from all over the U.S. I'm looking for more current Minnesotan real world experience and knowledgable advice.

[King Canada]

The four probably aren't enough...you should do the calcs and make sure they're adequate...we've used the new shingle over baffle style with no problems. You'll probably have to cut back your roof sheathing for air-flow.

[MN Shutterbug]

I did notice this evening that all the newer homes in the area have the ridge vent system, so I guess I'll go that route. After the wnow storms we had last winter, all 4 vents pretty much got buried. I know that wasn't good. It doesn't help that the sides with the vents faces north.

[crothmeier]

Shutter, I sell building materials just a bit west of you, and we've been doing alot of ridge vent. looks a little cleaner, and offers usually more ventilation than the few turtle vents that were put on years ago. Of course there are better and worse ridge vents out there. Im putting ridge vent on my house this fall when I reshingle. I have two whirlybirds currently.

Attic ventilation plays a big part in the life of the shingles. not to mention cooling your home in the summer. Rule of thumb is you need an air intake (generally the vented soffit on newer homes, gable end vents on older homes) and an air outlet (ridge vent, turtle vent, or whirlybirds)

[MN Shutterbug]

Shutter, I sell building materials just a bit west of you,

Don't you mean east of me?

Thanks all for the input.

[crothmeier]

East. just seeing if you're paying attention

[MN Shutterbug]

I'm always paying attention.

I'm now wondering if I needed the $1600 air exchange system I had installed last fall. Maybe I just didn't have enough ventilation with 4 vents. I guess I'll find out. It would be nice to not have to use it, but I'll be bummed if it wasn't necessary.

[Tom7227]

Is only a ridge vent enough or do you need to put in soffit vents to get the air flowing properly?

[MN Shutterbug]

We'll also be replacing the soffit vents. I've heard you need to balance things out.

[Steve Foss]

Is only a ridge vent enough or do you need to put in soffit vents to get the air flowing properly?

You need both for proper airflow. Installed correctly, this system moves a LOT of air. If the under side of the roof is going to be insulated, baffles need to be installed in the runs between joists to keep the insulation from impeding air movement.

[NCLaker]

We had our roof/vents and soffet vents replaced last year .... recommend before they put the roof on, check to make sure your baffel's under your roof are not collapsed. Mine were pretty much collapsed, so sufficient airflow could not get from the soffets to under the roof. To fix the problem, my roofer peeled back one row of sheeting, replace the baffles. Paid a little extra but at least now I don't have to worry about condensation build up under my roof.

Love the improved look of the Ridge vents!

[cavalierowner]

I have never been a big fan of either ridge vents or turtle vents because they tend to get covered with snow. In talking to manufacturer's reps over the years, they say the vents still work to a even if covered with snow unless the snow has become hard-packed. Then in the same breath, they recommend that the vents be cleared of snow!!

So now my house and one of my duplexes have large louvers installed on the gable ends. The other duplex that has a hip roof has a ridge vent on the theory that it will be covered with snow less of the time. I am really not interestd in going up on a snow covered roof if I can avoid it.

[Tom7227]

I have both ridge vents and louvers on the gable ends. One section of the house is a single story and I can see that roof from the other part. Last winter the ridge vents were covered for quite a bit of the winter. As things thawed you could see where there was a sort of tunnel where the warm air had melted the snow. It ended up being about 8 inches in diameter but I couldn't see any outlet. Got me wondering how effective the venting could be. Maybe if the louver vents wasn't there it would have punched through.

Anyone have any input on this snow thing with ridge vents?

[Eric Wettschreck]

At a firefighter school I attended a few years back we were looking at ventilation. They had small model homes with different types of vents. Filled the models full of smoke and watched how the smoke/air moved. Ridge vents moved some, not much. Turtle vents did better. A couple of whirlybirds pretty much emptied the small models real fast.

I'm not a roofing expert so I can't offer advice, just saying what I saw. I realize things need to be balanced out as far as intake air is concerned. From what I saw, when I re roof my house in a couple years I'll be putting on whirly birds.

[MN Shutterbug]

After hours of googling, I've decided to stick with the idea of the full length ridge vent and soffit. I've read where someone installed whirly birds with lifetime bearings and they started squeaking after 3 years. Also, my wife is real picky re: aesthetics. There are different kinds of ridge vents and I need to make sure that the kind I get is the baffled kind. The other kind doesn't do the job properly and can get plugged with dirt and debris over time. The baffles also keep out the snow. I understand there has been quite a bit of improvement with ridge vents over the years. I'll also make sure my attic baffles are in good shape.

Thanks everyone for your input.

[Surface Tension]

If you have rafters then without question you'd use a ridge vent.

Roof vents IMO exhaust more air then a ridge vent but can leave pockets and pooling if they aren't high enough and to few vents.

1 vent for every 3 sq. I don't mind seeing roof vents and when installed correctly they don't leak and shouldn't required any maintenance for the life of the roof.

I'll back up about roof vents exhausting more air over a ridge vent. If you do the math that might not ad up.

Lets say both exhaust the same amount of air. BUT when you cover the ridge with snow your reducing the amount of that ridge vent can exhaust. The plus side of roof vents and snow is the volume of air being exhausted at select points instead of spread out with a ridge vent. In a nutshell the snow is going to melt around the roof vents because of that, if at least sooner then a ridge vent.

Gable vents, well we see those in many older homes associated with rafters, knee walls, sloped ceiling and a small attics.

That was before we knew that venting the soffits and roof vents along with rafters not having sufficient space to insulate much less create ventilation from soffit to the peak. They aren't the best way to to go but sometimes its the only way to go.

With modern construction and roof ventilation, adding gable vents could interfere with that air movement from soffit to the peak.

As for the OP question, if the old roof vent system worked meaning your roof deck is in good condition with no signs dry rot, mold, and no ice dams then the vents did what they're supposed to do. I'd not change anything and you won't have to patch the roof deck where you had the vents and you won't have to cut open the ridge for the vent.

[crothmeier]

I reroofed a friends house/garage this weekend. The lower/newer house I added ridge ventand some Vented Soffit. The upper steep and knee walled older part of the house has a gable vent on each end, I left that as is. .

His unattched/uninsulated garage had no roof vents and no soffit vents. Its a billion degrees in there on a sunny day. I cut in 3 - 6"x12" vents into the solid plywood soffit on each eave side, and added a full ridge vent. Im gonna stop over tomorrow when its supposed to be 90 degrees and sunny to see if it helped the inside of his garage. Im expecting a noticeable difference.

[MN Shutterbug]

You should have had a thermometer with you so you could have compared before and after. However, you might have had a tough time finding a thermometer that goes up to a billion degrees.

[IamZombie]

They also make turtles with fans in them to pull air out.

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