What is a Ridge Vent

It may seem contrary to what common sense would suggest, but it’s true: roof ventilation—or the deliberate placement of space for air from outside to move in to your attic and air from the attic to move outside—is fundamental to a well-insulated home. In fact, effective roof ventilation will actually reduce your energy costs and will prolong the life of your roof sheathing, shingles, and insulation.

So, what does a ridge vent do, exactly? Ridge vent is a long, continuous vent that runs the entire length of your roof, allowing air from within to escape through the ridge. This system replaces the use of many single vents, which ensures that your attic ventilation is even and reliable throughout your attic.

Ridge vents are an essential component to this roof ventilation process and improve the aesthetic appeal of your roofline (soffit or eave vents make up the other half of the ventilation equation). But before we get to that, let’s talk a little more about this airflow issue, and why, exactly, it helps keep your home well-insulated and your roof in good condition.

First, ventilating your attic helps to control extreme temperature swings. Of course, a vented attic is cooler on a hot day than an unvented attic. This mediation keeps your home naturally cooler in hot weather and helps conserve your air conditioner’s energy as it attempts to keep the home’s interior comfortable. Avoiding extreme attic heat will also help to extend the life of roofing material, such as shingles or shakes.

In the winter, ventilation helps keep the roof sheathing temperature cold and consistent, without extreme swings on warmer or colder days, which reduces the likelihood that ice dams will form near the roof’s naturally warmer spots from unexpected thawing and freezing on top of the roof. If left unchecked, ice dams can seriously damage your roof, which may lead to future expensive repairs.

In addition, attic ventilation reduces the buildup of moisture inside the attic, which can damage your insulation, cause wood to rot, encourage mildew to build up. And can damage any items you have stored in the space. In cold weather, frost inside the attic from moisture buildup can melt and cause damage to insulation and ceilings inside your house. Maintaining proper ventilation keeps your attic dry and stable.

Ridge vents are extremely low profile, following your natural roofline, and can even be designed to match your roofing material exactly. Ridge vents also utilize the natural flow of air and rising heat to keep your attic well ventilated, so no power or moving parts are required. Traditional roof vents, on the other hand, unattractively interrupt the roofline, are prone to failure and leaks, and must be placed strategically by experts to ensure proper ventilation.