Ridge vent or gable vents
chrislene
| Posted in General Questions on
Hi,
Re roofing a small ranch in MD. Should we eliminate the gable vents and use a ridge vent? Soffit vents present.
thanks
C
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Replies
Ridge vent gives more venting where needed.
Carefully consider the type of ridge vent; mine allows small pollen pods through and into the attic - drives me crazy
New construction seems to favor the ridge and soffit vent setup. That’s what I have and it works well.
Chrisline,
If all you are doing is re-roofing, and the attic shows no signs of moisture damage with the existing gable-vents, I would leave things well enough alone. Like any hole in a roof, ridge-vents introduce the risk of leaks, and can be clogged by debris. Although they don't supply the same level of dispersed venting, gable-vents are largely immune to those risks.
Thanks for your responses.
Actually we are air sealing the ceiling penetrations, adding baffles and flashing them with 2” closed cell.. then blowing in 50+ fluffy insulation. The existing condition had a few clumps of fluffy pink stuff:)
Make sure to also flash all your top plates and device boxes with closed cell before the fluffy goes in. You want the ceiling air tight before any insulation.
If existing gable vents worked, I can't see a reason to change it. I'm further north and they are common in snow country as they are unlikely to get covered by thick snow.