To have a well-ventilated house, you must know about certain things that can make it ventilated. For instance, roof ridge vents are an important part of your house that allows your house to remain cool even during the warmest months and reduce the onset of moisture accumulation.
So, what exactly is a ridge vent, and what are its benefits and limitations? Read on to get all the answers!
What Is Ridge Vent?
You might already know what a ridge vent is, as it is quite noticeable. If not, then you might have seen a vent present or installed at the top of the roofs (mainly sloped roofs) of buildings or houses.
A ridge vent’s primary work is to eliminate the hot and humid air from your house’s indoors. Thus, helping you keep your house cool and moisture-free too.
Hence, a ridge vent is a ventilation system that offers efficient ventilation at a low cost.
How Does a Ridge Vent Work?
Now, how exactly does a ridge vent allow the hot and humid air to escape the attic of your house? What is the working of it? Let’s see that in detail.
With the help of some basic principles, a ridge vent carries out a natural exchange of air by letting the hot and humid air escape from the vent-like structure.
First of all, you might already know that hot air rises on its own. So, when you have a roof ridge vent installed, it facilitates the release of this hot air from the vent-like openings found in these ridge vents.
Then, once the hot air has escaped, the fresh and cool air is pulled in with the help of soffits, another type of part present in your roof.
Hence, this way, a roof ridge vent facilitates removing hot and humid air from your attic and allows the fresh and cool air to enter.
Do Roof Ridge Vents Work?
Knowing whether roof ridge vents work as mentioned above can help you make an informed choice. So, the answer is yes and no.
Firstly, roof ridge vents work in maintaining proper air circulation in your house. However, one major limitation here is that roof ridge vents mostly only work for houses having a modern and energy-efficient architecture or layout.
On the other hand, roof ridge vents may not work that efficiently for old houses. Hence, to make them work with houses having an old or basic layout, you need to go for a soffit vent system, along with a roof ridge vent system.
12 Pros and Cons of Roof Ridge Vents
Now, let’s look at some of the most important benefits and limitations of roof ridge vents.
Pros of Roof Ridge Vents
If you are planning to get roof ridge vents installed in your house, then you’re in good luck as these have quite a lot of benefits such as:
1. Help in Maintaining the Temperature of House
One of the best and the most apparent benefits of a roof ridge vent is how it can help maintain your house’s temperature.
The attic or upper stories of your house are a storehouse of all the hot air that can increase your house’s overall temperature. While it is not an issue during the cold months, it certainly can make your house extremely warm during the summer months.
Hence, a roof ridge vent can prevent that from happening. With its efficient mechanism, a ridge vent can facilitate the exchange of gases naturally. This helps the hot air in the attic to escape.
Moreover, that’s not all. A ridge vent also allows the fresh and cool air to get inside your attic and maintain your house’s temperature.
But, what about the cold winter months? Will roof ridge vents make the house cooler during winters? The answer is no. During winters, the cold exterior air’s pressure prevents the escape of hot and warm air. This is made possible due to the smart design of ridge vents.
2. Have a Great Design That Can Suit Your House
If you are into aesthetics, especially when it comes to your house’s design, then there’s nothing you have to worry about.
Roof ridge vents have a very sleek and great design. Moreover, they are also not noticeable from the ground level. Hence, in no way can they affect the look of your house or roof.
Another great thing is that if you have enough intake on the roof, it is also possible to install these ridge vents across the roof’s ridges. So, consider installing roof ridge vents without stressing about the aesthetics of your house.
3. No Entry to Rodents
If you have a massive rodent problem in your house and notice that the majority of them enter your home via the roof, then roof ridge vents can help you.
Most of the time, if you have an older air circulation system, you’ll face the issue of rats, squirrels, or even raccoons entering your home. To prevent that, you need to install extra blockage points or even traps. However, in this situation, there’s a huge limitation.
Due to the blockage points and traps, the whole process of air exchange and transfer can get hampered. Thus, reducing the efficiency of your whole air circulation system.
On the other hand, a roof ridge vent is an ideal choice for both your rodent problem as well as air circulation. Due to a ridge vent’s smart design, it can practically become problematic for any rodent or other animal to enter your attic. Moreover, as there are no blockages required, there’s no hindrance in the air circulation process!
4. Allows Natural Exchange of Air
A great thing about roof ridge vents is that you don’t have to put in extra effort, as the whole air exchange process is quite natural.
As the hot air rises, it escapes in the outside environment due to the pressure difference. Once the hot air escapes, it also facilitates the movement of fresh air inside the attic.
So, in the whole process, you don’t have to look or worry about anything at all.
5. They Are Cost-Effective in the Long Run
Keep in mind that even though roof ridge vents’ initial costs can get high, they are incredibly cost-effective in the long run. Do you know why?
It is because roof ridge vents can lower down your electricity bills and keep your roof in up-to-date condition.
In the summer months, if your house is too warm or hot, you’ll have to keep the air conditioners on for a lot of time. This can increase your electricity bills no matter how hard you try to cut them down.
However, if you have roof ridge vents, they can keep your house cool during the summers and cut down on electricity costs.
Similarly, even during the winter months, roof ridge vents can keep the cold air out and prevent your house from getting too cold. Thus, help in reducing the usage of heaters.
6. Helps in Reducing Indoor Air Pollution
If you thought that only outdoor air pollution is the cause of severe health risks, then know that indoor air pollution poses more risks.
It is true because today, many of us spend most of our time indoors. Sometimes, the air circulation can get so bad that we might be breathing the same toxic air throughout the day. This can lead to various problems like allergies, excessive coughing, and sinus problems too.
So, if you have a roof ridge vent installed, you’re letting the fresh air from outside come inside and allowing the toxic, hot air to escape. Thus, you get to breathe clean air most of the time.
7. No Other Systems Required
In most cases, you can have a roof ridge vent system without requiring another secondary one. However, they can work well with soffit or box vent systems to get fresh air from the environment. Yet, it is not compulsory to get them either.
Hence, you don’t have to worry about spending the extra money to get another system installed with roof ridge vents.
8. Keeps Out Mold and Mildew Troubles and Works All Year Long
The accumulation of both mold and mildew due to moisture accumulation can cause many problems and lead to overall unhygienic living conditions.
So, during the humid months, the humid air can get trapped in your attic and cause a moisture problem. This moisture then leads to the growth of mold and mildew, which can cause allergies and diseases.
However, roof ridge vents can assist with this problem too. As these vents allow the hot as well as humid air to escape your attic, there’s no accumulation of moisture. Now, as there is no moisture, no mold and mildew are growing in your house either!
So, along with getting fresh air, you also get a mold or mildew-free living environment.
Cons of Roof Ridge Vents
Now, let’s see some of the limitations of roof ridge vents that may or may not affect you.
9. Not Suitable For Every Home
As mentioned above, roof ridge vents aren’t exactly suitable for every type of home.
The actual effectiveness of a roof ridge vent is only seen when the air is directed towards the vents. This only takes place when your house has an energy-efficient and modern structure. If not, then even a roof ridge vent can’t be of major help.
However, if you have an old house but still wish to get a roof ridge vent installed, you can go for a soffit vent system. Shingles might be of help too.
10. May Have Leaking Problems During Heavy Rain
If you live in an area having frequent heavy rains, then you might want to know this. During heavy rains, the water can enter sideways via the vents. This can lead to a major leakage problem and cause more trouble.
So, in this situation, you might want to opt for a ventilation system that also offers solid water resistance to your roof.
11. Installation Costs Can Get High
Even though there are many benefits of roof ridge vents, like cost-effectiveness, you still might want to look out for high installation costs in the long run, unlike turbine roof vents.
So, keep in mind that installing a roof ridge vent can cost anywhere between $500 to $1000, depending on your roof. Moreover, if you have an old house, you will also have to spend extra on the soffit ventilation system. This can increase the overall cost of installation.
Hence, if you plan to install roof ridge vents, keep some extra money on the side as the installation is costly.
12. Not Effective For Flat Roofs
If you have a flat roof, then you might want to reconsider getting roof ridge vents. It is because these vents are built keeping in mind the slanted roof. So, they won’t work effectively with flat roofs.
Moreover, for full efficiency, you need to get them installed on the peak of the roof. If not, then it can again hamper the working of these vents.
Lastly, you can either get a vent installed on only one ridge or multiple ridges but keep in mind that in the case of only one ridge, the performance is affected too.
Final Thoughts
To summarize, roof ridge vents are quite beneficial for houses with at least some air circulation or energy-efficient design. They can reduce the house from getting too hot or even too cold. Moreover, it can drastically reduce the accumulation of moisture too.
However, the only thing you need to look out for is the high cost of installation, old house design, leaking problems, and flat roof issues. If you don’t have any of these issues, then roof ridge vents can help you for sure!