Wondering if this looks anything close to correct? Just need to cut one more shingle to cover the gap? Nails in the four corners of the last one?
It occurs to me now, looking at the picture, that maybe the ‘last’ cap should ideally be to one side or the other of the intersecting ridge?
Thanks.
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I don't profess to be a roofing specialist but will offer what I have done in similiar circumstances..
I would cut the "tab" piece of a shingle (The part below the glue line) and install it to the left side of the ridge intersection as you view your photo. This will leave you one open seam right at the ridge intersection, cap this seam with another cut off tab that is centered at the intersecting ridge. Put a small amount of roof cement over the seam , nail all four corners of the cap piece and apply a dab of roof cement to the nail heads.
That's exactly what I would do in that case. I don't know of another way.
That'll work....just do like dovetail mentioned for aesthetics.
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That's not real pretty, but it's slightly less likely to leak than the pretty version which is to face nail a partial tab over the top of the last cap.
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what I would probably have done is cap the dormer first and run the caps to the main ridge tie in.
THEN-- cap the main ridge-------and when you cap the main ridge start at one end and run cap ALL THE WAY to the other end. Neater, faster ,smoother, ridge remains primarily a straight line
the way this one is done there is probably going to be a big HUMP that shows from the Ground---- perhaps not noticeable from the side of the roof containing the dormer---------- but the opposite side? ( people will wonder why there is a mountain in that ridge line.
also---take some loose granules which are probably collecting in the valley---and sprinkle them over that black jack sealing off the face nail--much less noticeable then.
Best wishes, Stephen
Amen and Amen!
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Agree on the granules and the post on the trimming of the hidden part cap on a diagonal , the way the Op did it is quite common here in my area. It does has the advantage that all the new to the area roofers have a 50% chance of laying the cap so the winter winds don't lift the cap off or have rain driven under the caps from being laid from the wrong end of the ridge.
But how offen are you going be on the roof saying, I wish I did that different, and you cant see it from the ground.
dovetail,
Here I really don't pay the slightest attention to which way I am going to run the cap RE wind direction.
I know by this point I have worked on several thousand different roofs and I have actually NEVER seen one where ridge caps blew off--- that includes both my work--and the work of the previous generation. The area we typically find blow-offs is in the field shingles 2-3 feet below the ridge-- NEVER in the ridge.
As far as ridge cap leaks from wind driven rain----same thing---NEVER seen it.-- ridge VENT leaks are an other story----------one of our roofing material suppliers has a large warehouse where the old style metal ridge vent used to leak almost EVERY hard rain---pretty funny!
Keep in mind, most of my experience comes from a pretty small geographic area---- i might do things a bit differently if i lived in Kansas, or on a windswept coastal area.
HERE-- we get predominantly winds from the NW down out of canada and across lake erie( the dreaded" lake effect") -- in the winter. in the summer storm patterns come from the southwest--- but the winds often arrive from the south east.
in short--there is no consistent direction to face the caps----pretty much one direction is as good as the next.
Actually, i am encouraged to see this thread. one of the FHB editors had asked me about a ridge capping article--so I wrote one some time ago---but privately I figured it was such a narrow focus thing--who would even care? how would it ever get published? Maybe it will though----because this thread shows at least some people have some level of interest .
Best wishes, Stephen
Since I got a couple of calls from friends this morning about portions of roofs having been blown off in lasts nights storm I took the opportunity to look around the two areas of town where their houses are.
Seems most of the new construction and newer roofs have the ridge all one way configuration, the old roofs have the meet in the center configuration. What damage I saw around town was as you said, mostly field damage, and often just below the ridge.
Seems I was just taught the old way when I first learned roofing 40 yrs. ago and never changed. I am not a roofer by trade or business so that may also play a part in it.
Now I do have a question, at the one house I helped out on today every shingle tab that lifted and tore was directly over a butt joint between two shingles. Shingles were stapled and mostly at the right side of the butt joint the staple was into the shingle by say 3" instead of right at the end. Would this play into the tab above lifting?
When I was a kid growing up just west of Cleveland I used to envy those who got the "lake effect".. doubt I would feel the same way now. .
the butt joint is an interesting clue.
IF you had said they were stapled---primarily on the LEFT side of the but joint--and not on the right side--- then the shingles were " short nailed'---only 3 fasteners per shingle instead of 4
however you said they were stapled about 3" IN from the right side of the butt joint.
not having seen you case--but what I suspect is that the 3" in was at the limmit of the installers reach from a specific position. If you lifted the tab on the course below---you might find it was stapled at say 2-1/2 inches from the butt---next one down 2 inches, 1-1/2 inches and so on. installer would staple 6-7 courses from one position-the 7 course being a stretch to reach---forcing him to staple awarkedly out of position-----after 7 courses he moved up the roof 3 feet and started again.
Iff you look across all three tabs of the shingle--you may also see the fastners above the center 2 slots are maybe fairley horizontal----------- like that.
the far right one\\ positioned like that and the far left one ////////// positioned like that.
that tells you the installer was straining a bit to make his reach. with a staple you want all 4 positioned ----.
additionally-the one on the left in the //////// position was probabbly not driven flush---it was probably driven cockeyed with one leg of the staple slightly raised-preventing perfect sealdown and allowing access to wind. once one tab lifts the staple cuts through it---it lifts farther, acts like a sail and lifts the next one--may be 2 tabs---forms a bigger sail tearing off a bigger and bigger area as it progresses ip the roof.
that's just a guess
Stephen
Edited 12/16/2006 7:56 am ET by Hazlett
Thanks,
Your explanation makes sense to me. The torn off tabs ran up the roof diagonally for 3-4 courses and then stopped , so I can see the "reach" effect coming into play.
I agree with Hazlett that the main ridge should have been capped in only one direction.
Two other hints I might have used would be to use one less cap on the dormer ridge,by spacing the last six or eight with slightly more exposure-your last one now has only several inches exposed.
I also would bevel the covered portion of the caps more for a neater profile.
The two directions of ridge cap don't have to be resolved right where the intersecting ridge meets. Separate the joins to camouflage the junctions.
Thanks to all for the advice. Always interesting to do things for the first time. <g>It's not important that this looks good from the street--not too visible--just that it doesn't leak and that I don't have to go up there again for more than a few years. <g><cut the "tab" piece of a shingle (The part below the glue line) and install it to the left side of the ridge intersection as you view your photo. This will leave you one open seam right at the ridge intersection>One 'tab' will cover the last gap, glue line to glue line, leaving no open seams, unless I'm misunderstanding you.< what I would probably have done is cap the dormer first and run the caps to the main ridge tie in.>This is what I did, yes? I'm assuming you're calling the dormer the ridge that runs vertically in the picture? This roof doesn't have what I've always thought of as dormers. Just two ridges on the same plane, intersecting at right angles. Is part of this considered a dormer?<THEN-- cap the main ridge-------and when you cap the main ridge start at one end and run cap ALL THE WAY to the other end. Neater, faster ,smoother, ridge remains primarily a straight line>Probably would have done it that way but wasn't sure how I was going to handle the ridge intersections, so left it until last--and one of the longer old FHB articles on shingling did it this way. I was aware of the wind issue but the ridge runs north to south and the winter winds blow from the north, while the summer winds howl from the south. <g><The two directions of ridge cap don't have to be resolved right where the intersecting ridge meets. Separate the joins to camouflage the junctions.>Makes sense aesthetically, just wondered if it made any difference functionally?Thanks again. I do appreciate the help!
<The two directions of ridge cap don't have to be resolved right where the intersecting ridge meets. Separate the joins to camouflage the junctions.>
Makes sense aesthetically, just wondered if it made any difference functionally?
Not much; my suggestion means fewer layers of shingle to nail through to fix the last one down.
I guess i take function as a given and aesthetics are only a "must have" in my book. I usually make patterns in my shingle rooves, so a misplaced shingle is obvious. They all keep the water out just the same.