I am looking for information on using ridge vents in my 12:12 pitch roof when I have my roof replaced versus just replacing the existing more conventional roof vents. I have been told that the screening in the newer ridge venting may clog up with time with debris. My home is in a very wooded location with lots of vegitation falling on the roof continually.
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I think this is FUD on the part of the anti-ridge-vent crowd more than anything else.
we've used ridge vents since the early '80's
i've never seen any of them clog with debris..
but, beyond that, neither vent system is particularly effective if they aren't balanced with soffit vents
if you do have soffit vents, then i would use Shingle Vent II for your ridge vent
in either case ( soffit vents or no ) i would use the ShingleVent II... they have a baffle, and a screen and they are very attractive with modern roofing
make sure they carry the vent from gable to gable, even though the ends are for decoration only... ridge vents look a lot better if they don't start and stop 2' from the end of the roof
Also consider the overall look of the building. Full length ridge vents are a lot cleaner and less cluttered looking.
-- J.S.
My own experience here in the PNW is that any of the ridge vents I have used - several baffled kinds and Cor-A-Vent - have clogged with needles when used in coniferous forests within a year. Not only did they not vent, but wicked moisture into the ridge through the needle mass. I have never had this problem with individual roof vents.
I'm in the rural PNW and surrounded by large Doug firs and haven't had any ridge vent clogging (House has been up just shy of ten years).
I did replace all of those individual vents: The screens inside the vent body provided no barrier for for mice and Norway rats, who chewed their way in and nested in the insulation of a vaulted ceiling.
What a PITA that was.
And besides, I've always thought the individual vents were butt ugly even though I put them on initially.
I'm all for ridge and/or gable vents whenever possible.
I had to learn the hard way to install rodent screen before putting in vents, and yes I think they are ugly too, but I haven't found a ridge vent that stops wind blown debris from accumulating in it. On a re-roof last fall I found needles built up on the batt insulation four feet down. The worst have been metal roofs that offer even less resistance to water and debris running uphill, but the laminates aren't far behind.
Not just water. I spent a terrifying day in a climbing harness being winched around a condo roof at a ski resort. It leaked when snow was blown through the ridge vent and melted. The problem started when a builder decided they had inadequate roof airflow and installed one to stop heat build up in the summer.