Ridge vent vs gable vents
#1
03-29-23, 02:04 PM
Ridge vent vs gable vents
Need a new roof. Storm damage this past weekend and more high winds expected this coming weekend. Lost lots of shingles. Current roof is about 20 years old and needs replacement. Bad timing. Funeral cost ran me $16,000. But it's got to be done.
Have received two quotes so far. One of the contractors made a big thing about wanting to block off the existing gable vents and install ridge vents. The other did not mention anything about the vents.
Klause Roofing (nationwide supplier and installer) is one of the quotes (nothing about the vents), has 50 year warranty on shingle and installation, while the GAF material by local installer (Allstate Roofing) is offering a 50 year material and 10- or 15-year installation warranty. Both quotes include new gutters and downspouts rerouted to prevent main roof water onto garage section. My existing roof was not well installed, and I felt the material was subpar. But at the time I did not know any better.
Thoughts on ridge vent vs gable vent and is there any advantage or disadvantage to keeping both ridge and gable vents?
As far as material goes, they both look like high end. But I need to look closer at the literature I was given.
I'm also looking at metal roof, just for the sake of comparison.
Have received two quotes so far. One of the contractors made a big thing about wanting to block off the existing gable vents and install ridge vents. The other did not mention anything about the vents.
Klause Roofing (nationwide supplier and installer) is one of the quotes (nothing about the vents), has 50 year warranty on shingle and installation, while the GAF material by local installer (Allstate Roofing) is offering a 50 year material and 10- or 15-year installation warranty. Both quotes include new gutters and downspouts rerouted to prevent main roof water onto garage section. My existing roof was not well installed, and I felt the material was subpar. But at the time I did not know any better.
Thoughts on ridge vent vs gable vent and is there any advantage or disadvantage to keeping both ridge and gable vents?
As far as material goes, they both look like high end. But I need to look closer at the literature I was given.
I'm also looking at metal roof, just for the sake of comparison.
#2
03-29-23, 03:06 PM
Member
If you look at what is done today over 90% is ridge vents, which is considered an active vent system, gables would fall into the passive system. Personally if I had a choice I'd go with the soffit/ridge ventilation.
#3
03-29-23, 03:13 PM
Norm - I believe that soffitt - ridge vent is the way to go. It is a more balanced ventilation than gable vents. There is quite a bit of info on line about the advantages of soffitt/ridge vents.
When my detached garage burned the flames actually jumped the 20' between the garage and the house and entered the attic through the gable vents.
When my detached garage burned the flames actually jumped the 20' between the garage and the house and entered the attic through the gable vents.
Norm201
voted this post useful.
#4
03-29-23, 03:16 PM
Just got a reply from KLAUS. This is their answer, "Box vents are the old tech but effective. There is no reason to change unless you want the new look. After lessons learned this winter, we are doing less conversions because the larger ridge vents took snow."
#5
03-29-23, 05:27 PM
Mr Norm, I don't have any pro advice for you for a couple of reasons. 1) You're in the northeast US and I am in the deep south. There may be significant differences in regions for roof/vent. 2) I'm not very experienced in roof/vent differences.
What I will throw out incase anyone wants to pick up my input & comment on them for your help is very basic knowledge of my experience in the deep south.
Five years ago, we bought this 60's ranch style brick home with a tar shingle roof & only had soffit vents. My electric bill was 1/2 again what it should have been in my opinion. I called a roofer to add two "whirly birds" to my roof. He was kind of insisting that I install a ridge vent. Personally, I don't like a ridge vent. Again, I am no roofer, so my opinion is just that.... my opinion.
He really insisted.... then I really insisted. I ended up with two whirly birds. One on both long sides of the roof.
What I like about whirly birds is, you can run them in the summer to let out the hot air & make the attic cooler, which in turn, makes it easier to cool the house. In the winter, I can put plastic trash bags over the whirly birds & keep a lot of the heat in the attic, which in turn help heat the house. Heat rises. With a ridge vent, ALL the heat will escape from the attic. Soffit vents are at the bottom of the attic.
I'm certainly no pro on attics, just my thought process. And again, it may be a southern thing, I don't know.
I've been happy with two whirly birds & soffit vents. But again, just my opinion... no real specific info to back it up.
Good luck my friend.....
What I will throw out incase anyone wants to pick up my input & comment on them for your help is very basic knowledge of my experience in the deep south.
Five years ago, we bought this 60's ranch style brick home with a tar shingle roof & only had soffit vents. My electric bill was 1/2 again what it should have been in my opinion. I called a roofer to add two "whirly birds" to my roof. He was kind of insisting that I install a ridge vent. Personally, I don't like a ridge vent. Again, I am no roofer, so my opinion is just that.... my opinion.
He really insisted.... then I really insisted. I ended up with two whirly birds. One on both long sides of the roof.
What I like about whirly birds is, you can run them in the summer to let out the hot air & make the attic cooler, which in turn, makes it easier to cool the house. In the winter, I can put plastic trash bags over the whirly birds & keep a lot of the heat in the attic, which in turn help heat the house. Heat rises. With a ridge vent, ALL the heat will escape from the attic. Soffit vents are at the bottom of the attic.
I'm certainly no pro on attics, just my thought process. And again, it may be a southern thing, I don't know.
I've been happy with two whirly birds & soffit vents. But again, just my opinion... no real specific info to back it up.
Good luck my friend.....
#6
03-29-23, 07:18 PM
Dixie, If I had a single-story home, I think I would do the same thing. The exhaust fans (whirly birds) are perhaps the best of both worlds. Just for the reasons you gave. But not practical on a two-story house. My climbing days are over. I often thought about installing thermostatically controlled exhaust fans at the gable vents.
It seems the smart money is on the ridge vents.
PS... the Klause company came back again with another e-mail and recanted about the gable vents and said it would be better with the ridge vents. I took a look inside my attic crawl space and discovered that the roof was originally built with ridge vent construction (in the many times I've been up there I never noticed or cared). The peak is cut open along the whole length. But for some reason the last roofer or original builder shingled over it. If memory serves me correctly, I always had the gable vents. Although I did have the last roof re-shingled about twenty years ago, I suspect the roofer just copied what was already done.
This whole trac of homes were built in the mid to late 70's and were all electric due to the gas moratorium. The original owner converted to gas as did most others in the neighborhood when the moratorium was lifted. Don't know if that had any bearing on how the roof was covered. But the house (for that time period) was heavily insulated.
It seems the smart money is on the ridge vents.
PS... the Klause company came back again with another e-mail and recanted about the gable vents and said it would be better with the ridge vents. I took a look inside my attic crawl space and discovered that the roof was originally built with ridge vent construction (in the many times I've been up there I never noticed or cared). The peak is cut open along the whole length. But for some reason the last roofer or original builder shingled over it. If memory serves me correctly, I always had the gable vents. Although I did have the last roof re-shingled about twenty years ago, I suspect the roofer just copied what was already done.
This whole trac of homes were built in the mid to late 70's and were all electric due to the gas moratorium. The original owner converted to gas as did most others in the neighborhood when the moratorium was lifted. Don't know if that had any bearing on how the roof was covered. But the house (for that time period) was heavily insulated.
#7
03-30-23, 05:29 AM
In areas that get a lot of snow, it's important that the ridge vent be baffled to keep snow out of the attic. These are what I have and so far they are problem free. https://www.certainteed.com/resource...-SellSheet.pdf
Norm201
voted this post useful.
#8
03-31-23, 08:51 PM
In homes with insulation in ceiling rafters, not roof, controlling attic ventilation is great way to lower costs of heating and air conditioning
In summer use fan to exhaust hot attic air thru one louver. Use another louver for intake/replacement air.
Activate fan with thermostat set at 85F. Use ordinary typical room wall type thermostat with 3 degree on-off. When sun comes up in morning, starts fan. In evening after sun goes down turns off fan around 10 PM.
During summer day time attic is only 5F degree about outside temperature.
In winter, close inside hinged panels covering louvers. Static attic air is cost saving, insulating blanket 10F to 20F above outside temperature.
In summer use fan to exhaust hot attic air thru one louver. Use another louver for intake/replacement air.
Activate fan with thermostat set at 85F. Use ordinary typical room wall type thermostat with 3 degree on-off. When sun comes up in morning, starts fan. In evening after sun goes down turns off fan around 10 PM.
During summer day time attic is only 5F degree about outside temperature.
In winter, close inside hinged panels covering louvers. Static attic air is cost saving, insulating blanket 10F to 20F above outside temperature.
#10
04-01-23, 09:42 AM
Attic Vent Other Benefits Taxes
Attic vents, a question in Post#1 impact homes in many ways, i.e. higher attic temps reduce shingle life and raise heating/AC costs, unvented moisture causes many issues, etc.
Unfortunately many simplify venting, do not fully understand and fail to get the benefits.
Optimizing attic ventilation makes home more comfortable. Lowers costs and avoids numerous issues. Post#8 outlines how is was done a split level home.
Future heating and fuel cost saving with ceiling insulation as part of project, might qualify for tax credits.
Unfortunately many simplify venting, do not fully understand and fail to get the benefits.
Optimizing attic ventilation makes home more comfortable. Lowers costs and avoids numerous issues. Post#8 outlines how is was done a split level home.
Future heating and fuel cost saving with ceiling insulation as part of project, might qualify for tax credits.
Last edited by doughess; 04-01-23 at 10:31 AM.
