A leaking roof is no laughing matter. If your Coweta home experiences water problems, don’t assume that you need to replace the roof due to faulty shingles. Often, bad ridge vents can contribute to the problem and can lead to moisture issues. In either case, don’t ignore a leaking roof – or you’ll end up paying more to remedy the issue down the road.
What are ridge vents?
Critical to the attic’s health, ridge vents are part of the attic’s ventilation system. Installed at the peak of the attic, along the top ridge of the roof, the vents help to circulate air in the attic. They also usher moisture (in winter and summer) and hot air (during the summer) that would otherwise lead to damage.
Why do the vents leak?
With proper installation and care, ridge vents should not leak. However, improper installation leads to leaky vents. In some cases, installers will use the wrong nails or shorter nails to secure the vents to the structure. The loose connection allows the vents to shift in windy conditions, and eventually they will pull right off of the decking. The ridge vent sections should also overlap by about 1 ½ inches. When a shoddy or inexperienced contractor fails to overlap the pieces or doesn’t extend the sections enough, the vents will eventually leak. Another problem that can lead to leaking roof ridge vents involves sealant. A bead of sealant should continuously run along the sections of the vent. Without sealant, rain will access the space between the shingle and vent. The rain will eventually make its way into the attic.
Repairing leaking ridge vents
Avoiding problems with ridge vents is easy when you schedule an annual roof inspection. During the evaluation, the roofing contractor will not only assess the condition of the ridge vents, but he will also identify issues with shingle wear, damaged flashing and more.
Be confident about your roof’s performance. Get in touch with the experts at Findlay Roofing today and ask about our free in-home consultation.
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