I’m planning my house and was looking for advice on ridge venting. The house will be 3000sf, single story, 6:12 hip roof finished with flat concrete tile. I’m going to use continuous soffit intake vents.
Has anybody used a nice quality ridge vent with flat concrete tiles that installs/looks ok, isn’t very noticeable? Does the ridge tile sit on top of the vent? If so, how is the ridge tile fastened?
The CertainTeed drawings make their vent appear that it will cause the ridge tile to sit up several inches and look like its perched up there..
Do I use ridge vents on the hips or just the ridge? I’m not so sure I can get enough NFVA with just the ridges…
Any thoughts would be appreciated..
FK
Replies
I've a low pitch on my own house (3/12) and had installed a continuous 1inch high commercial roof vent originally, replaced it with a built continuos cupola (22"high) after 2 years due to noticeable warm ceiling temps in summer - this was seattle area even!.
IMHO, dispense with current aesthetic trendiness, put in a BIG continuos vent that works.
LET IT PERCH.
I used a shingle over ridge vent on my concrete tile roof . I made a copper cap to go over the ridge vent. It looks like it belongs.
You don't say what part of the country your in. This is important as with the snow in winter ridge vents don't work and ice dams can occur. If you are to the north and insist on ridge vents than a good ice membrane along the first few rows of shingles and in any valleys are a must.
When in doubt? Over do it...
Oops, left that part out...I'm in the SoCal desert, so snow or ice dams won't be a problem..What is a problem is heat buildup in the summer, it is miserable here in a house with a hot attic.
What I've noticed very common around here it builders throwing in a couple of gable vents for exhaust ventilation and drilling a few holes in the truss blocking for intake, completely unbalanced and inadequate. Many of the small intake holes are covered with insulation... The house I'm living in now (tract house) doesn't even have any intake vents at all that I can see, just a couple of gable vents. So consequently, the house stays very warm up to around 11:00 pm even with the great cool breeze blowing outside, due to the radiant heat from the hot attic.
I'm not going to let that happen on my house.
I like the suggestion to use a copper ridge at the top rather than try to cover something with the concrete tiles. If the copper would not be a good match, call a metal roofing contractor and look at some color choices. Also, checkout Cor A Vent to go under the cap.
Steelkilt Lives!
picking the lightest color of concrete tiles will also help reduce your heat. More reflectivity (ie white, off white, etc...) means less heat to begin with...and therefore less to have to get rid of.
Of course if your "better half" is set on a black roof tile, you might be outta luck!