Replies

1. 
   Matt | Jan 03, 2009 08:21pm | #1

   Doesn't sound good....

   What kind of roof vents are they?

1. 
   NewfieDory | Jan 04, 2009 01:30am | #7

   These are the normal roof vents that are installed on just about all new homes in the area other than those with the ridge vent. They are slanted down on the front edge, slotted on the two sides and bottom edge. Inside there is a 3 to 4 inch raised circular lip all the ways around. I guess with the snow blaffing around it blows in and up over this lip. No problem with rain blowing in (knock on wood), only snow. Not alot of snow either, but still snow. My plan was to remove them this spring and put in gable end vents, or to tape them over in the winter, allowing the soffit vents to vent the roof.

1. 
   MikeSmith | Jan 04, 2009 02:39am | #8

   sound like rooftop mushroom vents with no snow baffle

   i notice that  large areas of the country use 'em

    

    we use only  ridge vents.... the ones we use have a baffle... and a filter fabric

   brand name is  ShingleVentII

   we build in coastal Rhode Island... properly installed, we get NO snow....NO rainMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

1. 
   Matt | Jan 04, 2009 04:53am | #9

   I prefer ridge vents too, but in snow country don't they just get covered over by the snow?  Don't know just asking. 

   Here, I can't even remember the last time it snowed...  Maybe 2 or 3 years ago...

1. 
   DanH | Jan 04, 2009 06:35am | #12

   > I prefer ridge vents too, but in snow country don't they just get covered over by the snow? Don't know just asking. Except in really deep snow country the ridge blows clear. Ridge vents are less likely to be covered than conventional vents.
   The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel

2. 
   Matt | Jan 04, 2009 04:56am | #10

   Do they look like one of these?

1. 
   NewfieDory | Jan 04, 2009 02:07pm | #13

   Exactly, the slant-back metal roof vent. I live on the east coast of Canada that get all sorts of weather. I see them on all the new homes. I am guessing not everyone knows that they have snow in their attics during snow storms. Because they do let snow in. I am guessing it must blow in and up over the lip. Any good suggestions?

1. 
   Matt | Jan 04, 2009 04:34pm | #14

   Maybe there are some that have baffles or some kind of filter matrial that is designed to help prevent that?  I notice that only one on that web page I referenced above says "Weather deflector helps eliminate infiltration of rain and snow".  Are ridge vents not used where you live?

2. 
   NewfieDory | Jan 04, 2009 06:50pm | #15

   Ridge vents are used, but I researched this all to great length before hand and decided that in this climate a ridge vent is not the best. My father-in-law has a ridge vent on his house and has lost the cap shingles in heavy wind and snow. Our weather can be 10 degC one day and -10 degC the next, with winds 80-100 mph. With that said there are a lot of people that never has any trouble with the ridge vent here. I have noticed with his that it completely covers with snow in the winter, not sure how much breathing the attic does then. I think I will try the fine mesh over the outside to help prevent snow from blowing in. Thanks.

2. 
   cliffy | Jan 03, 2009 08:28pm | #2

   Somebody installed vents that are not designed for a newfie roof.  Better change them this spring.   I prefer low profile plastic vents but the ridge vents that get capped by shingle caps are gaining popularity. 

   Have a good day

   Cliffy

3. 
   Dinosaur | Jan 03, 2009 08:39pm | #3

   If the building is not yet heated, blocking the vents temporarily should not cause any major problems. Once you turn on the heat, though, you will need to open them up again.

   Snow or rain blow-in through gable vents is not uncommon with houses whose gable walls face prevailing storm system winds (which orientation is not good design, for reasons that are now apparent to you). The easiest solution is usually to place a large, flat 'drip pan' of some sort on the attic floor where the blown-in rain or snow can land and harmlessly melt and evaporate over time.

   Dinosaur

   How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
   low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
   foolish men call Justice....
   

   

4. 
   DDay | Jan 03, 2009 09:26pm | #4

   get rid of the vents and use spray foam insulation. It's more money but it will pay for itself and the comfort of the house will be much greater. It's not too late to change now.

5. 
   DanH | Jan 03, 2009 11:00pm | #5

   How much snow? A small amount will blow through just about any vent, if the snow is dry and light and there's enough wind. Shouldn't be enough to create a drift in the attic, though.

   The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
6. 
   Piffin | Jan 03, 2009 11:24pm | #6

   winter is when you need those vents the most

    

    

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7. 
   Tinkerer3 | Jan 04, 2009 05:23am | #11

   It depends on where you live (what kind of weather you have.)  I remember a storm many years ago when I lived in a house with no ventilators - no place that you could tell there was a leak in the attic, yet during the three day storm's accumulation we had to shovel out some 100 bushels of the white stuff.  That would have caused a lot of damage if allowed to melt there.  In a climate like that, I would like to try the sprayed on foam without any ventilators like one poster suggested.

   
   

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   Edited 1/3/2009 9:25 pm ET by Tinkerer3