Asscher Roofing company

Box Vents or Ridge Vents

Comparison and Analysis

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Roofing Ventilation Choices - Roof Vents 101

Roofing ventilation is incredibly important when it comes to your homes breathability, circulation, and safety. Ventilation allows air to flow and moisture to be removed from the attic by allowing hot air to rise and remove the moisture at the same time. Thereby keeping your insulation dry, your air flow efficient, and your temperature comfortable. Customers all over the Northern Indiana Area ask us which option is the right option for roof ventilation, so we wanted to share our comparison and choice between the two most common forms of roof/attic ventilation - Ridge Vents vs Box Vents.

What is Ventilation? Your House Breathing

Ventilation is the intentional introduction of outdoor air into a space. Ventilation is mainly used to control indoor air quality by diluting and displacing indoor pollutants. It can also be used to control indoor temperature, humidity, and air motion to thermal comfort.

There are three types of ventilation - Mechanical Ventilation, Natural Ventilation, or Mixed-Mode Ventilation. (Hybrid-Ventilation) Let’s go over all three:

Mechanical ventilation is the intentional fan driven flow of outdoor air into a building. Mechanical ventilation systems may include supply fans (which push outdoor air into a building), exhaust fans (which draw air out of the building and thereby cause equal ventilation flow into a building), or a combination of both. Mechanical ventilation is often provided by equipment that is also used to heat and cool a space.

Natural Ventilation is the intentional passive flow of outdoor air into a building through planned openings (such as louvers, doors, and windows). Natural ventilation does not require mechanical systems to move outdoor air. Instead, it relies entirely on passive physical phenomena, such as wind pressure, or the stack effect. Natural ventilation openings may be fixed, or adjustable. Adjustable openings may be controlled automatically (automated), controlled by occupants (operable), or a combination of both.

Mixed-Mode Ventilation systems use both mechanical and natural processes. The mechanical and natural components may be used at the same time, or at different times of day, or in different seasons of the year. Since natural ventilation flow depends on environmental conditions, it may not always provide an appropriate amount of ventilation. In this case, mechanical systems may be used to supplement or regulate the naturally driven flow.

Roofing Tip: Keep in mind that most modern homes use mostly natural ventilation when it comes to your roof or attic. When insulation is improperly installed - many traditional homes enter Mixed-Mode Ventilation upon recommendation by their HVAC company. Asscher Roofing prides itself on using Natural ventilation as our preferred diamond standard of roof installation. Asscher Roofing Company uses Ridge Vents and Soffit Vents as your intake and exhaust vents to keep your home breathing right. Find out more about those vents below.

Roofing Intake Vents - Soffit Vents and More

Our Diamond Standard is to make sure your roofing system is secure, comfortable, and efficient. Intake vents are pivotal pieces of your roofing system, designed to allow cool air to push out hot or stagnated air within a structure. Traditionally, intake vents such as soffit vents are placed on the lower areas of your roof such as under the eaves. Intake vents should be distributed evenly around the house to keep low and high pressure areas in balance. While we at Asscher Roofing use Soffit Vents most commonly - there are some other options we use in cases of improper installation or mis-placement of proper insulation.

In these special cases - we recommend the Cobra IntakePro for attic intake ventilation by GAF Roofing. This modern and efficient system is a new kind of solution for those challenging homes that have no-overhang or whose attic insulation does not allow their roof to properly breathe. Check out this exciting video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaonSdUm5Oc

We only use this solution when necessary - but while many customers have questions, we pride ourselves in providing you with high quality information. When it comes to your exhaust vents - many clients also have questions that we’ll go over below.

Roofing Exhaust Vents - Ridge Vents vs Box Vents

Exhaust vents are installed at the top of the roof, they primarily provide an unobstructed exit for the heat, hot air, odors and moisture trapped in your attic. Improper exhaust in your attic/roofing system can lead to many problems including trapped heat and moisture in your home, leaks, roof damage, and even peeling paint.

The two most common types of exhaust vents are Ridge Vents and Static Roof Vents (or box vents) Asscher Roofing Company recommends ridge vents to all our clients, as these represent the least invasive, most cost and energy efficient options for your installation.

Static Roof Vents (also known as Low-Profile or Box Vents) - are similar to Ridge Vents in that they are non-mechanical and work well with soffit ventilation. They work by allowing natural winds and convection to move hot air and moisture out of your attic. They are different from Ridge Vents in that they require a much more invasive installation process, in which holes must be cut into your roofs decking or installed through your gables or siding (in the case of stationary louver vents). This leaves your home more susceptible to improper air flow problems, as well as creating a potential hazard leading to leaks, in home pests, and unnecessary repairs.

Because we want to ensure you have the right amount of air flow, with the most efficient and safe way to achieve this goal, Asscher Roofing chooses Ridge Vents as our primary form of exhaust vent when installing a roof. While there are indeed other forms of ventilation, we recommend what reaches our diamond standard,

Read more about Roofing Ventilation in this helpful article by Home Depot or give us a call if you have any questions regarding your roofing and attic ventilation needs.

Closing Notes

When clients ask us about Ridge Vents vs Box Vents, the Asscher Roofing Diamond Standard is to install Ridge Vents when possible for your exhaust vent. Vented soffit is our diamond standard for an in-take vent. We always look for ways to improve our clients quality of life and efficiency of their roofing system. Our goal is to continue to stay up-to-date with the latest technology and techniques that improve our capacity to serve: if you have any questions, would like an estimate on your roof, or would like us to consider another specific option - feel free to reach out and contact Asscher Roofing Company: the Diamond Standard of Roofing.

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Box Vents or Ridge Vents?