How to Repair Leaking Ridge Vent

Ridge vents can be a very effective measure for proper ventilation but can leak due to wind driven rain. Get steps on how to prevent a leaking ridge vent.

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LESLIE: Ted in Florida has a question about a leaking ridge vent. How can we help you today?

TED: Listen, folks, I was calling about a leaking ridge vent that I have on my home. It’s a north-south top where the ridge vent was installed but it only seems to leak when the rain blows in sideways. And it only seems to leak under those circumstances. For some reason, if the rain’s coming straight down, it doesn’t leak. And I’m trying to find the solution, whether it means to replace the ridge vent and just put shingles over top of it or some other solution.

TOM: Well, you don’t want to replace the ridge vent because it’s there for a reason. A ridge vent is a very effective way of venting an attic, taking out that warm air in the summer and the moist air in the winter that affects the efficiency of your insulation. There are just a whole lot of ridge-vent types out there.

Now, there’s one in particular that I like that’s made by Air Vent and it’s called FilterVent. And what’s cool about the FilterVent is it has some weather protection built into it. It’s got an external baffle that deflects the wind and the weather. And so it won’t let it blow in regardless of what, you know, direction that wind comes from.

So it might be that you have to replace that vent but you just don’t have the right one. You can’t really close off a ridge vent. It’s not like it has a way to turn it off. It’s going to be on all the time. But if you have the right kind of vent there, I don’t think you should have that kind of weather issue, although I have heard it before. But I know that this product called FilterVent by Air Vent works pretty well.

TED: OK. Well, that’s great. I do appreciate that suggestion. I’ll go ahead and get my home improvement store and see if I can pick one up.

TOM: Yeah. Take a look at it online first to make sure that you understand exactly what it is. Because sometimes, when you go into the store, they just might only have one or two varieties of it but you could potentially order it if they don’t.