Got some advice from a local roofer about my leaky attic that turned out to be dead wrong

My neighbor Mike who's been doing roofing for 20 years told me to just seal up the ridge vent to stop a leak I had after a big storm last November. Said ridge vents are a scam anyway and that's why my attic was sweating. Spent a Saturday up there with foam and caulk. Next rain the leak was worse and now I had moisture trapped too. Called a different roofer from over in Springfield who actually came up and looked. Turns out my bathroom fan was venting straight into the attic and the ridge vent was fine. Cost me an extra $150 to undo my fix and reroute the fan. Has anyone else had bad luck following local "expert" advice?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade_kelly772d ago

So Mike said ridge vents are a scam?

williamhenderson2d ago

Installed a ridge vent on my own roof about three years ago @wade_kelly77, and it's been working great. Had a roofer buddy walk me through it, and he said the key is making sure you have enough soffit vents to let air in. If you just cut a hole at the ridge without proper intake, it's gonna be useless for sure. My attic stays way cooler in summer now compared to the gable vents I had before.

olivia_lopez982d ago

Ridge vents are fine til you get heavy snow stuck over them.