What is the problem with the vented drip edge and what can be done about it

The vented drip edge on your slanted roof can cause problems if improperly installed or poorly maintained.

You can easily overlook such problems when there is already so much to put your mind and effort into over the entire house.

Here’s a list of vented drip edge problems you can make a checklist out of and keep prepared constantly without worrying about what-ifs.

Vented Drip Edge Basics

First, what is a vented drip edge, and why is it there?

All shingle and slate roofs require vented flashing that allows the rainwater and melted snow to fall into the eave or pipes’ gutters.

This roof allows you to divert water and protect your building from water damage, moisture entrapment, mold, and other gunk to collect on your roofs.

These vented edges allow the water to fall quickly, paving the way for your roof to remain strong despite heavy snow or rain.

These openings allow your buildings’ attics or top portions to remain ventilated.

This works by surrounding ventilation, allowing fresh air rich with oxygen, wind, and room-regulating temperature to cross-ventilate from small minuscule holes.

These perforations allow several small holes that allow the air to gush in and out of the building. Another purpose of these vented edges is to prevent moisture from building inside your building.

The improved airflow will easily dry out excessive moisture and refresh the environment. If there are so many benefits, then what are the problems?

Vented Drip Edge Problems

The problems all involve the environment in which you construct vented drip edges. You may want to look at the climate reports when you install vented drip edges.

This will tell you whether the construction will cause your house any damage or issues in the shape of mold overgrowth, rust, and other microbial growth.

The life span of your vented drip edges and the entire eaves, in general, will also depend on the weather that your house faces.

You can always get reviews from neighboring homes that have installed it or count on the internet to tell you whether this will work for your home’s ventilation, depending on your area or vicinity.

Is a vented drip edge enough?

Whether a vented drip edge is enough to solve your ventilation problems, another question is whether this will make your life easier or difficult.

So, how can you get adequate ventilation, and how does this operation work? Let’s get into this.

Benefits

Some of the best things about the vented drip edges are their moisture seepage and drainage benefits. Other helpful features include the ventilation benefits. However, they help in more than these two ways.

Here’s a comprehensive list of things that drip edges can help you with:

• Moisture drainages from edges rather than collecting inside or falling inwards
• Helps in pushing water outside faster and directly into the drains
• Extend the life of the rake, eaves, and gables of the roof
• Prevent slouching shingles, remove water problems from the things you worry about
• Protect you from a premature roof replacement struggle

The best type of vented drip edges:

The drip metal style is one of the most popular options. It comes in the form of asphalt roofing support.

It uses its shape to drain the water farther away from the fascia.

What if you don’t invest in a vented drip edge roof?

Your shingles could be soaking and collecting extra water without the vented system. The perforations and slanted style allow for slow water inhalation and greater flushing.

Without this system, you may miss out on improved ventilation inside the house. You could also catch a lot more water, causing damage to the shingle roof.

The asphalt could drain away with weathering and water corrosion. The roof may call for premature replacement now and then.

This could lead to high costs and unwanted renovations that take up much time and effort. Furthermore, without such a system, you may receive poor ventilation that would cause temperatures to rise.

This means an attic temperature of 150 degrees or more in tough summers. Such an environment will also cause shingles and other roofing materials to corrode, slightly melt, or crack through expansion.

During rainy seasons, you will look at a build-up of humidity, mildew, mold, microbial overgrowth, and other roof problems.

Problems to look out for

You must check your roof vents for some of the popular problems. These include blockage caused by snow melting and forming ice or black ice on top of the perforations of your vents.

You can notice the changes in the top layer by looking for heavy snowfall and whether it is melting and converting to ice visually.

Heavy rains also tend to cause problems. You can look for windy rain being pushed inside the building by looking at the roof stains and splashes of the water.

The installation angle and the roof slant should be up to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Manufacturers will recommend ridged roof edges to be installed on an elevation or pitch of at least three and a half inches or more. Ridge vents will let out warm air and reduce your electric bills.

But, if you are in a very windy state or region, this could cause problems.

This means the vents can let water in, especially when damaged or corroded through too much rain or water accumulation through poor installation.

Using the wrong nail fittings can cause the vents to become loose and larger over time.

If the nails are shorter or unsuited for the edges, they will cause the vents to have an insecure fit and grip.

It can also lead to a bend or kink in the installation, causing more gaps for insects and other microorganisms.

Things to look out for on a checklist

• Blockage caused by ice building up
• Blockage due to ice and snow melting
• Rainwater splashing in due to heavy rains
• Rainwater leaving stains on the roof through windy push inside
• Proper pitch and angle are essential to avoid the inflow of water and ice
• Vent size may get damaged over time if the installation is not proper
• Large vent size allows more moisture to get in rather than just fresh air
• Improper installation will eventually lead to leakage in vents

Solutions to the problems

Snowbound vents will cause more maintenance problems. It is best that you look out for such issues. You need to check the vents for thick deposits of snow.

Clear them after storms or excessive snow collection for best results. You can also invest in other ridge vents optimized for use in heavy snow-receiving environments.

These are engineered to catch snow and thus will help you to get the best performance out of your ridge vents. You will need to check your roofs periodically.

This means checking the vents, especially when it rains or snows too much. This also means you check whether your sealants and caulk have not eroded out of the vents.

You can check for them for breakages or chipping from time to time. A way to check the vents from the inside is by checking the amount of light pouring in.

It should be a small glow, not a proper ray of light. You should be unable to see the sky, neighbors, garage, or other views from these vents.

They should be just tiny openings. Clean your gutters if there is more light or visibility than it should be. This means the ridges have eroded, causing the holes to become bigger.

Alternatively, you must clean your gutters and the remaining areas if you see no light. You can clean the intake vents every year.

If not, then every two or at least three years to make sure there is no blockage.

You can use a blaster or vacuum cleaner to suck out or throw in the materials stuck in the perforations. These can be in the form of mildew as well.

Simple blasts of compressed air can air the ventilators with pressure even after heavy snow or ice deposits. Alternatively, you can scrape the ice off using a scraper.

This will allow clearing for the wind to pass out again.

Conclusion

Simple and regular maintenance will help you keep your vents clear. This will extend their life and help you get great performance out of them year by year.

You can ensure correct installation to prevent other problems.