Ridge Guard

This is a new product thats going to make it easyer to deal with ridge vent's I'm the Michigan distributor. The link to learn more is http://ridge-guard.com/

The "find out more" link is going to a blank page.

It really is an amazing product. Way simpler than replacing the ridgevent. I am excited to install it, hopefully I can get some distribution on the west coast

Can you send me more info had 3 houses this year with bad ridge vent issues

Dew,

Do they have better pics of the product installed on shingles and other types of roof coverings (metal)?

The brochure download is just the cover no added information there.

I know this thread is older, but hoping to revive and get some longer term feedback on it's usage. I recently had a wildlife guy exclude some bats from my front porch that were getting in at the soffit returns. He warned me at the time that they could potentially get back into the ridge vents and at the time I declined the Ridge Guard b/c I had concerns about screwing into the roof and potential leaks down the road. Turns out he was right and at least 1 bat has returned in our attic through the ridge vent. I trust him as I've used him previously for other wildlife needs, but I still can't get past the fact that we'd be drilling holes across the roof. I just really don't want to trade a bat problem for a roof problem down the line. Anybody have any negative experiences w/ Ridge Guard? Leaking? Trapping debris? Etc. Is there a "right" way to address this, even if it's more expensive? If the ridge vent were reinstalled, would that be right thing to do?

I’ve never heard of any leaks.

You could pull the current ridge vent and install 1/4” hardware cloth under it, or pull it and install cobra vent.

If you don’t have soffit vents, eliminating the ridge vent is also an option.

When I was digging around the internet trying to research I did see the option to put the HW cloth under the ridge vent. I also read the bats may just choose to roost under the ridge vent on top of the wire? I don't know, I'm probably overthinking this.

My son has been installing Ridge Guard for several years with no problems. It works great. With hard ware cloth, the bats just go under the vent and roost on the wire. You still get droppings in the attic.

That's great to hear Jim. Was hoping to get some longer term data. I can always keep my eye on the attic, but the ridge vents over the porches and garage I cannot. I think I'm going to go ahead and give him the green light.

I use roof sealant on every screw. So far, no complaints, no leaks.

Modern sealants are the key.

As the son of a roofer a nail or screw down through shingle was anathema with older caulks or bull as they would eventually dry and crack.

Modern elastomers remain flexible and don't crack.

Thanks all for chiming in. I'm not sure I feel any less anxiety about screwing through the shingles, but it does help knowing this is a pretty typical solution.

Here are my two cents on this subject, worth every penny you paid for it:

Anytime you penetrate a roof system or exterior building envelope it is at your liability.

Grommeted screws were designed to be seated on a rigid metal surface, not a softer mineral surfaced composition product like asphalt shingles. Another potential issue may be, is the grommet actually making contact with the roofing product, or is it slightly above the roof surface, because it is seated on top of the expanded metal? If this is the case, then there is now a hole thru the shingle with the grommet gasket a fraction of an inch above the open screw hole.

There are some great sealant products available today that could be installed under and/or over the screws.

Would this system be ok if the proper sealant was used on the fasteners? The answer is, probably, or most of the time.

But this sealant certainly does not negate your liability for penetrating the roof surface.

Roof leaks can range from an annoyed client to significant damages. In the wetter environments leaks often introduce mold, which is an expensive nightmare for all parties involved. Mold can lead to homes becoming unfit for occupancy, and/or demolished. Roof leaks create rot, that also can be expensive to repair. Interior finishes can be damaged, some of which may have regulated materials inside them like asbestos, etc. This triggers a whole new level of cost, when repairs are needed. New roofs, or even professional roof repairs, are very expensive in modern times as well.

Typically shingle roofing manufacturer's application guidelines do not condone exposed fasteners thru the finished roof surfaces. This could void a manufacturer warranty. The exposed fasteners could void any labor warranties from the company that installed the product as well. Basically, any leak downslope from this work, (which would be 99% of the roof surface typically) could be blamed on this modification, whether just or not, until further investigation by the involved parties, or the homeowner's insurance company. Homeowner insurance claim reps will be looking for any other parties to "invite to the party" so they can subrogate with other insurance resources to pay for this loss.

In my opinion it would be hard to legally defend any modification to the exterior building envelope, that is out of compliance with manufacturer recommendations, and standards of the roofing industry.

Anyway, I reiterate to my first sentence on this subject, it is your liability, and therefore your decision, if you want to assume this liability.

Thanks PWC. Some very valid points. I was actually planning to call my insurance company to make sure it wouldn't void any coverage. I'm also in talks with my roofer (didn't install the roof on our new house) who said he could remove all the cap shingles, resecure the vent with screws and then put new cap shingles on for less than the cost of Ridge Guard, but he couldn't guarantee it would keep the bats out. Coordinating the exclusion of the bat with the roofer might be tricky too.

I think all of us here would agree, roofers are horrible at keeping animals out of roofs.

The ridge sees the least amount of water compared to anywhere else on the roof if you want to think about it that way.

There are a lot of people using this, I think if it was causing that many problems it wouldn’t be such a popular product.

That said I do dip every screw that goes through a shingle in sealant.

I love roofers. Lol

I started with sealant on the screws but that’s messy and a hassle. Put one of those woodbinder screws into a shingles roof. Take it out. The threads are coated in the asphalt from the shingle - there is your sealant. I put on lots of it every year and have never had a call back for a leak. I won’t do a bat job on a roof with ridge vent without making the customer do Ridge Guard - been burned with re-entry too many times. Plus the client ends up ticked off about the re-entry and wish I would have just put it on to start with.