In the last decade, a number
of "low-profile" ridge
vents have come on the
market. Unlike conventional
metal ridge vents,
the new vents can be shingled
over so they are hardly
visible against the rest of
the roof.
We chose to evaluate
nine low-profile ridge
vents, including Cobra
Ridge Vent, Cor-A-Vent,
Highpoint Vent, Ridge
Master, Roll Vent, Shingle-
Over Ridge Vent,
Shinglevent II, Top Cat,
and Venturi Vent. All of
these are widely available.
Our investigation was
prompted by questions
from readers about which
vents work best, and by
reports of windblown snow
leaking through some
types of low-profile vents.
To evaluate each product,
we installed the vents
along a 30-foot gable roof
with a 4:12 pitch and soffit
vents on both sides. We
observed the vents
through one Vermont winter,
looking for