Baffling Water Stains by Henri de Marne This month's column could aptly be called "The Continuing Saga of Unbaffled Ridge and Hip Vents," for it demonstrates, once again, the problems caused by improperly installed ventilation systems. At the time of this writing, I am are essential to reduce heat loss into the attic. Without equally adequate ventilation, however, the attic temperature encourages snow on the roof to melt from beneath, resulting in the too frequent problems caused by water ponding behind increasingly thicker ice dams at the eaves. However, if the ridge vent is not protected by a wind baffle—or deflector, if you will—the wind, following the roof plane, can enter the ridge vent, thus turning it into a positive