Upwardly venting ridge vent and method of using same

Abstract

A ridge vent for venting air through a ridge opening of a roof. The ridge vent has an elongated body having spaced apart outer attachment flanges to partially extend down a sloped roof deck on either side of the ridge opening a top surface on said elongated body extending between and connecting the outer flanges. It also has upwardly facing ventilation openings formed a top of the elongated body to permit air to vent though the body; and at least one weather deflecting baffle extending below the upwardly facing ventilation openings to deflect water passing through the ventilation openings away from the ridge opening and onto the roof deck adjacent to and below the ridge opening. A method of installing the vent is also shown.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A ridge vent for venting air through a ridge opening of a roof, the ridge vent comprising:
 an elongated body having spaced apart outer attachment flanges to partially extend down a sloped roof deck on either side of the ridge opening;   a top surface on said elongated body extending between and connecting the outer flanges;   a plurality of upwardly facing ventilation openings formed in said elongated body to permit air to vent though said body; and   at least one weather deflecting baffle extending below the upwardly facing ventilation openings to deflect water passing through said ventilation openings away from said ridge opening and onto said roof deck adjacent to and below said ridge opening.   
     
     
         2 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said outer attachment flanges include weeping holes to promote water drainage from underneath said flanges. 
     
     
         3 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 2  wherein said weeping holes are located adjacent to and downward from spacer ribs extending below said attachment flanges. 
     
     
         4 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said top surface includes a longitudinal impervious strip. 
     
     
         5 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 4  wherein said longitudinal impervious strip is located towards a middle of said top and said ventilation openings are located on either side of said strip. 
     
     
         6 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 4  wherein said elongated body includes a pair of opposed weather deflecting baffles, wherein each baffle extends at an angle from below one edge of said strip. 
     
     
         7 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said at least one weather deflecting baffle includes at least one spacer to define an air flow passageway beneath said at least one weather deflecting baffle. 
     
     
         8 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 6  wherein each of said weather deflecting baffles includes at least one spacer to define an air flow passageway beneath said weather deflecting baffles. 
     
     
         9 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said at least one weather deflecting baffle is contained within the elongate body defined by said top and outer attachment flanges. 
     
     
         10 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said body is formed from a flexible material. 
     
     
         11 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 10  wherein said flexible material is one of molded plastic or metal. 
     
     
         12 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 11  wherein said flexible material is plastic and said plastic is polypropylene with added colour and UV stabilizers. 
     
     
         13 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said outer flanges include shingle stops to help align shingles on an outer surface of said body. 
     
     
         14 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said vent body includes a pattern on an outer face of said outer attachment flanges. 
     
     
         15 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 14  wherein said pattern is shaped to look like shingles. 
     
     
         16 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said body is flexible and can be placed over a peak of a range of typical roof slopes. 
     
     
         17 . The ridge vent as claimed in  claim 16  wherein one of both of said outer attachment flanges and said baffles include a thinner portion adjacent to said body to enhance the flexibility of said flanges and baffles to accommodate different roof pitches. 
     
     
         18 . A method of securing a ridge vent to a roof having a ventilation slot formed along a peak of said roof the method comprising the steps of:
 spreading opposed outer attachment flanges across a ventilation slot in a roof peak;   centering a top surface having a grill portion above said ventilation slot;   spreading weather deflecting baffles below the grill portion and said ventilation slot to prevent weather from passing through said grill section and then into said slot; and   fastening said ridge vent onto said roof peak with fasteners positioned down said roof slope from a free end of said weather deflecting baffles,   wherein said fasteners are positioned away from an air flow passageway passing up through said slot under said weather directing baffles and then around a free end of said baffles and up through said upwardly facing grill.   
     
     
         19 . A method as claimed in  claim 18  wherein a free end of said weather deflecting baffles is positioned above a shingle layer on said roof, and precipitation is deflected onto said roof below said slot in said roof peak by said weather deflecting baffle. 
     
     
         20 . A method as claimed in  claim 19  further including the step of using spacers located under said weather deflecting baffles to maintain desired net free flow area. 
     
     
         21 . The method as claimed in  claim 18  further including the step of using ribs to space the outer attachment flanges from the weather deflecting baffles to maintain a desired net free area.