Ridge Ventilators
Ventilators & Louvers
A continuous opening instead of points
Ridge ventilators, also known as continuous ridge vents, roof monitors or gravent, run along the length of the ridge rather than sitting as individual units at intervals.
Because the opening is continuous, extraction is spread evenly down the whole building instead of concentrating at a few points. That is the entire argument for them over turbo ventilators.
Where even extraction matters
Long production halls where conditions need to be similar at both ends. With individual units, the air between them moves less, and in a long building that produces noticeable variation along the length.
They also suit buildings with a continuous heat source running the length of the hall, such as a production line, where the heat is not concentrated at one point and neither should the extraction be.
Weather and birds
A continuous opening at the highest point of the roof has to be weathered properly. The profile is designed so rising air can leave while wind driven rain cannot get in, and that geometry is the product.
Bird mesh matters more than people expect. A continuous warm opening along a ridge is an attractive nesting site, and a ridge vent full of nests is neither ventilating nor watertight.
Ridge vents against turbo ventilators
Turbo units are cheaper per building on smaller sheds, easy to retrofit and easy to add to later. Ridge vents cost more and are best planned with the roof, but they give even extraction and there are no moving parts and no bearings to seize.
For a small or medium shed, turbo units are usually the practical answer. For a long hall where evenness matters, or where maintenance access to the ridge is difficult and moving parts are unwelcome, a continuous vent is the better engineering.
Replacement air, again
As with any passive system, extraction only works if air can get in. Low level louvers along the walls are what make a ridge vent perform. Without them the vent is an opening that does very little.
What to send us for a quote
The ridge length, the building height and width, the roof profile and what happens inside. Tell us whether it is new work or a retrofit, because fitting a continuous vent to an existing roof is a different job from building it in.
Frequently asked questions
Ridge vent or turbo ventilators?
Turbo units for smaller sheds and easy retrofit. A continuous ridge vent for long halls where even extraction matters, or where you want no moving parts at the ridge.
Will rain get in through a continuous opening?
Not if the profile is right. The geometry lets warm air out while blocking wind driven rain, and that geometry is what you are buying.
Do they need maintenance?
There are no moving parts, which is a large part of the appeal. Bird mesh should be checked periodically, because a blocked vent stops ventilating.
Can they be fitted to an existing roof?
Yes, but it is a bigger job than adding turbo units, since it involves opening the ridge along its length. Tell us it is a retrofit when you enquire.
Need specifications or a quote for Ridge Ventilators?