Ridge Vents vs. Turbine Ventilation – Which One is Better?

Ridge Vents vs. Turbine Ventilation – Which One is Better?

When the climate is hot, proper ventilation is one of the main reasons why life indoors is bearable. It is impossible to keep your house cool if your roof traps hot air. Cooling your roof is not only good for air conditioning inside the house, but it also helps in prolonging the lifespan of your roof. You will even notice that your energy cost is considerably low when you have ventilated your roof than when you have not. If you are having trouble choosing between ridge vents and turban ventilation, below are a few facts that will help you settle for one that best suits you.

Ridge Vents

They balance your home’s temperature

Whether it’s a new home you are building, or you are replacing an old roof with a new one, you might consider installing a ridge vent. During the hot seasons, you will notice that upstairs or in the attic, the air is sweltering. With ridge ventilation, the hot air escapes naturally, which helps in maintaining the overall cool of the house. Likewise, during the cold seasons, the warm air inside the vents is prevented from escaping by the cold air outside, making the home warmer. This is made possible by the design of the vents.

Complement the design of your house

Compared to turbine vents, ridge ventilation blends very well with the design of your roof hence your home. It is hard to tell if a house has the vents installed or not if you look from the ground up. If you live in an area where the climate is consistently warm, you can have the vents installed along several ridges without making the roof look weird.

They don’t encourage unwanted visitors

Pests like raccoons, rats, and squirrels can quickly get access to your home if you use other types of roof venting. To prevent this, one is forced to have blockages installed to keep the pests outside. The obstructions hinder enough circulation of air, making turbines and other types of venting less effective. However, this is not the case with ridge ventilation. It has a good design and shape that does not restrict air flow and keeps pests from getting inside.

They are convenient for all seasons

These vents are installed with deep consideration of your roof’s design. This means that no matter the season, they are still very efficient in providing adequate ventilation without the need to use it together with turbines. This fact is, however, applicable if you get the right team that is the professionals, to install for you. Inadequate installation may cause the vents to be less active during some seasons.

Turbine Vents

Though it may look like something very complicated, it is a simple machine containing a circular fan which turns and starts circulating air when there is a breeze or wind. The benefits that you will enjoy if you install turbines are as follows.

Best in dispersing humidity

During the cold seasons, vents help in dispersing moisture that may otherwise cause molds. While this also works in a ridge vent, it is quite useful in turbines as they are attached to the roof making the dispersion a lot faster.

They are easily installed

When it comes to ridge ventilation, you need to plan before the actual installation of the roof. This is because they require space as they need to be installed along the ridges of the roof. When there is no room to install ridge ventilation, then the turbine ventilation come in handy since all they require is being placed on top of the roof.

They do not run on energy

After you install the turbine vents, you will not incur any extra costs apart from when maybe they need replacement. In short, they are wind-powered and do not need to use any energy that will cost you. The fans inside the turbines are sensitive to wind or any breeze, which means that the turbines will move most of the time hence circulating more air without any energy cost.

They last long with proper maintenance

These wind machines do not need replacement if they are well maintained. You need to keep checking if there is any debris that may hinder the smooth running of the turbines.


When it comes to choosing between the two types of vents, you have to decide which one best suits you. A turbine vent does not require much space to install compared to the ridge ones hence less expensive. When it comes to durability, ridge ventilation take the first place because turbine ventilation may get debris and malfunction or even rust causing inefficiency. The design of your roof may also dictate which vent is best for you.