ridge vent shingles - 'just cosmetic'???

Picture would be nice.
If there blowing off there's a reason.
If they did not use real ridge cap shingle and cheaped out and just used color matching three tab shingle there going to crack and fail.
If they did not use 3" roofing nails so the nails hit the sheathing there going to blow off.
If someone cut the roof back to far the nails are only hitting the vent not the roof.

joecaption said:

Picture would be nice.
If there blowing off there's a reason.

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Well, they've lasted about 13 years - we had a rare, hard wind from the south the other day. The shingled popped free of the nails - they don't look like ordinary shingles - kind of like keystone bricks in shape - no noticeable tabs, although they match the existing roof and might have been fashioned from ordinary shingles.

I'm just concerned about water incursion - are the shingles a functional issue or should I believe my handyman?

Sill have no idea exactly what style vent you have with no pictures so hard to say.

The shingles over the ridge vent mainly protect the plastics from UV degradation. Without them the plastic will turn brittle and crack in five years or so, like a plastic jug left outdoors.

If the nails stayed, and the vent was put on properly you should be okay until you can get a package of ridge vent shingles in the proper shade, and get them put on. Can you get into the attic at that location and look up at the vent?

imautoparts said:

Well, they've lasted about 13 years - we had a rare, hard wind from the south the other day. The shingled popped free of the nails - they don't look like ordinary shingles - kind of like keystone bricks in shape - no noticeable tabs, although they match the existing roof and might have been fashioned from ordinary shingles.

I'm just concerned about water incursion - are the shingles a functional issue or should I believe my handyman?

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Believe the handyman. The "keystone" shape is a standard cutting pattern for caps....which is what blew off. Ron

So Ron,

I take it that once the weather breaks I should restore the 'caps' (I'm figuring a couple layers of gorilla tape on each separate keystone to reinforce the area where the old holes were and the new washer-type roofing nails will penetrate), then reinstall them, preferably with some adhesive caulk to assure good adhesion one to the next?

The underlying vent structure on this type of ridge vent is functional without the shingles? Guess I got lucky there.

Edit: Walked a couple of tabs over to get the opinion of my neighbor who is in construction. He confirmed that on the type of ridge vent described the shingles protect from solar degradation and weathering of the underlying vinyl vent (he said they are in 10' sections) - and till spring I should be OK. He does not believe the loss of the shingle layer will result in water coming in.

There is no need for any adhesive or "special" nails when making the repair just need some new caps and 3" nails.
How old is this roof?
Why would you wait until spring for a 1 hour repair job?

imautoparts said:

I have 'looks like the corrugation from cardboard, but made of plastic' and water incursion will not occur.

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That sounds a bit like Coravent V600 or V300 series. If so they are in 4 foot sections (not 10) and where they butt together there is no designed lap. So a potential leak could happen every 4 feet where two vents butt together.
The "keystone brick" shaped cap is probably 3-tab shingles cut at a slight angle.