How to Install an Air Vent on a Roof

Climb on the rooftop using a ladder. Carefully remove the ridge cap shingles using the crowbar until you reach the gable end and then set aside the shingles to reinstall after installing the air vent. Leave ample space of 8 to 10 inches away if there is a wall or a chimney.

Strike a chalk line 7/8 of an inch from the ridge board from the roof peak on both sides. Strike a chalk line leaving 1 ¾ inches gap across the peak if your roof has trusses when you are at the cutting stage. Measure the thickness of the sheeting on the roof with a tape measure to determine the depth needed to set the circular saw.

Cut through the remaining shingles and tarpaper along the chalk line using carbide saw blade or utility knife. Cut the chalk line on both sides of the peak but remember to leave 8 to 10 inches from a wall or a chimney. Take a wide chisel to cleanly sever the wood perpendicular to the saw cuts if needed at one end or the other so you can remove the last strip of wood. Pull up and remove the sheeting that you cut using a crowbar and sink or remove the nails left in the exposed rafters.

Install the new roof vent using roofing nails long enough to go through the vent, shingles, and fit secure into the sheeting under the shingles. Cover the roof vent with the shingles you removed in the first step or replace them with matching shingles to those remaining on your roof using 1-1/2 or 1-3/4 roofing nails.