Mark from Pennyslvania asked:
Hi, the previous Pro on my roof did not use long enough nails on my vent ridge and the wind blew it back or peeled it up, the shingle still intact. Would it be Ok if I just took longer nails and put them every foot or so on both sides then put a good caulk over the heads instead of peeling it all back off and doing it with the proper nails? Thank you.
Mark followed up with:
It is the plastic vent ridge then the shingles on top it leaves a space about 1/2 an in from the roof surface. I wanted to see if I could just put the longer nails in the existing shingles on the Ridge Vent and put a good caulking over the nail heads instead of removing and reinstalling a new Ridge Vent and New shingles with the correct nail lengths this time. I realized the part that got blown back off had only 1/8" to 3/16" sticking in the sheeting and did the repair on that with new shingles. Thank you for your valuable input, it is greatly appreciated.
John Kenney from Cotney Consulting Group said:
From your description of the problem, it appears that proper fasteners are a good solution for the problem. Choose a nail that is of proper length to set into the wood sheathing by at least ½”. Install sealant on the surface of the shingle. Drive the nail through the sealant for a proper seal. Be careful to not overuse sealant. Mastic or other sealants may have an adverse effect on the surface of the shingles. Hope this information helps.