Is it OK to use a nail gun to install ShingleVent II plastic ridge vent?
Care should be taken when using a nail gun to install ShingleVent II to avoid over-driven or under-driven nails through the ridge vent.
Care should be taken when using a nail gun to install ShingleVent II to avoid over-driven or under-driven nails through the ridge vent. An over-driven nail results in the compression of ShingleVent II and is solely dependent on the air pressure supplied to the nail gun. The air pressure required to drive the nail far enough to penetrate the underside of the roof deck is dependent on many things. The size of the nail, the shingle thickness, the type of roof deck, the thickness of the entire roof system assembly all factor into the air pressure needed to penetrate the roof deck. Shingle manufacturers require that the nail not dimple the shingle (over-driven state). An under-driven nail will allow the ridge vent to back out of the roof deck. Air Vent's installation instructions require that the nails being used to fasten the ridge cap shingles through the ridge vent be long enough to penetrate the underside of the roof deck. If the nail is under-driven the ridge cap shingles and the ridge vent itself may be blown off in a strong wind. Or, the ridge vent could be lifted just enough to allow rain to blow up underneath it in the next storm.