Ridge cap leak?

I was on a supposed new roof today. I got into the attic and the membrane that goes under the ridge cap showed signs of moisture and damage. There were signs of moisture drops on the insulation in the attic. Any ideas on the cause? Are the shingles supposed to hang over the vent further? Is it leaking in thru the exposed staples? Or??? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

It looks like some type of rodent chewed on the underside of the ridge vent.
Rodent droppings in the insulation? Rodents can enter the end of the ridge vent if not sealed.

Something is definitely off. I’d recommend further eval and repair. It can leak for many reasons: lack of proper sealant, improper nailing schedule, the vent opening/cut is too wide, physical damage, etc… no way to tell from the pics alone, needs invasive inspection. The vent looks similar to:

https://quarrix.com/getmedia/67611932-313a-4e79-b567-470e112f505a/INST-RR01-Rigid-Vent-Installation-Instructions_1.pdf.aspx

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The ridge opening looks correct, 1 in, each side of the center.
I have demoed a similar defect, Red squirrels were entering the attic at the end of the ridge vent.

Scott I didn’t find any animal droppings or tunnels in the attic. Just the yellow drops.

Critter urinating or marking territory at the ridge vent. Maybe the warm air helps the little critters bladder function or is spraying a territory looking for the right female or male counterpart.

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I guess you did not look hard enough.

High winds can blow water into the ridge vent. I have see it happen several times here in Florida after a high wind event.
However, the ridge vent shingles appear to be raised causing moisture to infiltrate.

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If I didn’t know better, it looks like the ridge cap shingles were cut lengthwise, instead of width-wise, which is why the vent itself is exposed. They didn’t get the standard shingles for the ridge, and tried to cut the architectural ones.

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No, you can clearly see they are of ridge cap shingle form. Ridge shingles can only be cut from regular 3-tab shingles, not architectual. No way you would end up with shingles looking as pictured in OP’s pics if cut from 3d shingles.

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Improper cap shingle installation on a shingle-Over type ridge vent. Your roof pics show the problem. Good find, refer to a qualified roofing contractor.

What do you believe is improper, specifically?

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Looking at the length of the cap shingles, they are not consistent with any kind I have ever seen.

Look at the attached picture and see how close each shingle is to the other shingle over the ridge cap.

Ridge caps too short, you can see the mesh exposed

How many years of experience does it take to be a qualified roofer? I have been shingling roofs since 1976, How many years have all of you been roofing. I stand by my post, O, and by the way, the ridge caps are High Definition ridge caps, That is how they are supposed to look, It is rodent damage and rodent piss. The rest of this thread is Hog Wash. Have a good day. :flushed: :alien:

download
And I am still at it this pic was 2 days ago.

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Found this “fix” for leaky ridge vents on todays inspection.

That is to keep the critters out :chipmunk: :bat: squirrels and bats.

Fixed the “leaky” ridge vent, eh, Kev? :flushed:

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@cnystul1 - Cory - for the orange in the insulation, I live in Seattle and see this a good amount. It is typical when moisture drips through the fastener penetration (Staple or Nail) and causes it to rust. It will leave a very clear pattern visible in the white of the insulation under it. I can guarantee you that if you held a plumb bob over all of those drops in the insulation, there will be a rusted fastener directly above it. If they are lucky, a lot of these will rust themselves enough to stop the moisture from coming through. It looks like the close up shot of the ridge cap has staples used. There is not any sealant applied. This is a clear path for moisture.