Hip Vent - Hip Roof Exhaust Vent Installation Guide

A hip vent is a roof ventilation product installed along a hip line to let attic air escape while keeping out rain and pests.

What It Is

A hip vent works like a ridge vent adapted for the sloped outside corner of a hip roof. It creates an exhaust opening near the top of the roof structure so rising warm attic air can leave the attic instead of building up under the roof deck.

This product is most often used when a roof has little or no standard horizontal ridge length, or when the ventilation design uses both ridges and hips for exhaust. Performance depends on the vent product, cut opening, shingle integration, and having enough intake ventilation at the soffits or eaves.

Types

Common versions include shingle-over hip vent systems, combined ridge-and-hip vent products, and proprietary vent strips shaped for specific roof profiles. Some products are made to blend visually with asphalt shingles while others are used with specialty roofing systems.

Where It Is Used

Hip vents are used on hip roofs, pyramid roofs, and complex roof layouts where exhausting attic air through the roof peak requires more than a short ridge vent. They sit near the top of the roof assembly along the hip lines.

How to Identify One

From the ground, a hip vent looks like a slightly raised shingle-covered strip or vented cap running up the roof hip rather than just at the ridge. In the attic, you may see daylight or a vent slot near the hip if the area is accessible.

Replacement

Replacement is needed when the vent crushes, leaks, separates from the shingles, clogs with debris, or was installed over an incorrect slot opening. Because the vent is integrated with the roofing, replacement is usually part of a roofing repair or reroofing project.