Everything You Need to Know about Roof Vent Guards

Roof vents are necessary for ensuring vital air circulation within a home’s attic. Sometimes they’re even connected to an appliance like a dryer or a bathroom vent fan. As essential as these vents are, though, they have a major drawback: they’re vulnerable to invasion by nuisance wildlife.

The designs of the roof vents themselves (e.g., box vents, mushroom vents, turtle vents, etc.) aim to keep critters out by virtue of their shape. While this is a good idea in theory, in practice, the problem is that the vents are almost always made of soft metals like aluminum, and critters have no problem chewing right through them to access a home’s attic.

At HY-C, we manufacture a solution to this problem called roof vent guards. These guards are engineered from steel, and their diamond mesh construction allows for proper ventilation while keeping nuisance wildlife completely locked out.

But what kinds of steel are these guards made from? What sizes are they available in? And what kinds of vents can they cover?

In this guide, we’ll address those questions and more. By the time you’re finished here, you’ll know everything you need to know about roof vent guards including the sizes in which they’re available, what kind of steel you should opt for, and who can install them for you.

What Are Roof Vent Guards?

Before we start, it’s important to make a distinction. Roof vent guards are not the feature that sticks out of a roof through the shingles; that’s the roof vent itself. Roof vent guards, on the other hand, are an aftermarket mesh “cage” installed over a roof vent.

At HY-C, we manufacture a range of roof vent guards under our HY-GUARD EXCLUSION brand name. These guards are designed to be installed over roof vents themselves in order to keep different species of wildlife from accessing your attic (or the rest of your home).

Why Do You Need Roof Vent Guards?

We’ve alluded to it already, but when manufacturers make roof vents, they do design them with wildlife exclusion in mind. The roof vents are usually made from a soft metal (like aluminum), and their design and shape are fabricated in such a way that attempts to keep critters out.

A roof vent damaged by wildlife.

As well-intentioned as roof vent manufacturers may be, though, any experienced wildlife control operator will tell you that the material and design of a roof vent guard isn’t enough to keep critters out. Squirrels, rats, raccoons, opossums — they all have powerful teeth that can chew right through a roof vent.

Once a critter feels the warm, moist air emanating from your roof vent, they can’t help but want to take shelter there. Squirrels can chew right through the vents, and raccoons can simply pry them apart with their paws.

A bird’s nest blocking a roof vent.

A steel roof vent guard bolted over a roof vent, however, will completely seal out nuisance wildlife. Steel is too strong for an animal to chew through, and they certainly won’t have the strength to pull off a roof vent guard that’s bolted down with four (or more) screws.

Roof Vent Guard Materials

At HY-C, we make our roof vent guards from two distinct types of steel:

1. Galvanized steel (with a black powder paint coat)
2. Stainless steel

Galvanized steel is a more economical, cost-effective solution. It’s plenty strong enough to keep critters from chewing through it or pulling it off of its installation location.

Stainless steel, on the other hand, costs quite a bit more. It is necessary in some instances, though, especially within 25 miles of a saltwater coast.

Galvanized steel can’t handle abrasive, salty sea air. We’ve found that it will eventually deteriorate and rust in these environments, leaving the roof vent vulnerable to wildlife. Stainless steel can handle these corrosive conditions, though, and we highly recommend using stainless steel roof vent guards if you’re within 25 miles of a large body of saltwater.

Roof Vent Guard Sizes

We’ve designed our collection of roof vent guards to install nicely over some of the most common roof vent sizes used on homes across the United States. When considering which size to get, you should pay attention to three measurements in particular:

1. The roof vent guard’s base dimensions
2. The roof vent guard’s height
3. The roof vent guard’s mesh size

Base dimensions are easy. This is the length and width that the base perimeter of the roof vent guard will cover, and it’s dictated simply by the length and width of your roof vent. If you have an 11” x 11” roof vent, you’ll need an 11” x 11” roof vent guard.

It’s also important to pay attention to the height of your roof vent. Some roof vents are relatively short; others may be a foot tall (or more). Our roof vent guards come in heights between 4-¾” and 13” to account for different roof vent heights.

Finally, it’s a good idea to consider which size mesh your roof vent guard should have. The mesh size is the length between the widest point on the diamond mesh that makes up the body of the roof vent guard. We manufacture our roof vent guards with two mesh sizes:

1. ⅝” standard mesh
2. ¼” tight mesh

The standard ⅝” mesh will exclude common critters like birds, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and more. The ¼” tight mesh, though, goes the extra mile to keep out insects like bees, stink bugs, wasps, and yellow jackets.

From here, let’s take a look at all of the sizes of each of our roof vent guards. We’ll lay out each size by metal type.

Galvanized Steel Roof Vent Guard Sizes

Due to their more economical price point, we sell more galvanized steel roof vent guards than stainless steel. As a result, we have more galvanized sizes available in terms of base dimensions, heights, and mesh options. Here’s a look at our galvanized steel roof vent guard sizes:

As you can see, the 16” x 16”, 25” x 25”, and 30” x 30” guards are available in multiple height sizes. We offer ¼” tight mesh galvanized steel roof vent guards with 16” x 16”, 18” x 18” and 30” x 30” base dimensions.

Stainless Steel Roof Vent Guard Sizes

While we don’t manufacture nearly as many stainless steel roof vent guards, we do offer them to customers near saltwater oceans or lakes (or people who prefer to pay more for a higher level of protection). Despite being available in fewer sizes than galvanized steel, the stainless steel lineup still comes in a decent range of sizes:

Note that only the 25” x 25” style is available in multiple heights — 6” and 12”. Note too that our stainless steel roof vent guards are only available with ⅝” mesh.

Should You Get Roof Vent Guards?

When you have a chance, take a peek at your roof. Unless you have a ridge vent system, you’ll very likely see roof vents poking out from your shingles. The question is, though, should you cover your roof vents with roof vent guards?

That really depends. Frankly, it may be a bit pricey. The vent guards themselves cost enough money, but you’ll also need to hire a wildlife control operator to install them.

At the same time, though, wildlife invasion can be costly. Not only will you need to replace the roof vents themselves if they’re damaged, but nuisance wildlife can also rack up thousands of dollars in damage to the structure of your roof, your attic, your attic insulation, and more.

Roof vent guards are a long-term, preventative solution that can potentially save you a lot of money down the line. They’re a kind of insurance against wildlife permeation and damage. And yes, they do cost a bit up front. But on top of everything, they can provide peace of mind — and that’s tough to put a price on.

If you’re interested in finding roof vent guards, use our product locator to shop around. And be sure to consult with a wildlife control professional before starting on your project.