Manually separable ridge vent

1. A ridge vent for installation along the ridge of a roof to provide attic ventilation, said ridge vent comprising an elongated body having a width sufficient to span the roof ridge and at least one tear line formed across the width of said elongated body, said tear line configured to allow selective manual separation of said elongated body at said tear line;

said ridge vent having a top panel normally spaced from a roof deck when said ridge vent is installed, and further comprising a first depending partition formed in said top panel extending along one side of said tear line, said first depending partition defining an end wall on an end that is formed when said elongated body is separated along said tear line; and a second depending partition formed on said top panel extending along the other side of said tear line, said second depending partition defining an end wall on the other end that is formed in said ridge vent when said elongated body is separated along said tear line.

2. A ridge vent as claimed in claim 1 and wherein said tear line is defined by a line of relative weakness formed across said elongated body.

3. A ridge vent as claimed in claim 2 and wherein said line of relative weakness is defined by aligned perforations.

4. A ridge vent as claimed in claim 2 and wherein said line of relative weakness is defined by a score line.

5. A ridge vent as claimed in claim 1 and wherein a plurality of tear lines are formed at spaced intervals along said elongated body.

6. A ridge vent as claimed in claim 1 and wherein each of said depending partitions has end portions and a central portion, said central portion being configured to allow said top panel be bent along its length for installation along a roof ridge.

7. A ridge vent as claimed in claim 6 and wherein each central portion is formed by a series of spaced depending segments that bunch together when said top panel is bent.

8. A ridge vent as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising wind baffles extending along and outboard of said top panel, said tear line being formed across said top panel.

9. A ridge vent as claimed in claim 8 and further comprising a separation line formed in each of said wind baffles aligned with respective ends of said tear line.

10. A ridge vent as claimed in claim 9 and wherein said separation lines comprise relatively narrow slits formed in said wind baffles.

11. A ridge vent as claimed in claim 10 and wherein said wind baffles are supported by buttresses extending outwardly from beneath said top panel, one of said buttresses being disposed on either side of said relatively narrow slits.

12. A ridge vent as claimed in claim 11 and wherein said buttresses on either side of said narrow slits extend across said top panel on either side of said tear line to form said depending partitions at the ends formed when said top panel is separated along said tear line.

13. A method of installing a ridge vent along the ridge of a roof, the ridge vent having tear lines formed across the width of and at spared intervals along the ridge vent and depending partitions extending along at least some of the tear lines on either side thereof, said method comprising the steps of progressively attaching the ridge vent along the roof ridge to form an installed portion and an excess portion of the ridge vent and manually separating the installed portion and the excess portion of said ridge vent along a selected one of said tear lines to form an end wall of the installed portion of said ridge vent on one side of said selected tear line and an end wall of the excess portion of the ridge vent on the other side of the tear line.

14. The method of claim 13 and wherein the ridge vent is a rolled ridge vent.

15. The method of claim 13 and wherein the ridge vent is a panel-type ridge vent.