Ridge ventilator door

Abstract

A ridge ventilating device that allows for the passive ventilation of agricultural buildings and the like, and which device resists the affects of snow or ice and allows for regulation of the flow of air from the building. Pairs of hinged door panels which operate by opening and closing coincidentally with each other, thereby covering and uncovering an elongate ridge passage cut into the ridge or peak of the roof structure. The doors are hingedly attached along the outside edges of the passage so that they open away from each other and create an unobstructed opening in the roof for the air to exhaust through. Each door is pivotally attached to a connecting link which connecting links are in turn connected at a common pivot point to the shaft of a dual-acting air cylinder. The air cylinder thus provides the motion for opening and closing the doors. The air cylinder is attached to a mounting plate, the mounting plate providing for securing of the air cylinder and the connecting apparatus to the interior roof structure of the building. The air cylinder is pivotally attached to the mounting plate so that each door can be opened independently of the other in the event that one of the doors becomes frozen shut due to the affects of snow or ice. The connecting links herein include a stopping edge for preventing the over-extension of the piston shaft in the event that one door is opened independently of the other thereby providing for the continued application of opening force to the closed door.