Reinsulated Attic But Still Getting Ice Dams

Some part of your roof warms up enough to melt the snow.

Reinsulated attic but still getting ice dams. As you mentioned the lack of attic insulation is likely the main cause of your ice dams. I don t know whether to call the insulation people and complain or not. Ice dams occur most often when we get heavy snow followed by below freezing temperatures but they can occur with just an inch or two of snow. It is already suspicious to see no mouting screws on the sides.

Newer houses that are well insulated or well insulated older ones only get ice when the outdoor temperature is close to freezing say 28 32 degrees. When the snow melts they form ice dams. You must leave space for outside air to flow through the soffit vents up between the rafters and out the ridge or gable end vents. It can be a small hole of some kind.

The melt water flows down to another part of the roof that is cooler and the water refreezes. We just had a blizzard with 3 of snow could this be a factor in my having an ice dam right now. Here in minnesota we get quite the snow filled winter. This acts as a layer of insulation preventing heat loss therefore it makes it warmer in the.

2 cold air at the lower part of the roof warm air rises especially just above the eave where the temperature is about the same as outdoor air. My roof is barely 3 years old. Of fiberglass or cellulose fig. Attic insulation and air sealing are your ice dam solutions any time you see icicles dangling from gutters it is a sign of a potentially costly problem in a home.

This fall i had an insulation company come out and put insulation in my attic. Measure your attic insulation level while you re in the attic check the depth of your attic insulation. What causes ice dams. This usually occurs when the portion of your roof is warm enough to melt the snow.

An ice dam is a build up of ice on the eaves of roofs that results from melting snow under a snow pack. Ideally the attic is the primary cause of how to properly insulate an attic to prevent ice dams read more. If you live in an area that experiences significant snowfall and consistently cold temperatures your home is a candidate for forming ice dams. And when you do add insulation be sure you don t place it in too close to the eave.

1 warm air rising to the peak of the attic. Building codes require about 12 to 14 in. This happens when the temperature of the roof is above 32 degrees f and the edge of the roof maintains below freezing temperatures. 3 heavy snow coverage of the roof.

I thought this would eliminate my ice dam problem. Heat leaking from the living space into the attic the most common cause of ice dams despite proper insulation is a heat leak from the living space. Here is a case where the hot air vent from the heating system is located in the ceiling. By stopping air leakage to mitigate ice dams you ll save energy and reduce both your heating and your air conditioning bills.