Reinsulated Attic But Still Getting Ice Dams

If you live in an area that experiences significant snowfall and consistently cold temperatures your home is a candidate for forming ice dams.

Reinsulated attic but still getting ice dams.

I don t know whether to call the insulation people and complain or not. My roof is barely 3 years old. Building codes require about 12 to 14 in. 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.

It is already suspicious to see no mouting screws on the sides. This usually occurs when the portion of your roof is warm enough to melt the snow. 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. Here is a case where the hot air vent from the heating system is located in the ceiling.

The melt water flows down to another part of the roof that is cooler and the water refreezes. 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. 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. Posted november 18 2019 by lewis insulation filed under attic ventilation.

When the snow melts they form ice dams. 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. 1 warm air rising to the peak of the attic. As you mentioned the lack of attic insulation is likely the main cause of your ice dams.

I thought this would eliminate my ice dam problem. We just had a blizzard with 3 of snow could this be a factor in my having an ice dam right now. And when you do add insulation be sure you don t place it in too close to the eave. This acts as a layer of insulation preventing heat loss therefore it makes it warmer in the.

Some part of your roof warms up enough to melt the snow. What causes ice dams. And with our unpredictable weather and temperatures we are at a high risk of getting ice dams. Here in minnesota we get quite the snow filled winter.

An ice dam is a build up of ice on the eaves of roofs that results from melting snow under a snow pack. Measure your attic insulation level while you re in the attic check the depth of your attic insulation. It can be a small hole of some kind. Ideally the attic is the primary cause of how to properly insulate an attic to prevent ice dams read more.

Those houses get ice even when it s in the low twenties because so much heat escapes into the attic they can get a 20 degree attic above freezing. This fall i had an insulation company come out and put insulation in my attic. Of fiberglass or cellulose fig. This happens when the temperature of the roof is above 32 degrees f and the edge of the roof maintains below freezing temperatures.