Insulated Attic But Still Getting Ice Dams

If you can t afford to add more insulation to your roof for example by installing rigid foam insulation on top of your existing roof sheathing followed by new roofing you may have to live with the occasional ice dam.

Insulated attic but still getting ice dams.

Add more if you have less than 8 in. While some warm spots on the roof occur because of sunlight most are caused by heat escaping from the heated portions of the house. If you have a problem with ice dams and see little or inconsistent insulation in your attic then attic insulation should top your priority list. If heat doesn t build up in your attic you probably won t have any ice dams.

Ice dam prevention is best achieved in three ways. Measure your attic insulation level while you re in the attic check the depth of your attic insulation. Temperature close to freezing. Hot air from inside your house rises into your.

Building codes require about 12 to 14 in. Heavy snow coverage on the roof acting as a layer of insulation preventing heat loss. Attic insulation ceiling insulation and air sealing can prevent warmth from escaping your home and causing ice dams which prevent drainage from your gutters. And have had ice dam problems in the past.

Measure the insulation levels in your attic measure the attic depth while you are in it. Cold air at the lower part of the roof. Of fiberglass or cellulose fig. Before adding attic insulation it s critical to find and seal gaps that let air from your home into your attic and vice versa.

Warm air rising to the peak of the attic causing snow to melt and flow to the eave. An ice dam forms when the roof over the attic gets warm enough to melt the underside of the layer of snow on the roof. Lots of snow on the roof insulating the attic. It is recommended that if you have between 12 to 14 inches in your attic you should use cellulose and fibreglass.

When the melted water at the eave refreezes it allows the water to backup thus causing ice dams. But if you have less than 8 inches and you have experienced issues with ice dams before add more cellulose or fibreglass. Any time you see icicles dangling from gutters it is a sign of a potentially costly problem in a home. The conditions have to be just right but it can happen.

The water trickles down between the layer of snow and the shingles until it reaches the eave of the roof which stays cold because it extends beyond the side of the house. So there you go that s why well insulated houses still get icicles and ice dams sometimes.