Best Home Insulation & Ventilation Practices To Combat Ice Dams
Our team answers homeowner questions every weekend on WCCO 830 AM from 9:00 am-10:00 am. Have your most pressing home improvement quandaries addressed by calling or texting 651-461-9226. Here’s the must-know information our COO, Andy Lindus, shared on 1.1.22.
Understanding Home Ventilation, Insulation, & Air Leaks
Many times, when homeowners are experiencing inadequate insulation and ventilation they wrongly assume and blame their home’s entry doors and windows for drafts in their home. Quality home insulation contractors look at the overall residence to understand the building’s envelope. That’s because if the home’s attic is an issue and it’s leaking warm air, the home’s interior warm air is rising. The more air that leaves through a home’s attic, the more the home will try and equalize the pressure through its windows and doors, especially if they are already leaking air.
Ice Dam Formation & Using Insulation Installation To Combat It
An ice dam normally occurs when heat loss occurs in the interior of a home and is able to make its way up to the roof deck causing the snow to melt until it gets to a point on the roof deck where the heat is no longer present. When that happens, the water refreezes. Over time, it refreezes enough that the water becomes trapped and unable to exit the roof. The longer the water can sit, the greater the opportunity for a roof leak to occur. This can cause the need for insulation to be replaced and can create an environment for attic mold to form.
One of the architectural styles that’s prone to ice dam damage is story and a half homes. In story and half homes, the upper level has angled ceilings with knee walls. These features make it difficult to properly ventilate and install insulation because heat loss is common. To fully correct the situation, it’s best to remove all of the current insulation and add spray foam to the top of the roof deck and install a metal roof. This approach discourages the risk of ice dam formation because a thermal break is created, causing snow to exit the roof before it has a chance to melt. Heat cables should be used on a last resort basis because they are not a permanent ice dam solution.
Watch Spray Foam Insulation Being Installed By The Experts of Lindus Construction:
Air Sealing Is A Core Piece Of Attic Ventilation & Insulation Projects
A critical component of most home ventilation and insulation projects should be attic air sealing. In this process, spray foam insulation is installed in the attic on the rim, top plate, and perforations. The attic access is also sealed off to prevent air leakage. Out of all of the improvements you can make to your home, air sealing an attic offers a great return on investment in terms of energy savings.
Seamless Gutters Help Flow Water Away From Your Home Before It Can Refreeze
For homeowners with a metal roof, it’s important to select a gutter system that is sturdy enough to handle heavy snow and ice falling off the roof. While gutters aren’t the root cause of ice dams, they help excess water flow (after the snow melts) away from your home. Keep in mind ice dam build up occurs from melted snow that refreezes. Therefore, many homeowners select LeafGuard® Brand Gutters over open style gutters. LeafGuard® Brand Gutters are one-piece, seamless, and guaranteed never to clog or we’ll offer you a complimentary cleaning. Not only can open style gutters be ripped off a home from ice and snow, but the soffits can as well. Even more frustrating is that not all insurance companies will cover this type of damage.
