Insulated Attic But Still Getting Ice Dams

We typically use loose fiberglass insulation for attics in central oregon.

Insulated attic but still getting ice dams.

Cold air at the lower part of the roof. Hot air from inside your house rises into your. Warm air rising to the peak of the attic causing snow to melt and flow to the eave. If heat doesn t build up in your attic you probably won t have any ice dams.

Ice dams start off as snow. Before adding attic insulation it s critical to find and seal gaps that let air from your home into your attic and vice versa. It is recommended that if you have between 12 to 14 inches in your attic you should use cellulose and fibreglass. Measure your attic insulation level while you re in the attic check the depth of your attic insulation.

And have had ice dam problems in the past. Heavy snow coverage on the roof acting as a layer of insulation preventing heat loss. Ice dam prevention is best achieved in three ways. Temperature close to freezing.

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. Of fiberglass or cellulose fig. Lots of snow on the roof insulating the attic. 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.

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. Measure the insulation levels in your attic measure the attic depth while you are in it. One way to help prevent heat build up and therefore ice dams is to have a well insulated well ventilated attic. While some warm spots on the roof occur because of sunlight most are caused by heat escaping from the heated portions of the house.

Building codes require about 12 to 14 in. So there you go that s why well insulated houses still get icicles and ice dams sometimes. When the melted water at the eave refreezes it allows the water to backup thus causing ice dams. Add more if you have less than 8 in.

Any time you see icicles dangling from gutters it is a sign of a potentially costly problem in a home. But if you have less than 8 inches and you have experienced issues with ice dams before add more cellulose or fibreglass.