Ice dams on the roof plague many houses during winter. An ice dam triggers damaging water leakage into the attic and even down through the ceiling into living spaces below. Common sense might suggest that ice dams on the roof result solely from severe cold. Actually, they usually happen because of a partially warmed roof.
Snowfall covers your roof evenly but often doesn’t melt that way. Rising heat inside the attic warms the underside of the upper roof. Snow melts rapidly from that area and water runs down to the lower, colder area of the roof, then re-freezes. A growing ice dam forms, preventing snow melt from flowing into gutters. Pooling water penetrates shingles and sub-roofing and leaks into the attic. To avoid ice dams, the goal is to prevent uneven snow melt by reducing accumulated attic heat that warms the underside of the roof.
- First, check your attic insulation. Many houses are under-insulated by today’s standards. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends insulating attics in our climate zone to an R-value of 38 to 60. For fiberglass batt insulation, that’s a depth range of 12 to 18 inches; for cellulose loose-fill, 10 to 16 inches. To reach the total recommended depth, additional layers can be added atop existing insulation.
- Air leakage is another cause of accumulated attic heat. Use caulking to seal cracks or gaps in walls or the ceiling that leak warm air into the attic. Look for cracks between walls and at the joint between walls and ceiling. Check around recessed light fixtures for gaps and anywhere vents or plumbing pipes pass through the ceiling into the attic. Another common spot for air leakage is the attic access hatch or pull-down stairs. Use weatherstripping to seal the perimeter of these openings.
- Make sure the attic vents at the eaves and the peak of the roof are unobstructed to allow sufficient ventilation into and out of the attic space.
For professional expertise to prevent ice dams this winter, in Fort Wayne contact Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about preventing ice dams and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 260-376-2961.
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