Prevent ice dams from forming on your Nashville roof this winter

11/12/2015 (Permalink)

Source - http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20557572_21099309,00.html

According to Familyhandyman.com, one-third of the heat loss in the average home is due to hot air rising through the ceiling into the attic. If you’ve ever had to go into an attic on a hot summer day, you know that the attic holds in hot air like a sauna. With the hot air compressed under the roof, it causes the roof to warm up and melt the layer of snow on top. Although the attic heat warms up the top of the roof, there is still that cold edge around the home that the heat doesn’t reach. This cold edge is where ice dams build up. The melted snow flows down the roof until it hits the ice dam where it freezes, building up an even bigger dam. The trick to keeping ice dams off of your roof and water damage out of your home this winter is by keeping your attic and roof cold enough to prevent mass melting of the snow. Here are some tricks to keep your roof cold.

·      Close up attic bypasses

Most of the heat that escapes to the attic is due to cracks near light fixtures, plumbing pipes, chimneys, or cracks in drywall. Stopping some of those leaks may be tough to reach, but plugging them up with caulk or foam can prevent the hot air from rising into the attic and heating the roof.

·      Measure your attic insulation level

Check the depth of the insulation covering your attic to make sure that they meet building code. If there is less than 8 inches, you most likely will need to add more insulation. Most building codes require 12-14 inches of fiberglass or cellulose.

·      Increase roof ventilation

Placing vents into your roof will help ventilate the warm air and allow some cool, outdoor air to seep in, keeping the attic at a reasonable temperature. Adding vents can be a tricky task, but if you have experienced ice dams during past winters, try to focus on the areas where they have built up previously.

All of these tasks can be done to prevent ice dams, but may take some experience to complete. Contact a professional to assist with helping you cool down your roof and prevent ice dams from forming this winter.