How To Avoid Ice Dams With A Vented Roof

Ice and water barrier is a type of self sealing underlayment that adheres to the roof decking and waterproofs it.

How to avoid ice dams with a vented roof. Run special ice dam prevention products adhesive ice and water barrier from 3 to 6 ft. Your article seams to point to insulation and venting being the most important. Up the roof from the edge the next time you reroof fig. Here are 4 ways to either prevent or deal with ice dams on your roof.

Preventing ice dams with electric heat cable. Another reason why you want to keep the insulation blankets away from the edges and interior walls of the roof in your attic is because it actually helps to keep them warmer which helps prevent ice dams from forming on the eaves of the roof. You do that by increasing ventilation adding insulation and sealing off every possible air leak that might warm the underside of the roof. Venting is a minor player in ice dam prevention but is necessary for heat and moisture management.

You may need to install an outdoor gfi grounded outlet if you don t have one. Improving ventilation and reducing heat sources against the inside roof surface are the best ways to prevent ice dams but if these methods aren t practical then it is possible to install electric heat cable along the edge of the roof line and gutters. Getting rid of ice dams for good is simple in principle. In most homes this means blocking all air leaks leading to the attic from the living space below increasing the thickness of insulation on the attic floor and installing a continuous soffit and ridge vent system.

That s when you have to call on secondary strategies and ice dam prevention products to prevent ice dam damage. Solving the root cause. The use of icynene on the attic floor to completely air seal is a good idea and should be the first step. These roof heating cables will help to prevent ice buildup along the roof edge.

Install gutter heaters gutter heaters are installed to melt ice as it moves close to the gutters. In hot climates the roof temperature will be much higher on an un vented roof resulting in shorter shingle life. The way to stop ice dams from forming is to keep the entire roof cold. Take immediate action to get rid of the water source clean the home environment and maintain its air quality.

We call this a hot roof design because failing to vent the roof from below not only misses a chance to avoid ice dam leaks and condensation damage in cold climates. And some sections of the roof may be impossible to keep cold. These can cause respiratory problems. One of the easiest long term solutions to prevent ice dams is to minimize the impact of the warm air that contributes to ice dam formation on your roof.

Air sealing first insulation second. One effective way to stop the warm air from escaping into the attic is to use a proper insulation on the attic floor.