Had a home inspection the other day, there was about 12" of ice on one section of the roof. Inside the house in the attic there was insulation attached to the rafters of the roof, insulation touching the sheeting. I called it out as a concern. The seller’s realtor stated a ventilation contractor told him this was ok.
So I contacted an independent insulation contractor and explained the situation. I was told, they don’t feel ice damming is caused from insulation on the sheeting, rather from lack of insulation. I disagreed.
Asking for input.
The house is a 1935 1 1/2 story, attic on the side of the upstairs bedroom. In the section in question, there were no roof vents.
Thanks
You are correct
http://hes.lbl.gov/consumer/help-popup/content/~consumer~nrr~ice-dams
What Causes Ice Dams and Icicles?
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Anyone who has lived in a snowy climate has seen ice dams. Thick bands of ice form along the eaves of houses, causing millions of dollars of structural damage every year. Water-stained ceilings, dislodged roof shingles, sagging gutters, peeling paint, and damaged plaster—all are the familiar results of ice dams.
There are many ways to treat the symptoms, but proper air sealing, insulation, and attic venting are the best way to eliminate the problem.
Ice dams form along the roof’s edge, usually above the overhang. Here’s why. Heat and warm air leaking from the living space below melt the snow, which trickles down to the colder edge of the roof (above the eaves) and refreezes. Every inch of snow that accumulates on the roof insulates the roof deck a little more. This keeps more heat in the attic, which in turn makes the roof even warmer and melts more snow. Frigid outdoor temperatures ensure a fast and deep freeze at the eaves. The worst ice dams usually occur when a deep snow is followed by very cold weather.
The Havoc Ice Dams Wreak
Contrary to popular belief, gutters do not cause ice dams. However, gutters do help to concentrate ice and water in the very vulnerable area at the edge of the roof. As gutters fill with ice, they often bend and rip away from the house, bringing fascia, fasteners, and downspouts in tow.
Roofs leak on attic insulation. In the short term, wet insulation doesn’t work well. Over the long term, water-soaked insulation remains compressed, so that even after it dries, the R-value is not as high. The lower the R-values, the more heat lost. This sets up a vicious cycle: heat loss-ice dams-roof leaks-insulation damage-more heat loss! Cellulose insulation is particularly vulnerable to the hazards of wetting.
Water often leaks down inside the wall, where it wets wall insulation and causes it to sag, leaving uninsulated voids at the top of the wall. Again, energy dollars disappear, but more importantly, moisture gets trapped in the wall cavity between the exterior plywood sheathing and the interior vapor barrier. Soon you can smell the result. In time, the structural framing members may decay. Metal fasteners may corrode. Mold and mildew may form on the surface of the wall. Exterior and interior paint blisters and peels. As a result, people with allergies suffer.
Peeling paint deserves special attention here because it may be hard to recognize what’s causing it. Wall paint doesn’t usually blister or peel while the ice dams are visible. Paint peels long after the ice—and the roof leak itself—have disappeared. Water from the leak infiltrates wall cavities. It dampens building materials and raises the relative humidity inside the wall. The moisture within the wall cavity tries to escape (as either liquid or vapor) and wets the interior and exterior walls. As a result, the walls shed their skin of paint.
Solving the Problem
The way to stop ice dams from forming is to keep the entire roof cold. 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. Be sure that the air and insulation barrier you create is continuous.
Don’t waste time or money placing electric heat tape on the shingles above the edge of the roof. Electrically heated cable rarely, if ever, solves the problem. It takes a lot of electricity to prevent ice formation; and the heating must be done before it gets cold enough for ice dams to form, not afterwards. Over time, heat tape makes shingles brittle. It’s expensive to install, too, and water can leak through the cable fasteners. And often the cables create ice dams just above them.
The worst of all solutions is shoveling snow and chipping ice from the edge of the roof. People attack mounds of snow and roof ice with hammers, shovels, ice picks, homemade snow rakes, crowbars, and chain saws! The theory is obvious. No snow or ice, no leaking water. Unfortunately, this method threatens life, limb, and roof.
What Roy said. In addition, shingle manufacturers require a ventilated air space next to the sheathing for the warranty to remain in effect.
It would be nice if the world did not perceive Insulation as something that keeps things warm and stops freezing!
IT ONLY “SLOWS DOWN” THE PROCESS!
BTU/hr: “hr” is a measurement of time. When you add “R”, you lower the BTU in a given time. If things don’t change in that time, it will freeze anyway!
The roof has no heat source so when the BTU’s are lost, they are gone till the weather changes.
Adding insulation to a roof will increase density of the roof and keep it above freezing temps “longer” (but not forever) than an uninsulated roof. Is this worth the investment of adding insulation? No.
As for insulation “touching” the roof, if it is not in contact with the sheathing (in any application) is allows convection and negates the reason you put it in to start with.
I would agree with the contractor. I think he is discussing a “lack of insulation” at the attic floor. Heat loss and poor ventilstion are the culprits. Insulation at the rafters is not.
I would agree with the contractor. I think he is discussing a “lack of insulation” at the attic floor. Heat loss and poor ventilstion are the culprits. Insulation at the rafters is not.