Author	[Modern View]
Stephen Newell 10-21-2012 05:49:40 66.53.82.196 Report to Moderator	Ted in NE-OH is correct. Close to the edge of the roof there is no heat from the attic keeping the roof warm. When water runs down the roof it builds up there and makes the damn. The ice damn can also cause water to back flow into your attic damaging your house. The only thing you can do is try to make the soffit more air tight insulate so the roof can build some warmth there. It may be necessary to close some of the vents in the attic in winter to retain the heat the house is generating. Another option is you could install heat tape along the roofs edge just above the eaves to help warm the roofs surface. I'm in Texas so ice isn't so much of an issue here. Any house I've ever worked on had absolutely no insulation in the area of the soffit. If this isn't insulated it would allow more cold air there to freeze the roof. [Reply]   [No Email]
MarkB_MI 10-21-2012 06:21:48 75.219.175.201 Report to Moderator	Re: aluminum gutters in reply to Stephen Newell, 10-21-2012 05:49:40   Stephen, I'm afraid you have it backwards. To prevent ice dams, you need a cold attic. If the roof temperature stays the same temperature from peak to eave, ice dams won't form. Ice dams form when the roof over the attic is above freezing, and the roof over the soffit is below freezing. This usually happens at night. Adding insulation to the soffit will do nothing to prevent dams, because there's no heat source to warm the roof. But adding insulation and ventilation to the attic will prevent snow from melting when the outside temperature is below freezing. I never heard of ice dams while living in the Texas panhandle. And down in SE Michigan we have it easy compared to folks in the Upper Peninsula. [Reply]  [No Email]
Stephen Newell 10-21-2012 18:38:37 66.53.82.220 Report to Moderator	Re: aluminum gutters in reply to MarkB_MI, 10-21-2012 06:21:48   Actually the point I was trying to make is to force the heat all the way out to the soffit area heating the roof there so the water will drain off the roof not making a damn in the first place. [Reply]  [No Email]