How to Add Rafter Vents to Fix Ice Dam Problems
Ice dams can easily form over an improperly ventilated attic and cause significant damage to the roof and the attic below. As is usually the case with problems of this nature, prevention is the most effective weapon against ice dams. Attic roof rafters play an important role in preventing ice dams, particularly in ways that can augment the insulation and ventilation around those rafters. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Rafter vents (also called insulation baffles)
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Instructions
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Install rafter vents in between the attic roof rafters. If the home does not have these devices installed, attic ventilation could easily contribute to ice damming. Rafter vents span the length between each attic roof vent and allow cool air to circulate and equalize the temperature between the attic and the air outside, thus helping prevent ice dams.
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Inspect the insulation between the roof rafters. Replace any that is damaged or ineffective. Poor insulation is a major contributor to ice damming, so at least once yearly inspect the insulation that goes between the attic roof rafters. Replace any that has become ineffective because of a water leak or some other cause.
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Clear soffit vents of debris or blockage that could diminish their ability to draw in cool air. It may seem counter-intuitive to use insulation to seal the attic and then allow cool air into the attic from the outside, but both of these steps combined can prevent ice damming, which keeps heated air from the home below from seeping into the attic and allows cool air into the attic. The key to preventing ice dams is to neutralize the temperature differential between the attic and the air outside.
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