Preventing Ice Dams in South Hadley, MA
Challenge
This homeowner was having an issue with ice damming on his ranch style home. He contacted us to help him find a solution. Our Building Science Expert discovered the attic of this home was not properly air sealed or insulated. Ice damming is caused when warm air from the conditioned space in the home leaks into the attic and melts the snow on the roof. The melted snow refreezes when it reaches the cold edges of the roof.
Solution
This attic was insulated with balsam wool insulation which is an inferior insulation that was used in the 1950s. The first thing our team did was remove all this old insulation. Then they got to work air sealing all gaps and penetrations from the electrical, heating and plumbing, as well as the top plates and end plates. Properly air sealing an attic is critical in the prevention of ice damming as this stops heated air from leaking into the attic, insulation does not stop air leaks. Next our team insulated using our blown-in TruSoft cellulose insulation to an R-value of 60. TruSoft cellulose is treated with borax which repels pests and it does not burn. The attic is now properly air sealed and insulated! This happy homeowner will no longer have to worry about ice dams and his home will be more energy efficient and comfortable year round.
