Cape Cod, serious ice damming, roof leak


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Old 12-11-10, 06:21 PM
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Cape Cod, serious ice damming, roof leak

Hello, I am new here, and a new home owner.

We bought a 1954 cape cod, that has a small entryway area in the front with a roof like this : llll/\lll

That entire area is the side attic that we have access too, and it has floor boards covering the area.

the back of the house has two upstairs bedrooms, with a raised roof, and no access to the top attic.

The downstairs front bedroom has a water stain, and in the living room thats also in the front downstairs has a dropped ceilling... in the closet of the entry way there is access to see the ceiling and I noticed that there is a large hole up there. Outside in that corner of the entryway and the living room there are heating cables on the roof.

This winter on both sides of the entryway there has been a problem with icedamming. In the one bedroom there is water damage on the ceiling.

Checking out the attic, there are water stains right where the icicles are building up. There is insulation (R19, kraft paper faced) in the roof rafters, and on the exterior sides of the house. There is a small amount of insulation in the floor boards (batting).

Lots of moisture damage areas everywhere. The house is cold, and drafty especially upstairs. Theres lots of triangle gaps where there is no insulation in the roof rafters. There is a heating duct that runs through the floor of the attic into the bathroom upstairs. There in also a built in cabinet that extends into the attic on the one side, and a built in set of drawers on the other side.

There is not sufficient space between the insulation and the roof vents (I'm told).

I really don't know what I'm doing, and I have read so much my head hurts! I know that I need to air seal, but I don't really know what to use where, or anything. I had a contractor come today who said the only way to fix the ice damming would be with high density foam sprayed on the roof deck,and attic exterior walls. He also said he would need to get access to the other attics (that don't have a bad problem with icicles) and spray them too. He said he'd need to cut out a TON of dry wall to do this, or do it with a roof tear off. ummm....??? This is the only option? I don't care a TON about saving money with utilities, I just don't want this water damage. What do I do??? Can I get away with something else? I can't imagine what his estimate will be but we are SO broke with being a young couple, and first time homeowner.... whatever I can do myself I will do, along with some help when needed. I am just confused that nothing else can solve this icedamming situation besides the foam? Obviously it would be hard to seal up the knee wall due to the cabinet/drawers and heating vent... or is there something that will do the trick? I wouldn't mind having soemthing blown into the floor, and sealing up the knee wall, then taking out the batting on the roof deck to solve the ventilation issue..

My roof rafters are only 6in deep, the walls I think are 4 in. The floor may be 6-10in?
 
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Old 12-11-10, 08:56 PM
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Here some more things to think about to hurt your head even more. How old is the roof and what is it made of? Is it a simple 3 tab shingle or is it an architectural grade? Instead of trying to prevent the ice dam from forming which based on what you have said is quite a job, how about trying to prevent the water from getting in in the first place. There is a product called "Ice and Water Shield" It come in a three foot wide roll x 3/16" and is basically a peel and stick affair. When I used it, it was applied directly to the roof sheathing and when possible onto the fascia board below. It is like a giant condom for your roof.

That is why I asked about the age of the roof and the roofing material. If you have an inexpensive roof that is easily matched with new material you might want to try and rip off the bottom 2.5 feet on the side with the ice dam and apply this stuff. If it still leaks after you have put the Ice and Water Shield, then the leaks are coming from somewhere else, which is possible.

If the roof is going to be replace it the next few years, I suggest you put it around the bottom section of the whole roof.

Good luck
 
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Old 12-12-10, 12:39 PM
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It sounds like a good temporary fix... which is what I need to protect our structure. It definately is coming from the icedamming, I can see it exactly in the attic. Our roof is 10 years old. Its the regular type you described. However I am still interested in knowing if its possible to seal up our house without this high density foam. Is fiberglass as bad as he said it is?
 
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Old 12-12-10, 06:52 PM
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Anywhere the roof framing gets close to the heated room is a problem area. Air leaks through wiring, plumbing holes and just the closeness of the thermal envelope to the cold roof surface with leaking warm air will cause ice dams. Stop the leaks, ventilate the attic to degrade the warm air leak, and waterproof the edges of the roof structure, as mentioned already. BSD-135: Ice Dams — Building Science Information

Welcome To Home Energy Magazine Online

Fiberglass comes in many densities (weight per cubic foot of insulation), some lower densities get convective loops to degrade it both in attics and wall batts. http://infrared-energy.com/files/Spe...onProblems.pdf

The pink insulation is all low density- R-19, 30, etc., except the R-13 (medium density) or the R-15 (high density), but none will slow air leaks as cellulose will: There's more to insulation than R-value | New Life Journal | Find Articles at BNET

SPF is optimum with an optimum price. Try air sealing first and install a house wrap behind the knee wall insulation to prevent wind-washing: http://www.simplesavings.coop/simple...ee%20walls.pdf

How to Seal Attic Air Leaks | The Family Handyman

Gary
 
 

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