Once the first snowfall hits your Westborough home, many owners have to call in professionals to repair water damaged drywall on ceilings or walls caused by ice dams on your home. A cause for the ice dams is from now that has been melted off the roof and then has frozen by you gutters that then form an icy ridge. Thus causing a traffic jam that then blocks the remaining melting snow from getting the proper drainage that is needed to get off the roof of your Westborough home. If this does happen, sometimes water can then become backed-up and then will end up find its way under your shingles, then leaks into your attic, and then may even eventually come and seep into further areas in your home. Making for a devastating problem that can occur to your ceilings and walls. However, to avoid this, you can follow these precautions to help ensure that this does not happen to you during the winter months.
Ice dams are caused by many different issues. The first issue could be caused by not having the right amount of insulation in your attic to help allow for airflow to circulate properly around your home including your roof. Thus making your roof warmer than it should be melting the snow on your roof. Improper ventilation will not allow for the proper air from the outside to drawn in from the eave vents on your house.
Another problem could be the kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans are being ventilated into your attic rather than being ventilated outside of your home. This will allow for conditioned air to go into your attic space allowing for the same situation as before.
Allowing for the proper insulation in your attic will not only keep your attic cooler but will also even help lower your energy bill. The reason for this is because your conditioned air will stay where it is supposed to be at. Be sure to also check to that your ceilings or attic floor has the proper vapor barrier installed. This vapor barrier can be a paper facing that is attached to the insulation. This is meant to help keep the moisture in your home from escaping into your attic causing damage to your home.
To allow for proper ventilation in your attic space could mean having a flow of fresh air coming in and out. When you proper vents installed in your soffits of your house or even peaks, you then create a natural draft that pulls cool air in and then released warmer air out the top. The most common thing that can obstruct this air flow is when the insulation covers up these soffit vents. The best way to fix this can be installing baffles that can then protect your soffit vents from being covered up by the insulation in your attic.
Allowing for the proper exhaust pipes from your kitchen or bathroom to leave your house is a must. These pipes need to be properly exhausted to the outside of your home and not to your attic space. Not only does this put conditioned air into your attic, but also moisture as well into your Westborough home.
