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Q - Why is good ventilation important?
A - In summer the sun can heat up the attic air to 120° plus, thereby heating up the rooms under that space. The cooler the attic, the easier it is to keep the house cool. Proper ventilation includes soffit vents, ventilation chutes and attic vents (see diagram). Enough of all three components are needed to ventilate the attic properly.
Most homes have enough ventilation chutes. These allow air to pass up into the attic between the insulation and the roof deck. More attic &/or soffit vents can be easily added and will keep the attic cooler. But having enough attic and soffit vents will accomplish almost nothing if the insect screen on the upper side of the soffit vents is plugged up with tree lint and dust!!! (If you have aluminum soffits, they don'thave screens, and if the aluminum was installed under old plywood soffits hopefully lots of holes were cut in the plywood first.) The dust in the soffit vents can be removed with a whisk broom or brush or have your contractor replace them. Then clean them as necessary.
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Q - What causes ice dams?
A - In winter if it's below freezing (say 20°) outside and above freezing in the attic (36°), the snow on the roof will melt, run down to the over hang (20°) and freeze. From there it builds up (ice dam) and further melting results in water pooling in back of the ice dam. A shingled roof is designed to shed water, not keep out pooled water. The resulting leak will appear near an outside wall.
Q - How can I eliminate ice dams?
A - The solution to ice problems is adequate ventilation. Adding attic vents and soffit vents will allow more air to flow through the attic, keeping the attic cold enough so snow does not melt on the roof until it is warm enough outside to melt all the way off the roof. We still use ice & water barrier as required by code, but our focus is to provide adequate ventilation, thereby eliminating the ice dam. On homes where improving ventilation is not possible, there are other techniques available to prevent leakage. |
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Dan Netko Exteriors · 25821 168th St., Big Lake, MN 55309 · 763-784-0227
Dan Netko Exteriors is a Minnesota Remodeling Contractor specializing in Roofing, Siding, Painting, Gutters, and Hail Damage Repair throughout Andover, Anoka, Apple Valley, Arden Hills, Birchwood, Blaine, Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Circle Pines, Columbia Heights, Coon Rapids, Crystal, Dayton, Eden Prairie, Edina, Elk River, Excelsior, Falcon Heights, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hassan, Hopkins, Lexington, Lino Lakes, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Mounds View, New Brighton, New Hope, North Oaks, Osseo, Otsego, Plymouth, Ramsey, Richfield, Robbinsdale, Rogers, Roseville, St Anthony, St Louis Park, St Paul, Shoreview, Spring Lake Park, Vadnais Heights, Wayzata, White Bear, and White Bear Lake |