WINTER--SNOW, ICE ISSUES

During the recent excessive snow as of late in New Hampshire, homeowners are experiencing many problems with snow, ice dams and water entering into the home interiors.  Many times I am asked the causes of these problems and what can we do to stop the problems.  During the last few days, I had had first hand experience with our staff clearing snow and ice from many homes.  It was interesting seeing the many problems.  I commend those homeowners who are taking prevention to stop further issues.  Water entering your home's interior causes many problems such as mold, mildew, drywall, wood rot, paint  and insulation failure are just a few

Here are a few things to consider as you tackle these issues.  House design, ventilation, flashing techniques, roofing membranes and insulation have a lot to do with your homes performance.  Some thoughts for your consideration in these areas.  The most important thing to do is clean off the excessive snow from your roof or other collection areas and seal any heat loss areas. Make sure your flashing is right.  I suggest you hire a professional as I have seen to many falls from ladders causing severe personal injuries.  My neighbor fell from his roof as he slipped on the roof and the ladder let go, lucky he suffered some severe bruises and not a broken back.

House Design
Many homes have not been built in the past with consideration of the House to be built with Building Science and with all the systems working together.  You can have a performance and energy audit to identify issues and make corrections.

Ventilation & Insulation
Your attic can be a problem area with these areas.  So many homes have inadequate insulation so interior heat loss gets to the attic causing ice dams in the winter and also letting summer heat flow down into the interior.  Adding insulation, air sealing penetration areas is a low cost investment which corrects the problems especially when done with ventilation.  So many homes are poorly ventilated, if at all.  Again these are 2 areas where the building science of a home is important.   This area is left to a professional to make suggestions.  Not only is it the house yet the environment, sun, wind, house location are all considerations.

Flashing & Roof Membranes
Use the right products.  Things like water pans around windows stop water infiltration, using at least 6 feet or more of ice and water shield under your shingles, making sure your shingles are designed for your roof pitch.  Remember shingles are designed to shed water not to seal out water.

As I said,  during the last few days of doing preventative measures for homeowners to stop damage from the excessive snow and ice dams the above issues were the major problems we encountered.