subject: Older Homes and Icicles [print this page] Older Homes and Icicles Older Homes and Icicles
During the winter you almost never see an older home that does not have huge icicles. These icicles can be very, very dangerous. They could even kill you. But why do these houses have such massive icicles? There are two main reasons why icicles form:1. What you see on older homes are wooden soffit and facia. The facia is the board that supports and attaches to the gutters or eavestroughs and the soffit is the boards that are horizontal to the ground. Rarely do older homes have vents in the soffits to allow ventilation into the attic area. 2. When these homes were built, insulation was not what it is today; in fact it probably consisted of horse hair and newspapers and had almost no R factor. With virtually no insulation, heat will rise, warming the boards, which in turn warms the shingles and melts the snow. The melted snow collects in the cold eavestroughs and creates icicles or ice dams. To stop icicles from forming, start by replacing the wooden soffit and facia with aluminum and install vents in the soffits to allow air to rise into the attic. With proper venting on the roof, such as whirly birds, roof vents, or ridge vents, hot or damp air can exit the attic cavity. Proper installation of insulation is critical in reducing the hot air that gets up to the shingles and creates melting snow. Up until about 10 years or so ago, pink fibreglass batts were the modern installation choice. Unfortunately, the batts were never air tight and allowed hot air to rise between them, creating many icicles much like in older homes. To prevent this, these days, approved blown in insulation is the answer. To prepare for this, ensure you have the proper number of Styrofoam Mor-vents placed between your roof trusses to allow air to rise up through the soffits and into the attic space. One Styrofoam Mor-vent is required every fourth roof truss and the weight of the blown in insulation will keep them in place to do their job. With proper ventilation and insulation, the temperature of the air in the attic, should be the same as the air temperature outside. When we bought our home, we increased the R factor to R32 to R50. The installer said that in Barrie, Ontario, anything more than R50 is a waste of money. When he completed the job, a certificate of installation was placed on the attic hatch, confirming the R50 factor or approximately 17 inches of insulation, in the attic. So while many of us think of the attic as a place to store clothes, luggage and old family photos, from an energy perspective, a well ventilated and insulated attic keeps the house more comfortable in the summer and guards against moist, heated air building up in the winter.As a Barrie Ontario Realtor, I think it is mandatory that I have an understanding of home maintenance issues in my area of service. I use my knowledge and skills to help my clients make the wisest and most informed decisions before they buy and sometimes before they even get to the home inspection stage. By educating them on the pros and cons of a house during the showing I can save them time, money and hassle down the road.
