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Janet LaSalle Posted: Jun 29, 2011 10:51 AM	Homeowner Concern over Ice Dam We had an ice dam this year at our house. We have a 1933 Sears Bungalw Kit home. The upstairs/attic is not yet a finished space, but will be in the future. Because of the ice dam and other issues we are currently getting a new roof and are looking into sprayfoam insulation for the upstairs/attic. My roofer says any new insulation needs to be baffled because he installed ridge vents. My sprayfoam guy is saying that we don't need baffling. And that eventhough the roofer put ridge vents in the foam will seal them up and that the baffling isn't needed. All I want is not to have an ice dam again! Help!! To baffle or not to baffle, this is the question.
angus mcdougald Posted: Jun 29, 2011 11:26 AM	Do not baffle.... your roofer doesn't understand the science imho
John Shockney Posted: Jun 29, 2011 01:43 PM	No baffels and install R-35 to 40 of spray foam Airpro
steven argus Posted: Jun 29, 2011 02:28 PM	No ventilation needed. 3 inches, minimum, of closed cell foam, will solve your problems. (and yes, open cell will work too. 6 inches min.) On the older homes, Make sure you foam down past the attic floor, down to the top plate. Or, if it is ballon framed, spray down to the 2nd floor ceiling. Alot of heat escapes out from under the attic floor and into the soffits, causing ice dams. Older homes are easy to fix because there probably wasn't any insulation there to begin with.

Author

Comments

Janet LaSalle

Posted: Jun 29, 2011 10:51 AM

Homeowner Concern over Ice Dam

We had an ice dam this year at our house. We have a 1933 Sears Bungalw Kit home. The upstairs/attic is not yet a finished space, but will be in the future. Because of the ice dam and other issues we are currently getting a new roof and are looking into sprayfoam insulation for the upstairs/attic. My roofer says any new insulation needs to be baffled because he installed ridge vents. My sprayfoam guy is saying that we don't need baffling. And that eventhough the roofer put ridge vents in the foam will seal them up and that the baffling isn't needed. All I want is not to have an ice dam again! Help!! To baffle or not to baffle, this is the question.

angus mcdougald

Posted: Jun 29, 2011 11:26 AM

Do not baffle.... your roofer doesn't understand the science
imho

John Shockney

Posted: Jun 29, 2011 01:43 PM

No baffels and install R-35 to 40 of spray foam

Airpro

steven argus

Posted: Jun 29, 2011 02:28 PM

No ventilation needed. 3 inches, minimum, of closed cell foam, will solve your problems. (and yes, open cell will work too. 6 inches min.) On the older homes, Make sure you foam down past the attic floor, down to the top plate. Or, if it is ballon framed, spray down to the 2nd floor ceiling. Alot of heat escapes out from under the attic floor and into the soffits, causing ice dams.

Older homes are easy to fix because there probably wasn't any insulation there to begin with.

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