Hi everyone, I grew up in northern Wisconsin. We were always told that if you have icicles it means you do not have enough insulation in the attic. When the sun melts snow from the top the water runs off the top. If you have ice dams and icicles this means melt from the underside. This can only happen from heat coming up from the rooms below.
Certainly there are a few exceptions to this situation, but I suggest you find out how much insulation you have. We now live in st. Louis. Both here and up north they suggest an R30 or above for the attic. Dave A. Working together, sharing the light of salvation seen through the cross of Jesus Rev. Dave Andrus, Director Lutheran Blind Mission 888 215 2455 HTTP://WWW.BLINDMISSION.ORG -----Original Message----- From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of john schwery Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 4:14 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Fwd: Speaking of icicles!! Dan, here is an article from a Burgh paper. My wife is from the Burgh and gets articles like this. text of forwarded message follows: >Don't flip, homeowners, just let the water drip Friday, February 19, >2010 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette > >When water is dripping down your walls and pooling on the floor, you >don't want to hear someone say: "Do nothing." > >Yet, that's probably the best advice roofers and insurance agents have >for the thousands of homeowners affected this week by ice dams. > >If you are one of them, your best hope for relief is that temperatures >go up or down -- soon. > >"Every house has tons of icicles hanging from gutters. It's very >picturesque but it's bad news for homeowners and for us," said David >Thomas of Thomas & McMenamin, an Upper St. Clair insurance agency. > >Mr. Thomas, a part owner, has heard from nearly two dozen homeowners >complaining of interior leaking over the last two weeks. And he's >expecting a lot more. > >As long as temperatures stay around freezing, snow and ice will >continue to thaw and refreeze on the roof, where ice at the edge holds >back water behind it. That water works its way through the shingles -- >even climbing up a pitched roof -- and drips down inside the walls, >damaging wallboard, trim, insulation and sometimes flooring. > >So what can you do? Nothing, except catch or mop up the water you can >see and maybe poke a hole in the wall or ceiling to drain what you >can't see. > >Sam W. Gregg, 79, of Peters, said that about four days ago, he and his >wife noticed water dripping down a window in the dining room of their >50-year-old home. Then, the same thing happened in their living room >and two bedrooms. > >"Since it was a little warmer today, it's getting heavier," he said >Thursday. "I'm worried that it will get worse." > >The Greggs replace soaked towels on the windowsills every six hours or >so. They haven't filed a homeowners claim yet but figured they should >let Mr. Thomas know. > >Mr. Thomas said most water damage claims will be covered. And since >large insurance carriers have designated this a catastrophe loss, >homeowners' >rates generally won't be affected. > >However, that doesn't mean insurance companies will replace your roof, >or pay to make sure this doesn't happen again. For that, you'll have to >wait until the ice and snow are gone. > >Installing loops of heat tape -- electrical wire or tape that can be >plugged into an outlet -- will create gaps in the ice at the eaves to >allow water to run off. An even better solution is to have a roofer >install an ice and water shield beneath the bottom 3 or 4 feet of >shingles. This adhesive rubber membrane will prevent water trapped >behind an ice dam from getting through. > >But no one -- roofers included -- should be working up there now. Even >if you could safely work on an icy, pitched roof, removing snow or >chipping away ice won't help and might just make it worse. > >So for now, experts say, mop up, stay off the roof and pray that >temperatures drop into the 20s and stay there. As long as it's ice, it >can't drip into your house. > >Then hope temperatures gradually reach the 40s, and that ice in the >gutters finally melts. > >Read more: ><http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10050/1037001-258.stm#ixzz0fzU2Gv2f ><http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10050/1037001-258.stm#ixzz0fzU2Gv2f> >>http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10050/1037001-258.stm#ixzz0fzU2Gv2f ><http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10050/1037001-258.stm#ixzz0fzU2Gv2f> > > From Our Neck Of The World, our current weather > is: Silver Springs, Florida Clear, 42°F Wind:N-010° at 3mph Only a >fool tests the depth of the water with both feet. >Anna text of forwarded message ends: John Currently in Ocala, Florida Clear, 64°F Wind:SSW-200° at 6mph Lactomangulation: Manhandling the 'open here' spout on a milk container so badly that one has to resort to the 'illegal' side. Created by Weather Signature v1.31 http://www.weathersig.com <http://www.weathersig.com> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
