Powered Attic Fan Ice Dam

First snow or ice must accumulate on the roof and certain conditions must be in place to cause temperature extremes throughout the roof.

Powered attic fan ice dam.

Ice dams occur when high roof points are above 32 and lower roof points and outside air temps are below 32. Attic fans won t fix ice dams or anything else by reuben saltzman in attic fans energy on january 15 2013 icicles hanging over the edges of roofs might look pretty but once enough melted water gets trapped behind. If you push hot air out of your attic more hot air from inside your home will just rush in and take its place. A third component to ice dams is attic ventilation.

This causes the snow near the top will melt trickle down and create a dam. There are two factors that lead to the creation of an ice dam. Warm air rising to the peak of the attic causing snow to melt and flow to the eave. Only running the fan in the summer extended its life and it will cause more harm even to the fan motor itself in the colder months and it does not allow the fan to reduce moisture build up in the attic at all at these times and does not allow the fan to prevent ice dams during the winter.

The whole reason your attic is hot in the first place is that there are leaks or poor insulation between your attic and your living space. Attic ventilation is required by code but it s not an ice dam elixir. Solar powered attic fans help homeowners manage conditions that lead to ice dams. The two main driving factors behind ice dams are attic air leaks and insufficient insulation.

Although setting up fans in your attic will expel hot air they won t help you prevent ice dams. Heavy snow coverage on the roof acting as a layer of insulation preventing heat loss. When the melted water at the eave refreezes it allows the water to backup thus causing ice dams.