1parkpointer
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Our house is a two-story log, with a gambrel style roof. The second floor roof walls are actually trusses, which give flat 2nd floor ceilings and vertical walls with no knee wall; and the second floor end walls are conventional 2x6 construction.
The 2nd floor roof wall has a soffit vent at its base, which runs the entire length on each side of the house. Proper Vent is attached in between each truss and starts just above the soffit then runs vertically up the roof to the (gambrel) pitch change and then continues on between the top roof trusses for another 5 to 6 feet. The roof has a ridge vent along its entire length.
We live in Central New Hampshire, so we experience cold and snowy winter seasons.
We moved into the house in the late fall and were not aware of an roof ice dam problem. The first winter proved that the second story bedrooms which are on the ends of the house were really colder. The following spring we had a heating contractor install additional insulated heating ducts to the second floor bedrooms that travel up from the basement into the attic and then to the rooms exiting in the ceilings of the rooms. The additional heat worked, but the increase in heated air collecting in the attic has proved hard to get rid of. We've added insulation to the second floor ceiling from R-19 to R-38, but the attic is still not as cool inside as the outside air temp during the winter months. In winter, the heating ducts and any heated air from the second floor that find its way into the attic, warms it and the snow melts. Usually the roof vent is covered with crusty snow from the heat that escapes, but more often, it is covered with snow and doesn't seem to be venting at all. Elsewhere on the roof, the melting snow (water) collects along the pitch change of the roof (where it is cooler), and a portion refreezes, some drips over the edge and refreezes, basically creating a dam effect along the top edge and then along the most vertical part of the gambrel sections in various layers of freezing and refreezing. Additional problems occur at (3) roof windows on the more vertical section of the roof. Each roof window also collects a portion of the dripping snow melt on the top edge flashing and then the water refreezes onto the roof window. After and during each snow storm the melting continues. I have to put up a ladder onto the roof wall portions, and gently break off the ice.
My problem is, basically after each storm, the ridge vent gets covered up with snow and stops functioning until enough snow melts to expose the shingled style ridge vent.
Can I add gable end vents to help ventilate the attic/roof and lower the inside temp? I need to stop the melting, ice dams, damage to the roof shingles, and roof windows. Someone please help!
The 2nd floor roof wall has a soffit vent at its base, which runs the entire length on each side of the house. Proper Vent is attached in between each truss and starts just above the soffit then runs vertically up the roof to the (gambrel) pitch change and then continues on between the top roof trusses for another 5 to 6 feet. The roof has a ridge vent along its entire length.
We live in Central New Hampshire, so we experience cold and snowy winter seasons.
We moved into the house in the late fall and were not aware of an roof ice dam problem. The first winter proved that the second story bedrooms which are on the ends of the house were really colder. The following spring we had a heating contractor install additional insulated heating ducts to the second floor bedrooms that travel up from the basement into the attic and then to the rooms exiting in the ceilings of the rooms. The additional heat worked, but the increase in heated air collecting in the attic has proved hard to get rid of. We've added insulation to the second floor ceiling from R-19 to R-38, but the attic is still not as cool inside as the outside air temp during the winter months. In winter, the heating ducts and any heated air from the second floor that find its way into the attic, warms it and the snow melts. Usually the roof vent is covered with crusty snow from the heat that escapes, but more often, it is covered with snow and doesn't seem to be venting at all. Elsewhere on the roof, the melting snow (water) collects along the pitch change of the roof (where it is cooler), and a portion refreezes, some drips over the edge and refreezes, basically creating a dam effect along the top edge and then along the most vertical part of the gambrel sections in various layers of freezing and refreezing. Additional problems occur at (3) roof windows on the more vertical section of the roof. Each roof window also collects a portion of the dripping snow melt on the top edge flashing and then the water refreezes onto the roof window. After and during each snow storm the melting continues. I have to put up a ladder onto the roof wall portions, and gently break off the ice.
My problem is, basically after each storm, the ridge vent gets covered up with snow and stops functioning until enough snow melts to expose the shingled style ridge vent.
Can I add gable end vents to help ventilate the attic/roof and lower the inside temp? I need to stop the melting, ice dams, damage to the roof shingles, and roof windows. Someone please help!