Icicles from the Gutters with a new Roof
This past summer, we finally replaced the 22 year roof on our house. We knew this day would come when we bought the place six years ago,, but managed to delay until this year. It was a great job, with a complete replacement of the existing roof, and it included a GAF certified weatherproofing system. We also got a new set of gutters for both levels of the house.
So, I was a little surprised this year that we have some impressive icicles coming from our new gutters. I suppose there's no reason why I should be surprised. The typical way icicles form is that a warm attic heats up the roof, which melts that lowest layer of snow. The water flows down the slope and reaches the eaves and gutters. Of course, these are not insulated and thus the water re-freezes. As the winter drones on, especially if you have a day or two of warming in the middle of the season, the water -> slope -> refreeze trend continues and you end up with the ice hanging from the gutters. It's not too bad and hopefully much of it will be gone this weekend as we have a week or so of warming into the lower 40s. But the point is, a new roof has nothing to do with the icicles-- it's the attic.
So, the plan for 2011 will include a look at the attic. It should be well ventilated, since the roofing project included a ridge vent and the eave vents should be undamaged. But, we haven't looked up there for anything but the most preliminary look, and, we should do all we can to keep the attic cold in the winter. In fact, according to the government, they are looking for an R value of 49 here in the great white north (see http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/building_america/26450.pdf from the DOE for details).
Another thing I want to do this year is get the iRobot gutter cleaner. It's a great idea, especially if you are not a fan of heights. You place this bugger in the gutter channel, turn it on and it moves forward, sweeping the junk out of the gutters and ensuring a clean channel for the fall and spring. It's a time saver that I think will be worth every penny.
