Hello,
I have a low-slope (2/12) shed roof over a single-story addition on the back of my 2-story house. The builder was forced to keep the slope low because of the 2nd floor windows. At the low end, the roof drains into a gutter. There is no soffit for ventilation. At the high end, the roof meets a wall. There is absolutely no ventilation in the roof. To make problems worse, there is no insulation in the ceiling/roof. In the winters, with 6+ inches of snow on the roof (I live in NY), the heat from the room escapes through the roof and causes an ice dam.
For the last two winters, I have been using a roof rake to remove snow from this roof to prevent ice dams. How can I permanently fix this problem.
I am planning to add insulation above the ceiling sheetrock. (I will have to do this from within the room by removing the sheetrock.) But I doubt that this will fix the problem alone. Should I vent the shed roof?
I am replacing the shingles over the entire house. I plan to install inhaler vents (http://everflovent.com/inhaler.htm) and ridge vents (http://www.airvent.com/homeowner/products/ridgeVents-shingleVent.shtml) on the main roof which has about 6/12 slope. Currently there are just gable vents in the main attic. I will close off the gable vents. I was thinking of putting inhaler vents and flash filter vents (http://www.airvent.com/homeowner/products/ridgeVents-specialtyFilter.shtml) on the shed roof. But these are not recommended for slopes less than 3/12. What are my options for the shed roof?
Thanks in advance for your help,
atulc
I have a low-slope (2/12) shed roof over a single-story addition on the back of my 2-story house. The builder was forced to keep the slope low because of the 2nd floor windows. At the low end, the roof drains into a gutter. There is no soffit for ventilation. At the high end, the roof meets a wall. There is absolutely no ventilation in the roof. To make problems worse, there is no insulation in the ceiling/roof. In the winters, with 6+ inches of snow on the roof (I live in NY), the heat from the room escapes through the roof and causes an ice dam.
For the last two winters, I have been using a roof rake to remove snow from this roof to prevent ice dams. How can I permanently fix this problem.
I am planning to add insulation above the ceiling sheetrock. (I will have to do this from within the room by removing the sheetrock.) But I doubt that this will fix the problem alone. Should I vent the shed roof?
I am replacing the shingles over the entire house. I plan to install inhaler vents (http://everflovent.com/inhaler.htm) and ridge vents (http://www.airvent.com/homeowner/products/ridgeVents-shingleVent.shtml) on the main roof which has about 6/12 slope. Currently there are just gable vents in the main attic. I will close off the gable vents. I was thinking of putting inhaler vents and flash filter vents (http://www.airvent.com/homeowner/products/ridgeVents-specialtyFilter.shtml) on the shed roof. But these are not recommended for slopes less than 3/12. What are my options for the shed roof?
Thanks in advance for your help,
atulc