The formation of ice dams on the roof can spell disaster for any homeowner and is an issue that must be solved quickly.  Ice dams are the name referring to the buildup of ice on the eaves of the roof which can cause standing water to be caught on the shingles.

How do ice dams form?

An ice dam forms as heat from the home escapes through the roof and causes the snow that is on top of the roof to melt.  As the meltwater runs down the roof, it cools when it hits the parts of the roof that are not heated from the home, usually the eaves of the roof, and refreezes, causing the buildup of more and more ice until an ice dam has formed and has completely blocked the flow of melting water from the roof.

How to avoid ice dams?

When water is left standing on the roof, it has the potential to erode shingles and leak into the home, cause great amounts of water damage to both the roof of the home and possibly the interior of the home as well. But this damage can be avoided if the homeowner will take the appropriate steps in avoiding the buildup of ice dams.

1. Secure the attic insulation. Insulating the attic of the home will allow less heat to escape and thereby largely eliminate the staggered snowmelt that leads to ice dams.
2. Create ventilation. Both on the roof itself and from the attic through the roof at the corners, creating and installing ventilation will allow for the warm air to escape the sides of the home while allowing for cold air to run up the length of the roof to keep the snow cold and safe.
3. Cap any hatches on the roof. Ceiling fans, attic hatches and other such openings allow for warm air to escape in droves. Sealing or capping these openings effectively will greatly reduce the amount of melt-water that has the potential to form an ice dam.
4. Install snow brackets. Snow clips will help to retain the snow on the roof and will discourage the formation of ice dams by holding snow in place and allowing for an even and natural melt.

The first goal I had when establishing TRA was to prevent injury and needless death to people by creating snow guards that would not fail.  I wanted to be sure dangerous avalanches of snow and ice could be stopped by engineering each snow retention project.  That original objective of safe, dependable, complete systems has carried over to all products we manufacture – solar mounting products, flexible ventilation and snow retention.  Thank-you for your trust in us as we work with you to continue this paramount objective of safety and dependability.

I hope that we are doing a good job in our mission:

• To offer the highest quality snow retention, solar mounting systems, flexible roof flashing and ventilation products made from superior materials that provide the ultimate in protection, durability and dependability.
• We strive daily to provide customized service, exceptional engineering, superior manufacturing, and resourceful solutions for each customer, focusing on the unique requirements of each project.
• Our team is united, innovative and dedicated. Each employee pursues excellence in each company endeavor and realizes that maintaining the good reputation that took decades to establish depends on them.
• We are not content to simply be successful, but strive to set new and higher standards in all that we do.

As the owner of TRA Snow and Sun, I am responsible for the quality of our products, the service to our customers, and the care of our employees.  Each of these things is supremely important to me, but none are possible without YOU.  The customized service that we provide is dependent on YOU, our customer, working closely with us to engineer systems which are superior and dependable.  Each project is unique and we appreciate your efforts to make your individual project the best possible.

In this time of Thanksgiving, I thank YOU for the opportunity to provide the world with dependable roofing systems.  Thank YOU for your partnership and your trust in TRA Snow and Sun.

Please contact me at any time.  I welcome your suggestions and ideas.

Terry E. Anderson
President
800-606-8980

What?  Roof Systems and chimneys the SAME?  You’re thinking, “No way, Jose!”  Okay, before leaving this post, give me just a second to explain.

We at TRA Snow and Sun sell ventilated roof flashings and ridge risers which help with roof system ventilation.  No, we don’t want you to set them on fire thereby showing that roofs and chimneys are the same because of fire.

Chimneys are ventilation systems for the hot air and smoke produced in a fireplace.  Roof systems can also be ventilation  systems.  We’re not talking here about venting an attic, but venting UNDER the roofing product from eave to ridge.

In a chimney, hot air rises because it is less dense than the colder air outside the building.  This causes a draft from low to high and out the top of the chimney.

For more information on why venting roof system is an excellent idea, see our previous posts – Why Roof Ventilation is So Important, Vent a Metal Roof? Absolutely, Why You Should Vent a Roof.

For both chimneys and roof ventilation, there are factors which affect the amount of draft produced.

• The distance from eave to ridge on a roof or from the fireplace to outside in a chimney
• The temperature outside compared to inside for a chimney and from the eave to the ridge on a roof.
• Obstructions between eave and ridge. Design such as valleys, dormers, skylights, etc., will inhibit the venting of a roof system.
• On the roof, the lower the slope the harder it is for a draft to form, therefore the duct size or opening below the roofing product must be greater on lower slopes.

Venting a roof system in a cold climate will help stop ice damming and in a warm climate will cool the house by helping prevent radiant heat from the sun getting trapped by the roofing product.

Talk to the experts at TRA Snow and Sun about venting your roof!

TRA Snow and Sun has redesigned TileVent to meet higher tile roof ventilation needs on Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouses. Natural resources are conserved when tile roof ventilation is installed.

TRA Snow and Sun of American Fork, Utah, recently created a new

TileVent to be used on meetinghouses for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) with tile roofs. The new TileVent is wider with more ventilation holes than the regular TRA TileVent.

TileVent is a lightweight, corrugated aluminum or copper product used to flash the ridge or hip of a tile roof while, at the same time, allowing air flow from the lower part of the roof to vent up and out through the ridge.

Why is air flow from the eave to the ridge important?

TRA President, Terry Anderson, explains, “If you have ever worked in an attic space on a hot summer day you know how stifling and miserable it can be up there. Obviously roofs and exterior surfaces get hot from the sun during daytime hours and that radiant heat enters the building, in turn heating the air molecules which then naturally travel upward. By venting the roof system, the warm air is sucked out the ridge as cool air enters at the eave. The escaped hot air is replaced by cooler air, thus keeping interior temperatures lower.” In other words, venting promotes a constant temperature from eave to roof ridge, reducing ice dams in winter months while providing energy efficiency and reducing costs all year. Condensation issues are also prevented.

A side benefit is that limited natural resources are conserved because buildings that are vented this way use less energy for cooling. According to a study done by Oakridge National Laboratory, “Venting caused a significant 50% reduction in the heat penetrating the conditioned space compared to the direct-nailed asphalt shingle roof that is in direct contact with the roof deck.*”

TRA Snow and Sun’s regular TileVent, available in 25 foot rolls in widths from 9.5″ – 15.75″, conforms to the surface of the roof at hip or ridge and can stretch up to 30%. It is ICC approved for fire, rain, and dust. Standard installation calls for one roll of TileVent to be placed over the ridge and then adhered down on each side of the ridge on top of the roofing product. A butyl adhesive strip prevents driving snow or rain from entering the roof and allows for 10.3 square inches of net free airflow per running foot of roof.

Most LDS Church meetinghouses have a longer eave to ridge span than the average tile roof building. Creating airflow from eave to ridge over a long length of roof requires much greater exhaust per running foot, hence the new LDS designs which are 11″, 13″, and 17.75″ wide. The 17.75″ wide vent is applied the standard way (one piece running down the ridgeline) but the 11′ and 13″ vent products are applied on both sides of the ridge, rather than one strip wrapping the ridge. All three designs allow for a lot more air flow than the standard – 17.8 square inches of air flow per lineal foot for the 11” wide material, 22 square inches of air flow per lineal foot for the 13” wide material. The 17.75″ wide TileVent used on the LDS church provides more ventilation holes than the standard tile vent which provides 16.2 square inches of air flow per lineal foot.

TRA Snow and Sun, Inc encourages customers to contact them about special products like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did. Oftentimes new products like this one become available for all other customers.

*William A. Miller, Ph.D. Buildings Technology Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Study Cited: Steep-slope Assembly Testing of Clay and Concrete Tile with and without Cool Pigmented Colors – October 2005

TRA Snow and Sun, Inc., located in American Fork, Utah, offers Roof Snow Retention Devices, Solar Mounting Systems and Roof Ventilation and Flashing Solutions. They are dedicated to improving roofing systems with energy efficiency. Supplying to all types of customers, from the individual homeowners to the big developers. Their engineered designs are always free for all types of systems. For more information call Devin Hancock at TRA Snow and Sun at 800-606-8980, devin(at)trasnowandsun(dot)com, or visit https://trasnowandsun.com/product-category/ventilation-flashing/.

Just because your house does not include built-in roof ventilation does not mean that it is not important. Initially it may seem like an additional and unnecessary stress, but once installed it can make a huge difference in the lifespan of your attic and roof structure. Eventually, these installations will save you hundreds of dollars in repair costs.

The benefits

The ventilation process is beneficial in the extreme weather months throughout the year. During the summer the ventilation helps keep the temperature down in the attic, preventing moisture from collecting and deteriorating shingles. These lower temperatures then affect the rest of the home as well, keeping energy and air conditioning costs down.

Once it begins to get cold outside, the ventilation is still able to maintain a dry environment for the attic and reduce the moisture inside. Typically, water would build up under the shingles, the insulation would become damaged, and the roof structure would rot.

Ice dams

In addition, without roof ventilation your home may begin to produce ice dams on your roof. In areas of extreme cold, roofs need special protection from the ice and snowfall in order to prevent it from building up and blocking the natural flow of melted water off of the roof. If not installed these ice dams often start leaks inside homes which then results in drywall damage.

Save yourself more money and more headaches by installing roof ventilation today. You will be grateful in both the usually hot summer months and freezing winter months.

photo credit: gcraig3si via photopin cc