Sencon

Icicles May Be a Sign of Heat Loss

With winter weather in full swing and recent snows hitting the Hampton Roads area, a site many people don’t often get to see in the region was the appearance of icicles from the roofs of homes. And while the icy daggers are pretty as they drip and reflect sunlight like decorative lights at Christmas, they could be indicative of something of great concern to homeowners—heat loss in their attics!

In Ontario, Canada, where snow is a part of the landscape for the entire length of the winter, experts recently debated the cause for excessive icicles appearing on homes. The primary culprit was believed to be heat loss from the living area to the attic of each home.

While sun heating shingles will also cause the melting, if your home was recently adorned with more icicles than some of your neighbors, you could very well have heat escaping into your attic—heat that you are paying for but that is doing you no good.

The three most likely sources of heat escaping into an attic come from:

• a lack of insulation
• air leaks from unsealed holes, seams and even escaping around outlets, and
• leaky ducts.

Homeowners should take the time to inspect their attic for adequate insulation, which should be installed to an R-value of 38. You can also look for leaks by looking under insulation and checking along seems in the ceiling or around vents. Leaking air will transport dirt, making the areas around leaks visibly streaked with dust and dirt.

Another likely culprit for leaks are around light switches and outlets, particularly around those on interior walls, which most likely do not have insulation inside of them. To limit air transfer around outlets and switches, install draft blocking foam sheets that fit behind the plates. They are easy to install, inexpensive and effective at blocking drafts, making them a must for every home.

As for leaky ducts, these are best tested by a professional using a duct blaster. Professionals can determine if in fact your duct work is leaking and then go about sealing leaks and vents. In fact, professional service companies such as SENCON, can best pinpoint exactly where leaks are occurring, as well as the adequacy of insulation. They can then suggest the best solution to deal with each problem area so that you don’t waste time making unnecessary repairs or modifications to your home.