It's snowing - free energy audits...

[TradEddie]

I went out for a run early this morning and amused myself by comparing the snow melt on my neighbor's roofs. Around here there are farmhouses from the late 1700's to the latest McMansions, and whether new or old, those with poor insulation or airsealing are obvious. Attached is a picture of my own roof showing one of my problem areas. Last winter I worked hard on the knee wall beside the dormers, but I obviously missed a spot.

What does your roof show?

TE

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I have a couple spots down low on mine. I'm half convinced the air is coming up from within my walls. I'd love to get my walls foamed, but that's not in the budget right now.

 

[semipro]

I've actually been able to use this method to identify a few hard-to-find heat loss issues on our house's roof.
Some were in areas I could access and address. Others would require tearing out plaster veneer on cathedral ceilings so they're not being addressed....yet.

 

[woodgeek]

Nerd.

Actually, I've been checking mine out....I have a diffuse area of slow melting above my heat pump air handler in my attic, no surprise, but otherwise a nice coating of long-lasting snow. The neighbors with the same house had their house airsealed and insulated by some pros, so I use their roof (with no air handler in the attic) as a 'reference roof'.
They have more melting on their roof than I do.

 

[BoilerMan]

I wish I had a dime for every time I've told some passenger of mine on a frosty morning to look at all that heat loss from the melted frost. The 1.5 stories are always the worst with their knee walls. Most common old house up here is the tall narrow story and a half............

Even with moderate heat-loss a properly vented attic shouldn't melt any snow accept around the ridge vent.

TS

 

[BrotherBart]

For years I had a big spot that did it. New roof, ridge and soffit vents, sealed the old gable vents and stuffed that hole around the ductwork coming up from the basement and daily I go out and marvel at the even coating of ice and snow that has been on the whole roof for a week. And that the ridge vent on the house is clear and the one on the unheated garage is covered with ice and snow.

Score!

 

[TradEddie]

Update: I went up there this morning, urgh it's horrible, decades of dead bugs and mouse droppings. I couldn't find any obvious problem, but I repacked some roxul that I had put in an open bay, and tried to caulk and insulate more around a duct boot that's just under that spot, but the IR gun wasn't showing anything dramatic.

We'll see what happens now. It's snowing again.

TE

 

[Ashful]

What does it mean when snow won't stick to your roof?

 

[laynes69]

Nothing better than comparing roofs durin winter. Our neighbor, no matter how much snow, their roof remains clean and clear. I know the last people that rented there complained of high heating bills. My in-laws just built a home around 5 years ago, and they have 2 feet of blown in fiberglass in their attic. I can see where the snow is thicker on the overhangs, I suspect the attic is far from airsealed. Our mid 19th century Victorian shows zero melt. Everything I've done has paid off, that's for sure.

 

[brian89gp]

What does it mean when snow won't stick to your roof?

That for the sake of your mental fortitude you should keep your eyes averted to below the horizon.

 

[Ashful]

Actually, I was half kidding. Most of my roof seems to hold snow pretty well. I actually see the rafter lines appear on my 1994 addition roof, before I see full melt on the 1773 raised seam metal roof.