Ice Dams + Attic Insulation

Last winter we had a series of snow storms where I live in the northeast, in Wilmington, MA. The snow piled up on the roof each day, as I tried to remove most of it with a roof rake/shovel, although some snow remained higher up on the roof. The storms were followed by several days of fluctuating temperatures above and below freezing.

This temperature fluctuation caused the roof snow higher up to melt during the day but then freeze along the roof edge at night. This ice then backed up under the shingles to form an ice dam. The ice traveled under the shingles, melted and then dripped down and stained the ceilings below.

I tried to fix the problem by chipping the ice with hammer and chisel, as I stood on a ladder. Although this helped with the immediate problem, more ice dams formed with successive snow storms.

Looking for a solution, I searched the internet for some answers and found some solutions that I hope will help this winter. All the solutions centered on preventing heat from the house below to melt the snow on the roof above. Thus, if there is no melting snow there will be no ice dams.

The solutions included putting in air vents along the eves to increase air circulation under the roof and keep it cold. In addition, I added more insulation in the attic so less heat would escape from the house below and not heat the roof above. To prevent the insulation from blocking air circulation coming from the eve or soffit vents, I installed Styrofoam baffles between the rafters. I also repaired the roof gable vents with new screening and installed an automatic fan over the gable opening. The fan is thermostatically controlled and set to keep the attic cool by pulling in air from the eves, up to the roof ridge and then out the gable vents. Lastly, I bought a 4x8 sheet of insulated Styrofoam to fit over the pull down stairs leading to the attic. This helps with heat loss through the stairs opening. I also taped the edges of the Styrofoam with box tape since it shreds and makes a mess.

The following links below will give you more information about ice dams or installing insulation as well as some photos of my installation project ……..

Ice Dams
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/DK1068.html

Attic Insulation
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,212235,00.html

Project Photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/IceDams11108?authkey=6mjRDHVzRJk

Comments are always welcome. Have you had similar roof problems. Send me an email at markryan82@comcast.net.

Elliptical Machine - Exercise Program

Keeping healthy is a life-long activity which involves proper diet and exercise. Since I have already described my low calorie diet in a previous blog, I will spend more time in this blog describing my exercise program.

The exercise program that I follow involves a daily 60 minute walk and a 30 minute indoor exercise workout. I use a pedometer to track my walking and shoot for 10,000 steps per day (5 miles). The indoor workout program, which I have nicknamed SEAR, involves a combination of starter stretches (S), elliptical machine (E), ab lounge (A), and power rider (R). I spend about 5 minutes on each of these parts for a total of 30 minutes. You can see photos of my fitness equipment at the link …………..
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/ExcEqpt12608?authkey=2NisB8whw28

I start off slow with some stretches that limber up all the tight muscles (calves, ham string, quadriceps, groin, lower back and abs. It is important to stretch these muscles gradually and strengthen them before any physical exercise, in order to reduce possible stress injuries. You can see some online videos describing these stretches at the link below …..
The first video shows how to do five of the stretches and the second video shows the ab stretches. (Because the video info is free, you will see a 30 second commercial first from the sponsor.) …….
http://video.about.com/exercise/LOWER-BODY-STRETCHES-mov.htm

Although I have had some fitness equipment for several years, I recently purchased an elliptical machine to increase my cardio vascular exercise. I first did a search online to find various brands of ellipticals and found the list at Walmart.com to be most helpful and also within my price range. You can see the list of elliptical machines offered by Walmart at the link below ……
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=elliptical&search_constraint=0&tab_value=19_All&ic=48_0&ref=&search_sort=4&selected_items=+ The prices listed at Walmart are $100 to $200 less then the same machines listed elsewhere.

Before buying the elliptical machine I compared it to a treadmill and found that the elliptical has less impact stress to the feet, legs and hip joints than the treadmill. The elliptical also burns more calories in half the time than the treadmill. You can see some comparison info at the link below …….
http://exercise.about.com/cs/exercisegear/a/treadelliptical.htm

I finally decided to buy the elliptical machine from Walmart and went to the Salem, NH store to look. After looking at several models I picked the Weslo Momentum 620 which lists online at Walmart.com for $194.00 and at Weslo.com for $259.00. To my surprise, the one at the Walmart store must have been on sale, since it was priced for $99.00.

After bringing it home, I decided to assemble it myself, although Walmart offers an in-home assembly for $199.00. The box weighs about 160 pounds and I carried it to the basement. I opened the box and laid everything out on the floor in neat order. I then read the direction booklet and began the assembly process. With a few mistakes, it took about 2 hours to assemble. You can see the assembly photos at the link ……
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/EllipticalMachine12608


The Weslo 620 elliptical machine has a digital LCD panel where you can select two workout programs lasting 20 and 30 minutes respectively.. The panel also reads your elapsed time, calories, and heart rate. You can also adjust the resistance for a harder workout program. After a few minutes you can feel the stress on your leg muscles. I try to do my workout just after breakfast at about 7:30 AM. After a week of using the elliptical machine I have increased my time and found it to be a little easier. However, your heart rate certainly goes up quickly strengthening your cardio vascular system .