Roof Ice Prevention Services with Georgian Insulation

Ice build up on roofs can present a dangerous situation to the homeowner, visitors and those passing by. Not only is it unsafe, but it causes damage to the roof and eave-troughs. Melt-water from ice build up can cause interior water damage. Call us for a free quote to handle this situation at your home, cottage, or commercial building.

During the winter, snow accumulates on the roof. On many homes this snow starts to melt, resulting in ice dams and icicles. There are many causes for the snow to melt, the most common cause is heat loss from the house into the attic. Warm air passes through the ceiling and insulation into the attic space. The warm air raises the temperature inside the attic to above the freezing point. It rises to the peak where it causes the snow to start melting. The warm melt-water flows down the roof to the colder edges where it re-freezes, causing ice dams and icicles.

As this cycle continues, the ice can form massive ice dams and icicles. Eventually the ice becomes so thick that the melt-water has no place to go. It starts to creep under the shingles and finds it's way into the home below. Valleys and a complicated roof design can exagerate the problem, as more melt water is concentrated into a smaller area. The damage can become significant, wet insulation, wet drywall, water stains on ceilings and walls. In some cases there can be so much water entering the house that ceilings can collapse, hardwood floors can buckle and contents can be ruined. This water entry may show up in the room below the attic, or even two or three floors further down. It is not unusual to see water in the basement from ice dams.

The damage may be covered by your home insurance, and there are lots of great companies that specialize in restoring your home. However, the root cause of the problem has to be addressed to prevent this happening again next time it snows.

Other factors may contribute to the ice dam problem. Warm day time temperatures and cold night temperatures, incorrectly placed exhaust vents, other sources of heat such as a BBQ on a covered deck, soffit pot lights, open windows and the orientation of the building. There are many other potential causes. As stated heat loss is often the biggest culprit.

Your attic requires insulation and ventilation to function correctly. If either are inadequate, then eventually ice dams will occur. There should be approximately 15-20 inches of insulation in your attic, (depending on the type of insulation). There should also be adequate ventilation in the soffits and at the top of the attic. Air is drawn in from the soffits and exhausted through the roof vents, pulling warm air with it.

You may need additional insulation, and ventilation. Air sealing to the attic floor is also recommended. This involves removing the existing insulation, locating the points of air leakage and sealing those leaks with spray foam or caulking. A thermal Infra red scan can also be performed to help pin-point problem areas. 

 

We can help you solve these problems and provide advice on how to prevent this from happening again. Contact Us for a Free Quote - Call 1-866-576-9338 or go to our website www.georgianinsulation.com and fill out our form.

Get Ready for Winter - Inspect Your Roof & Get Advice on Insulation

In November it's time to get your house ready for the holidays and for the winter conditions ahead, snow, freezing rain, sleet, winter storms. Your roof protects your home against harsh weather conditions and it is essential that it's in good condition to keep your family comfortable and your energy costs low.

Roof winterization means not only a visual inspection of your roof surface, but also preparation of the areas around your house that might impact your roof in a winter storm. Ice build up on tree branches that come down during high winds can do a lot of damage to a roof. Remove any dead trees or tree branches that could fall on your home now before the weather makes this task more difficult.

Did you have a roof ice dam last winter? If you had an area of icicles hanging down from roof eaves then you should address the problem before you end up with water damage in your home and damage to your roof. Roof dams are often caused by inadequate ceiling insulation, or poor soffit and ridge ventilation. (Image: source Home Construction Improvement.com)

We can help you evaluate the condition that caused the ice dam. Thermal imaging can pin-point areas of heat loss. Insulation can be added to stop the flow of heat out of the weak area. It's not always the case that you need to add more insulation - you might need a different type of insulation, so it's important to have professional advice.

When inspecting your roof look for missing or damaged tiles/shingles, warped or missing flashing. Clean off any built up debris and clean out the gutters to keep melt water flowing. Check that your gutters are clear by running water through from the roof surface.

If you need roof repairs, contact a liscensed roofing contractor right away, and if your roof looks fine, remember it is a good idea to have a roof expert take a look at it every 2 or 3 years to confirm its condition.

As a homeowner getting ready for winter means more than turing off the exterior water, putting away the patio furniture, and firing up the snow-blower. Inspecting the overall condition of your roof and addressing any issues with your home insulation will help you fix problems causing snow and ice builds up. Don't wait until the damage is done. Ice dams not only cause roof damage but interior water damage resulting in the expense of replaced dry wall.

Georgian Insulation is based in Oro Medonte. We cover all regions around Barrie, Orillia, Collingwood, Bradford, Alliston, Midland, Gravenhust, Simcoe County, Muskoka, Haliburton, Dufferin, North York, Grey and Bruce.

Contact Us for a Free Quote - Call 1-866-576-9338 or go to our website www.georgianinsulation.com and fill out our form.

Recent CBC Marketplace Program About Spray Foam Insulation - Not Representative of the Industry

Recently CBC Marketplace aired a program about spray foam insulation.  You may have seen it - but I believe it was not well researched and was based upon just one incident in Canada by an untrained installer.
This is how they promoted their program: 

CBC Marketplace: Renovation Nightmare

"Canadians are installing spray foam insulation in their homes in ever-expanding numbers. It’s sold as energy-efficient, easy-to-apply solution, but when the job goes wrong, it can be a nightmare for homeowners. Tom Harrington takes you inside the walls and up into the attic to explore a home renovation horror story, a foul-smelling foam job that’s driven a family from its home."

Ed Brassington, President and owner of Georgian Insulation (www.georgianinsulation.com) covering Barrie and central Ontario, is a well respected and a longtime spray foam insulation expert and advocate.  Ed has responded to the CBC market place program - with the following detailed overview of where they went wrong. Spray foam insulation is safe - when it is properly installed by well trained, certified professionals.

So make sure you get credentials and references before you buy spray foam insulation services. The CBC Story Was About An Application Mistake And Should Not Have Been About Dangerous Spray Foam Insulation.

If spray foam is installed in applications that are too thick, usually depths that are greater than two inches, then the foam will not cure properly.  The foam cures from the outside - in, and as it cures it creates heat, this heat becomes trapped inside the foam (because foam is a great insulator). The resulting exothermic reaction distorts the cell structure resulting in soft, uncured foam.  This can result in odours. 

This issue on CBC Marketplace was simply because the installer installed the foam incorrectly, it was applied too thick - in one pass. It is crucial to allow the foam to cure between layers and this was the application mistake.

Canadian Spray Foam Has Higher Standards. Spray foam in Canada has to have a CCMC certification number.  This means that it has been tested and meets the criteria of the National research council of Canada ( NRC) .  The Canadian testing standards are among the highest in the world.  However, some unscrupulous installation companies are bringing in cheap  non certified foam from the USA and offshore.   Spray foam in the USA is literally half the price of spray foam in Canada, because it has not been tested to our high standards and may not meet the Canadian requirements.  

Not All Spray Foam Insulation is Bad. There are tens of thousands of buildings in Canada that have been successfully sprayed with remarkable results and extremely satisfied customers.  CBC had to go all the way to Florida to find another similar story - In my opinion that does not indicate a problem with spray foam insulation usage in Canada. It indicates a problem with one unscrupulous company that did not ensure it's applicators are properly trained.

Spray foam in Canada has to have a CCMC # from the National research council of Canada before it can legally be sprayed. The manufacturer and the installation company and the installer have to be certified through CUFCA or Morrison Herschfield or an equivalent quality control organization. It is through the efforts of these third party organizations that spray foam has gained the popularity and trust that it has.  All Reputable Companies are Certified and Trained to Install the Product Properly.  Somebody messed up in this CBC case, as with all industries and trades out there, somebody did not follow the product installation guidelines. It does not make all spray foam insulation bad.

How many buildings have failed because of poorly installed fiberglass insulation? Where is the news story on those buildings?  How many walls have rotted because of warm moist air passing through fiberglass insulation, condensing on the exterior surface and leading to rot and mold issues.  How many attics have mold because the fiberglass insulation is not able to properly stop the heat passing through into the attic space? The Installation Company Should Have Taken Responsibility The company installing this product should have stepped up and taken care of the issue, they obviously did not. CBC Marketplace should have allowed CUFCA or BASF to present information on the quality control programs that they have in place in order to present a true balanced story. Both CUFCA and BASF have insurance programs in place to help remedy situations like this, to the best of my knowledge neither organization has ever had to use this fund to take care of a problem.

Spray Foam Insulation is one of the Most Tested and Scrutinized Construction Products on the Market. Spray foam is not Urea Formaldehyde, it is not fiberglass. It is far superior and is in a class of it's own. I am proud to sell and install spray foam insulation every day, it is simply the best product to hit the construction industry in a hundred years.  I am disgusted by the companies that do not train their installers properly, and those that refuse to follow the guidelines and recommended protocol, and those companies that do not stand behind their work. Either do the job properly or get out of the business and leave it to those of us that truly care about improving the efficiency of buildings, and that care about our customers well being. 

Georgian Insulation is based in Oro Medonte. We cover all regions around Barrie, Orillia, Collingwood, Bradford, Alliston, Midland, Gravenhust, Simcoe County, Muskoka, Haliburton, Dufferin, North York, Grey and Bruce.

Contact Us for a Free Quote - Call 1-866-576-9338 or go to our website www.georgianinsulation.com and fill out our form.