How to Install Insulation to Prevent Gutter Icicles

Cold weather brings snow and ice to your roof. Gutter icicles form when the snow at the roof’s peak melts, sending water running down the roof’s slope to the gutter. It refreezes when the water reaches colder areas near the overhang. The resulting icicles may look beautiful, but the roof dam that forms under the remaining snow on the roof, and sometimes under the shingles, can cause damage to the roof deck, attic, ceiling and walls as the ice creeping beneath the shingles penetrates through the roof. To prevent gutter icicles and roof dams, properly insulate your attic so the roof deck remains too cold to melt the snow from underneath.

Work gloves
Long-sleeved shirt
Goggles
Dust mask
Polystyrene rafter air channels
Batt insulation
Utility knife
Staple gun
Unfaced insulation blankets
Rigid polystyrene insulation
Caulk, spray foam or weatherstripping
Ruler

Instructions

- 1
  Put on protective gear, including work gloves, a long-sleeved shirt, goggles and a dust mask.
- 2
  Install polystyrene rafter air channels between each rafter, according to the manufacturer’s directions. This allows cold air to flow between the insulation and the roof and prevents condensation from forming.
- 3
  Cut sheets of batt insulation with a utility knife to the proper length for installation between the roof rafters from the peak to the attic floor. Secure each sheet in place with a staple gun.
- 4
  Lay unfaced insulation blankets over any exposed air ducts to reduce heat gain in the attic.
- 5
  Wrap insulation blankets around your furnace if it’s located in the attic to reduce heat in the attic.
- 6
  Build a cover for the hatchway into the attic with rigid polystyrene insulation. Attach the cover to the hatchway with a staple gun.
- 7
  Build a cover for the hatchway into the attic with rigid polystyrene insulation. Attach the cover to the hatchway with a staple gun.
- 8
  Measure the existing amount of insulation you have on your attic floor with a ruler in inches. Multiply this number by 3.14 to derive its R-value, or level of insulation. The goal is to achieve an R-value of at least 49, so if you measure 8 inches of existing blanket insulation, you need another 7 or 8 inches to achieve R-49 insulation value.
- 9
  Lay batt insulation across the attic floor in the proper thickness to achieve R-49 insulation value. Stay away from the very edges of the roof; soffit vents located around the perimeter must remain uncovered for proper attic ventilation.

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