How do I effectively ventilate a Cathedral roof. I have a severe Ice damming issue and have had water seepage. I thought to remove the ceiling and put in rafter vents and re insulate. Is there an easier way?
Answer:
Thank goodness there is. If the roof has a slope greater than 3/12, remove the ridge cap of shingles from gable to gable. If there is an L or T, remove the ridge shingles from the gable back to within a couple of feet of that ridge meeting the main roof. Now make sure there is an inch or a bit less of roof decking cut out on each side of each ridge so air can escape from the attic. The ridge vent, with baffles, is now installed to replace the shingles you just removed. This gives you the best form of upper attic ventilation you can get and, yes, it does breath through snow and ice and because the baffles are there, neither of these same elements nor rain should blow into the attic.
Courtesy of Ren Molnar, Construction Consultant at HomeFocus.com. I can also be reached at (613) 748-3003 and Home Focus phone-in is broadcast live 8 to 10 A.M. (central standard time) on Saturdays on www.cfra.com.
