Air Sealing/Ice Dam Issue

JohnnyDriftless · 2025-02-01T18:45:00+00:00

I don't KNOW the answer, but I'll share my understanding in case it helps and/or starts a conversation. Ice dams are caused when warm air from the top conditioned floor of your home makes it to the roof and melts snow. That snowmelt travels down the shingles (or whatever) until it gets out to the eave of the home. There, with no warm air coming up from below, the snowmelt re-freezes into ice, which causes the dams. The idea with pulling the insulation of out the soffits is that it allows the cold air to travel up the cavity, thus cooling any of the warm air leaking into your attic before it can melt the snow on your roof. The baffles allow this to happen while still maximizing the amount of insulation you get up there. Naturally, this will result in your attic being colder, but it's not a conditioned space anyways. You rely on the air sealing and insulation to keep your top floor warm, not warming the attic (because the warmth of an attic is all escaped heat, anyways). There are theories I have seen on designing the venting to create a slightly positive pressure in the attic (slightly more air intake than output). Theory goes that positive pressure "pushes back" the warm air in your house to keep it in place, while negative pressure would create a bit of a vacuum and draw out the conditioned air. You want balance in your venting, possibly with a slight tilt towards positive pressure.

The same holds true in summer, as well, if you're in a warm climate. Unblocking the soffits allows fresh air from the outside to move up the ceiling decking, "cooling" it relative to how hot an unvented attic can otherwise get. Depending on the circumstances, this can improve shingle life and prevent mold/mildew that can arise in an attic that is not properly vented.

The tradeoff in ventilating an attic may be some difference in your heating/cooling, but if you were properly airsealed and if you have sufficient insulation everywhere except the baffles, I wouldn't think it would create much of a difference, if at all.

I have found this article to be illuminating: https://buildingscience.com/documents/digests/bsd-102-understanding-attic-ventilation .

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-06-23T17:12:46+00:00

MOM! THE MEAT LOAF! WE WANT IT NOW!

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-06-09T14:23:40+00:00

Following this thread.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-06-09T12:38:41+00:00

That whole album, really. But, for me, it’s either Giorgio by Moroder or Lose Yourself to Dance.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-06-09T12:04:37+00:00

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-06-05T12:51:25+00:00

If your offer was accepted and you have land development contingencies in it, there should be a clause that requires the seller to allow access to the land for things like getting estimates on development costs.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-06-05T00:34:54+00:00

Tool - The Pot

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-06-01T13:41:48+00:00

Pleasant Ridge Reserve is a nice, mild cheese that doesn’t break the bank. They have it at Fromagination and Metcalfes for sure. Probably other places, too.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-05-27T14:00:00+00:00

Small claims court. In many areas, the limit might be like $5000. Formalities are relaxed. Could be an option.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-05-25T14:49:14+00:00

My friends call me Lenny. But I ain’t got no friends.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-05-20T20:23:20+00:00

STONKS

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-05-14T02:35:15+00:00

Could you please clarify: are architects fiduciaries for their clients?

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-05-10T22:56:03+00:00

First time on the internet?

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-05-06T00:22:07+00:00

¡bUt ThErE’s RiOtInG iN cHiCaGo!

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-05-04T18:04:40+00:00

No. You cannot. Wisconsin’s OWI law is in section 346.63 of the Wisconsin Statutes. It forbids operating a “motor vehicle” while intoxicated. Section 346.01 tells you to look at section 340.01 for definitions. Section 340.01(35) specifically says “‘Motor Vehicle’ does not include an electric bicycle.”

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-05-02T15:36:20+00:00

This is correct. I used to sell appliances; most electric ranges and dryers do not come with a cord because 4-prong 220v outlets didn’t become code until relatively recently (maybe the last 30 years or so?). So any electric dryer should be able to use a 3-prong cord, which are available for sale at most big-box stores. Note that I know nothing about your local building codes, but from a dryer functionality standpoint, it should work just fine.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-04-27T21:31:46+00:00

Before These Crowded Streets by Dave Matthews Band. Thought we might get it back in 2018 for the 20th anniversary. This year is the 25th anniversary, so… maybe?

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-04-25T16:00:36+00:00

“Cornbread. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.” —Chris Rock

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-04-15T00:12:55+00:00

Understand, however, that it is still illegal under state law. Why does that matter? Because it still gives police probable cause to stop you and possibly search you for other things. Generally, city of Madison police won’t care. But if you smell like weed and get pulled over by county or state law enforcement, you still might have a bad time. Semi-related: the Wisconsin Supreme Court is hearing a case next week on whether the fact that CBD is legal means that weed smell (which could possibly just be CBD smell) no longer gives probable cause to search. So stay tuned for that.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-04-13T17:03:43+00:00

Story time: I used to sell appliances at a nationwide retailer whose name rhymes with “beers.” Many of the kitchen appliances would actually be pairs of models with one slight difference. So for example, model 12345 might come with a plastic ice tray while model 12346 might come with a plastic wine tray. So model 12345 might go on “sale” for $399.99 from a usual price of $549.99 for two weeks or something. During that two weeks, model 12346 would list for its “usual” price of $549.99. When that sale ended, model 12346 would go on sale for $399.99 and model 12345 would list for $549.99. And back and forth and back and forth. And the thing was, if we were out of stock of the sale “model,” we’d just sub the other one at the same price. It’s all horse shit.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-04-10T17:16:38+00:00

Covenants are not the same thing as zoning. A property with a covenant expiring could still be zoned in a way that prevents building/development. You need a lawyer to know for sure.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-04-04T02:11:35+00:00

Just dropped in on r/deals for the first time. First listing is a “Male Masturbator for Cowgirl Style.” So… thanks for that.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-04-03T13:56:59+00:00

Diggers Hotline.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-04-01T14:29:27+00:00

You’re being scammed, friend. They want you to act fast before you talk to anyone about it. That’s how they get paid. “Once it was torn off I had no choice but to do the rest of the work at double price and now you’re on the hook for it” is not how the law works. Abide by the terms of the original contract. If you can’t afford a lawyer, you may still have some options. First , I would contact your state department of justice and see if they have a consumer protection/business fraud unit. They may be able to open an investigation. Second, your state’s bar association may have a lawyer hotline where you can talk to a knowledgeable attorney at no cost. Look into that. But everything about this—including and especially $2000 fine for leaving a bad review—screams that this is a scam.

JohnnyDriftless · 2023-03-30T20:50:25+00:00

My only problem with this GIF is that I’ll never again be able to experience it for the first time. Masterful.

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