Dec 312009
 

Heat escaping through the roof melts the snow unevenly, leaving a frozen ring around the outside perimeter roof eaves. The melting snow runoff continues to freeze at the bottom of the roof forming a dam that continually grows as more water freezes on top of the existing ice. Melt water from the roof builds up behind the ice dam and flows under shingles and into your house.

One popular method to stop leaks from ice dams is to point a box fan at the underside of the roof, from the attic near the leak. This will often times remove enough heat from the roof surface to instantly freeze the water leaking in. You may need to open an attic vent or find another way to supply cooler air to your addict if the previous method does not work.

You should keep an eye out for Ice Dams anytime you see icicles forming along the edge of your roof. This is a good indication your gutters are full of ice and ice dams are on the way. You can buy long handled aluminum rakes, some with wheels, to help reach up and remove the ice dams. It’s not recommended to salt your roof or attempt to remove ice dams by standing above them on the roof.

One clever solution is to fill panty hose with ice salt and lay them vertically acrossed the ice dams. This will eventually melt down through the ice and create a channel for the water to flow off the roof during it’s melting phases.

Great Clip from a News Crew in Maine about Ice Dams:
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Crazy Inflatable Ice Dam Removal and Prevention:
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The Hard Way: Guy Beats Crap Out of His Roof While Listening to NPR:
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Dec 292009
 

electric-pay-solarCan you really make money by selling power back to the utility company? Federal law allows independent power producers to connect to the utility grid and requires utilities to purchase excess electricity.

Generally these utility companies issue credits to homeowners who manage to turn their meter backwards, paying full retail price. Once per year any unused accumulated credits are paid out in the form of a check based on the wholesale or avoided cost for energy. This price is typically 2 to 3 cents per kilowatt.

Net metering refers to your overall usage from the utility company minus the amount of power you have generated. Nearly all standard utility meters can measure both the flow of energy in and out of a home’s system. If you’re considering the installation of a PV solar array you should contact your utility company and ask them to explain their policy on net metering and compensation for surplus power you may generate.

Dec 142009
 

roof-snowWinter is here and it’s time to think about your Roof Snow Removal. Just how important is shovelling off your roof after a snow storm? Here are a few statistics to help you decide when it’s time to drag out the ladder.

How much does snow weigh? A square foot of snow 1″ deep weights 1.25 pounds. So if you have 20 inches of snow, you’ve got a 25lbs/ sq ft snow load on your roof. Ice weights 5.2lbs per sq ft so be sure to factor this in.

Most roofs can withstand around 40lbs/sq ft of snow load, while some older roofs and manufactured homes start to show damage around 30lbs/sq ft.

What’s worse than your roof buckling under the weight of the snow? Falling off it while shovelling after slipping on the stuff. Be careful! Hire a contractor if you’d like to avoid the risks.

 Posted by at 4:11 am  Tagged with:
Dec 032009
 

color-change-roof-tileA team of MIT graduates called Thermeleon have invented a color changing roof tile that reacts to ambient heat temperatures.

The tiles turn white when it’s hot, black when it’s cold. This allows your roof to absorb heat in the winter and reflect heat in the summer.

This simple invention could save billions in energy costs annually.

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The white tiles reflect an estimated 80% of the suns rays, while the black tiles reflect around 30%.

The tiles use a commercial polymer combined with a water solution. When the temperature falls below a certain level the polymer stays dissolved and the black back of the tile is fully exposed. A simple and effective way to get and entire roof to flip between the most efficient colors.

Durability testing is now underway. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a version of thse come to market in the next 5 to 7 years.

 Posted by at 7:05 am  Tagged with: