Insulate with Wood Fiber Boards to Prevent Dreaded Ice Dams

Wood fiber insulation boards do many things well. One of them, it turns out, is helping to protect roofs on old, Cape-style homes from ice dams. The often shoddy building envelopes in these charming old houses allow warm air to reach the roof sheathing, where it initiates the winter cycle of thawing and refreezing that causes ice dams. A story in the year-end edition of Fine Homebuilding tells the story of a roof replacement on an old cape in Vermont. By using a continuous exterior layer of wood fiber boards imported from Europe, along with blown cellulose, a taped air barrier and improved passive ventilation, the construction team ensures that the new roof assembly can meet the harsh demands of a New England winter!