Why Does Snow Melt Faster On Some Roofs

Most of the houses in my neighborhood have this heat loss issue.

Why does snow melt faster on some roofs.

How the snow melts on your home s roof provides clues to attic insulation needs. Your attic should be the same temperature as the outdoors. If the snow on your roof is melting at an inconsistent rate to your neighbor s home you have some investigating to do. You want the snow to melt by.

Why is snow melting quickly on my roof. If not that would definately heat up the attic and melt the roof snow much faster than an neighbor with a furnace not in the. What is the purpose. I can imagine some of the heat from inside the furnace radiates out and melts your snow faster.

I saw that in some of the condo buildings where i live. Heat escaping an attic through the roof causes the heat plant boiler furnace or plug in portables to run double time. The snow can build up on your roof throughout the winter until there is 12 or more. In vacant homes with the heat turned low the snow doesn t melt much either.

It seems that when the snow melts why does the snow on the roof melt here. This represents moisture from snow melting closest to the shingles of the roof and merely leaking down. Ideally snow should melt according to the outside temperature not influenced by the temperature inside your home. It s normal for some melting around venting and fireplace exhausts but you shouldn t see any bare patches on your roof.

Lets unpack some of the information regarding snow guards. The purpose of snow guards is to hold accumulated snow on the roof until it can slowly melt. Snow disappears quickly from roofs above attics with little or no insulation but will stay a long time when. When your attic is hot it means your home is losing heat through the roof causing the snow to melt off your roof more quickly than if you had adequate insulation.

Another indication are the icicles on the gutters of a home following a very heavy snow fall. See pics the original stack was made of copper and only extended 6 inches off the roof. A snow covered roof means your attic is doing its job. If a home is due to have the insulation replaced after years of neglect then the snow will melt easily due to the heat rising.

It too kept snow on the roof longer than any other house around. Do you have insulation over all the ducts leading out of the furnace and down into the house that are exposed in the attic. Likely there is a cold room or cold draft somewhere below solved by a portable heater or. Sometimes lots of uniform snow on the roof isn t a good indicator of an efficient house though.

Lets say that you live in a area that receives 4 6 inches of snowfall regularly.