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The how to repair ice dams video we talk about is here
photo by ronnieb
Matt Anderson
Hey guys, good show. I'm glad that my dissertation was entertaining for you and I look forward to the possibility of joining you sometime.
I have a couple comments about the show. I don't think you mentioned roof rakes for dealing with ice dams. I have one and use it every year when it snows. We have an old house, that we've updated with insulation, but we still get ice dams.
The product that you discussed that was described as a metal/aluminum house wrap material. Be careful, if that's a vapor barrier I would be leery of it's use on the outside of an exterior wall in the Northeast, which is a heating climate (you want to keep warm air inside). It sounds like a good recipe for moisture condensation to develop in the wall cavities up here. The use of it on the outside wall of an exterior wall in Virginia is different because that's a cooling climate (you want to keep warm air outside).
Lastly, the most important energy efficient modification you can make to an old house is replacing the windows and doors. I know that some people are insistent about keeping old wood windows, but from an energy efficient stand point they are the biggest energy sink in an old house.
Matt.
Bruce Berg
I'm not a big fan of threesomes, but this was the best show I've ever listened to with three "talkers". Organized, entertaining, and informative. Heck, I don't even own a house and I couldn't stop listening.