I’m an owner builder so maybe this is nothing particularly peculiar, but it seemed wierd to me.
We had a snow storm here the other night w/ lots of wind. When I went inside today (we are building everything ourselves), there was snow all over the 2nd floor on the front side (the side facing into the wind).
Now we’ve seen several rains & snows since the house was closed in w/ nary a leak in sight. The only thing I can think is that the snow blew up through the soffit & into the house (soffit vent is not installed yet). Does that sound crazy or is that not to out of the ordinary for winter construction?
Would soffit vent have kept the snow out? It’s very fine & powdery.
Replies
That's probably what happened. We have two houses under way right now that are both out in the middle of a field. The wind pushed the snow right up under the eaves.
The ridge vent (about 20' up) was completely packed with snow, so I guess they'll have some good ventilation in the summer time.
Now that we've got soffit on them there doesn't seem to be a problem.
Mine's in the middle of a field too, so we get quite a bit of wind.
Did you vacuum up the snow or did you just let it evaporate on it's own?
Snow doesn't evaporate it melts
or it sublimates...
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
I know it melts first, but then it evaporates eventually...
Brian-around here snow is made from water and it melts- what planet are you from? But in the spirit of MLK day, Welcome!<!----><!----><!---->
Soultrain says "but then it evaporates eventually... " RoyW says "and the Ninth Ward dried out eventually"<!----><!---->
Exposed to sunlight the top layer of snow will sublimate. A small amount but it happens. Doubt it would in an attic though.
Thanks Roy - I was being a smartelick (sp)
Snow evaporates into vapor all the time up in the clouds, and approx 20% of snow on the ground evaporates without melting - the process is called sublimation. Even the snow that is made from water... :-)
Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
Snow and ice will evaporate.
In my mis-spent yut I was a charter pilot. Many times on climb out through a cloud deck we'd pick up ice, either clear (coating the wing) or rime (growing out like fuzz from the wing). When you got into clear air, at maybe 20 to 40 degrees below zero, above the cloud deck the ice would, "burn", evaporate off.
Never serious, but always right.
I thought he was talking about snow in the attic of a house. I think he is worried (or should be worried) about what accumulated snow will do to insulation and drywall in the ceiling- but I’ve been wrong before. There was an article or letter to the editor in JLC or FH, seems like in the last year about this exact problem- can’t remember the solution, but obliviously had to do with improper attic venting –it only snow here above 9,000 feet so I didn’t pay much attention to article. SNOW IN THE ATTIC IS A VERY BAD THING
Slow down, I agree with you, I was only pointing out ice or snow will evaporate under the right conditions.Never serious, but always right.
His house is only roughed in at this time (the way I read the post) and the snow blew through the soffit, over the wall and accumulated on the second floor deck (not the attic)When his baffling is installed, it should prevent that wind blown snow from reaching the attic.I have seen powdery wind blown snow work it's way through ridge vents, soffits and baffles, but in such small amounts that it can't really do any damage. And powdery snow does sublimate. It's not unusual at all. Almost everyone experiences this every day of the year in their own home or apartment. Sublimation is the principle that keeps our freezers frost free!John Svenson, builder, remodeler, NE Ohio
Sublimation is the principle that keeps our freezers frost free!
OK, John, the real old ones weren't so frost free, so this sublimation thing is one of them newfangled gadgets, eh?
Just kidding.
DG/Builder
I've seen that a dozen times
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Yep, as a child he would wake up in the morning with snow on the bed as he prepared to walk 5 miles uphill through the snow to get to school.
'Nemo me impune lacesset'No one will provoke me with impunity
"Yep, as a child he would wake up in the morning with snow on the bed as he prepared to walk 5 miles uphill through the snow to get to school."
For some reason, that story is always uphill both ways.