well, i think the previous owner has placed some sort of membrane up
there because we do not get any leaks, thank goodness. but it is hard
on the roof and unsightly. Plus, no gutter system will stay up because
the glacier will take it down.

I have no soffits.

I do have vents in the gable (4 total) which vent the kneewall area
both sides, north and south. I also have 2 vents at the top of the
attic area. But the previous owner had plugged all the cavities which
would allow air to flow through to the top.

I removed each of those little plugs of insulation but the insulation
goes right to the roof deck in most cases.


Dano wrote:
Your issue is a combination of insulation and venting. The ice dam is
caused by your attic air being warmer than the outside air in winter.
The warmer air melts the snow which runs toward your eaves which of
course are surrounded by outside air. The snow melt hits the colder
eave and freezes. In a short time this builds up and holds water back
behind it. As the typical shingled Minnesota roof is not designed to
hold water - the water leaks into the house.

Now, I don't know if you need more insulation or more venting - but the
goal is to keep the attic air the same temp as the outside air in the
winter.