# icicles on soffit vent



## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

You could have Ice dams, or ice backing up and melting into your interior soffit/ eaves, and possibly your lower attic. Get up in your attic and check it out with a good flash light. 
Check the insulation in your attic for proper thickness and no escaping heat. Also, check your baffles/rafter vents, your soffit vents (in your pic) as well as the function of any other the ventilation up there.

Link Info: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/DK1068.html

Based on your exterior picture, this is what the interior could look like:


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

Also, since the icicles seem to be only at the one soffit vent area, I would check inside the attic for any bathroom exhaust fans not properly ducted to the exterior of the roof. The flexible tubing my not be adequately secured to the damper vent on the roof or to the ceiling fan in the bathroom. 

This could account for the localized excessive trapped vapor turning into icicles.

Also, just above and around the area, I would buy a "Snow Rake" which costs about $ 30.00 at Home Depot, and from the ground, pull the snow off of the roof surface completely around the area above the soffit vent giving you the problems from the recent snow fall. It may just be an isolated ice dam area and you can eliminate the source of the dam that way.

Ed


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## brianbh (Jan 21, 2008)

I went into the attic to look around. Everything looks dry around that soffit vent. The bottoms of the can vent covers had some condensation on them. The screen below the covers is dry, and the roof sheathing around them, along with the ceiling insulation below it, is all dry.

I don't have any gutters around that part of the home, so ice damming is near impossible.


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## big daddy-o (Jan 2, 2008)

gutters have nothing todo with ice damming. ice damming is when heat from home warms roof surface causing snow to melt, when snow gets to unheated overhang it freezes and starts to build up , snow continues to melt up higher and then seeks nearest opening (shingles have seams every 3') if you did a roof over , chances are you don't have ice and water shield on your eves.


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

I was not referring to the regular attic exhaust vents, (mushroom or turtle style vents), but to one that should be hooked up to a ceiling fan with a flexible duct tubing connecting to a damper vent on the roof.


This is one common brand and style of the damper vent, manufactured by Broan. Under this vent in the attic, there is usually a white thin flexible plastic duct tubing with a coiled spring inside of it for support so it does not collapse upon itself.

If the ceiling fan in the bathroom, (or kitchen range hood), does not have this tubed ducting connected to it, then all of the internal humidity from the bathroom gets exhausted directly into the attic area and will create excessive moisture-mold-condensation in the nearby areas.

Also, by any chance, do you have a clothes dryer vent on the wall directly under this icicle laden soffit intake vent?

If so, then the intake vent is pulling the exhaused air from the dryer vent on the wall into the attic at that location and could also be the source of this isolated problem.

Ed


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## the roofing god (Aug 2, 2007)

while not a cause of ice damming gutters do contribute to it and commonly create the situation where the ice backs under the shingle edge at the fascia and enters trhe soffit area,and then runs down your bearing wall of the house,big daddy-o describes an ice dam but neglects that the melted ice travels to the bottom and freezes on the unheated area of the roof ,typically the soffit,and where there is no soffit, at the gutter.the gutter backup situation is by far the most prevalent,and what is evident in your photo,the recommendation for ice+water shield is valid and should be installed up to 2 ft. past the bearing wall,but should also have flashing to close the gap between the fascia,and the roof sheathing,which would also extend down past the back of the gutter for proper protection,this works well;


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## Peabean (10 mo ago)

the roofing god said:


> while not a cause of ice damming gutters do contribute to it and commonly create the situation where the ice backs under the shingle edge at the fascia and enters trhe soffit area,and then runs down your bearing wall of the house,big daddy-o describes an ice dam but neglects that the melted ice travels to the bottom and freezes on the unheated area of the roof ,typically the soffit,and where there is no soffit, at the gutter.the gutter backup situation is by far the most prevalent,and what is evident in your photo,the recommendation for ice+water shield is valid and should be installed up to 2 ft. past the bearing wall,but should also have flashing to close the gap between the fascia,and the roof sheathing,which would also extend down past the back of the gutter for proper protection,this works well;


I am having the same problem with one of my soffit vents. Icicles forming from the vents. I think it is related to a bathroom vent. It leaks when we have heavy rain storms. I haven't been in the attic, but I can tell you the bathroom pipe is directly above the dripping soffit vent. What type of business can fix something like this? Thanks for your help and for diagnosing my problem!


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## SLSTech (Jan 19, 2021)

HVAC / Roofer / Handyman - pipe needs to be run out the roof or gable, not dropped into the soffit area 
Getting the details right: Bathroom Exhaust Venting (thehtrc.com)


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