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I just had insulation blown in last year hoping I would get rid of the icicles forming and dripping all over my front stairs, I also have gutter caps on. Of note, the roofer two years ago put a metal right angled guard if front of the opening of the house about a foot from the lip of the roof, I feel like this has contributed to issues. I guess my next step would to get better ventilation. Any suggestions as what else it could be?

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  • What type of gutter caps do you have?
    – Tester101
    Jan 25, 2016 at 13:15

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I have a cape cod and the attic spaces formed by the knee walls gave me really bad ice dams and icicles. I made sure that these spaces had route for warm air to rise and escape however they were missing soffit vents. I added soffit vents and I haven't seen a single issue in three years. Ventilation is definitely going to help. You need to get that air under your roof sheathing closer to the outside temperature.

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Better ventilation should help, but insulation alone isn't the solution to heat loss into the attic. The gaps, cracks and holes in the attic floor / house ceiling need to be sealed. They can be caulked or sealed with expanding foam. Insulation lowers heat loss through conduction but doesn't prevent convection, meaning hot air leaking into the attic through electrical box fixtures, gaps between headers and drywall, etc. Bad news is that this should be done prior to adding more insulation.

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