What is causing icicles to form on the exterior?
Kay writes from Livonia, Michigan: “What would cause icicles to form on the exterior walls of our home? It is not coming from the guttering. We just had our attic insulation taken up to R-49 and have no icicles on any guttering at all. Yet we have some formed on the second floor exterior wall. As stated before, it does not appear to be coming from the guttering- the icicles have formed on the house itself.” Answer: There are a couple of possibilities which I think may be happening. Your second floor exterior walls are either too warm or too cold. If your second story walls have little or no insulation, then your exterior wall may now be too warm since you have more heat on the second floor from insulating your attic. Any snow that hits the surface could be melting and running down to a colder area. It could also be that some water is dripping down past the gutters somehow and is freezing when it gets to the second floor. I recommend contacting an Owens Corning Certified Energy Professi
