Why ice dam prevention works differently in Guelph
What makes ice dam prevention in Guelph unusual is not the technique, it is the age spread of the housing: a single route can cover 1910 brick and 2019 factory-built venting.
The swing between a January cold snap and a February thaw can move a masonry assembly enough to open joints that looked sound in the fall.
Air-sealing and window upgrades have made Guelph homes far tighter than they were designed to be, and a tight house starves a natural-draft appliance of the make-up air it needs.
Across Willow West, Junction, Downtown Guelph, Village By The Arboretum and Clairfields, the housing stock changes street by street, and the correct method changes with it. A century home with a soft-brick stack does not get the same treatment as a 2010 build with a factory-built vent — using one method on both is how systems get damaged.
If you live anywhere near the University of Guelph, the practical takeaway is that a ice dam prevention visit should start with an assessment, not a tool. Any crew that begins work before telling you what they found is guessing on your behalf.