Remember that clumps of hard snow or ice thrown from a third story flat roof can do serious damage to a car below.
How do i remove snow from my roof.
Hold the rake s handle and position the rake as far up onto the roof as possible before pulling it downwards to remove the snow.
Remove the weight above it but leave that layer to protect the roof membrane or shingles.
This contributes to devastating roof collapses.
There are long handled rakes designed specifically for removing snow from a roof and they can be found at your local home improvement store or online.
Here s some insight to keep in mind.
Why do i need to get the snow removed from my roof.
The main danger lies in the fact that snow is heavy and the weight of it can cause some serious damage.
The danger of leaving snow alone.
In many cases a pitched roof can handle even more snow than that unless of course there is a major design flaw in the house or you ve got a really old.
The safest way a homeowner can remove snow from a roof is with a roof rake.
Here s a simple rule for deciding.
If you can remove the snow from a ladder with various snow clearing tools do so.
Don t risk your life to save a few hundred dollars.
You face the risk of falling and seriously injuring yourself or worse.
Snow rakes or drag lines work well from the ground.
If you do clear a roof do not try to remove the last layer of ice or snow that is attached to the roof.
You can end the leaks with a phone call to ice dam guys.
Many factors contribute to when you should remove snow from your roof including the age of the structure and the weight of the snow.
You can stand on the ground and use the tool with a pole extension to reach the edge of most two story homes.
However you should make sure the ground isn t slippery and that you have the upper body strength to handle the rake and pull off the snow.
Use a long handled rake to remove the snow by hand.
Call us at 1 800 ice dams if you have an ice dam on your roof and live anywhere in the lower 48 including in hard hit minnesota illinois and wisconsin.
How can i remove the snow if i need to.
Obviously you don t want to let your roof get to the point where it is in danger of developing damaging ice dams or even collapsing from the weight of the snow.
If your roof is steeply pitched and a roof collapse is your main concern you might be able to get away with waiting to remove the snow until you ve got a good couple feet of snow up there.
Two storey homes and higher.
Anyone who has lived in an area that gets a lot of snow knows that removing icy pile up from your house s roof is just part of life.
If you must get on the roof call a professional.
It s always a good idea to turn to a professional for snow removal from a roof instead of trying to do it on your own though.
