There's snow on the roof, who care's

[Creamer]

According to the searches on here, no one's cleaning snow off roofs anymore, maybe because of the on going snow drought, but here in the past couple week's we've gotten are fair share. Talk to people at work and lot of guys are clearing off their roofs when they get home, me I'm waiting for the weekend. Until then been looking at some of these snow removal jingle jangles.

What I've noticed is that they all seem to work good but mostly on a 5/12" or steeper roofs, ten ft. off the ground, well yah, course they do, and then they'er mostly going up the roof 4-5', and why bother on a 6/12" + roof. I'ts not the 4' ft. up I worry about, it's the after the 4' on a 12-16' span on a deck/lean-too at a 2-4"/12" pitch roof<<<<where's the snow removal tools for that, I know it's a shovel with no buttons switches and nobs, well that's below my pay grade, I let the wife do it.

I'd say this guy needs his roof cleared and looks like he has a good machine to do it, it has the three key feature, buttons switches and nobs.......
Snowblow your roof instead of shoveling ! How to and what rig to get. - YouTube

That would scare me - up on a steep roof with snow between you and what you are trying to grip. Snow can be a vary good lubricant. It is only a matter of time until your are ***** end over teakettle.

 

[Creamer]

I get ice dams some times on my house on the north east corner due to snow melting on the upper roof (2 story L shape) and then it fills the rain gutter on that level and freezes. the melt then runs onto the lower roof section which is in the shade and runs through the snow until it freezes. If I clean the snow off of this roof section then there is enough melting action to where I do not have a problem. Most years I do not have a problem but sometimes the conditions combine to give me issues. throwing salt or ashes up on the edge of the roof helps as well.

 

[civilian]

It's on my weekend to do list on my low pitch lean too. At almost 2200sf, I came up with a "work smarter not harder" method.
View attachment 499174

One slip off the joystick and down comes the roof also? Jon

 

[Oldpath05]

I had a 6" ice dam on top of my dormer roof, put some Roof Melt tablets on last Sat. and with the warm weather yesterday, 45F, it's all gone today, and a lot of snow on my porch roof melted to.

 

[Creamer]

Why use special roof melt tablets when salt will work just as well?

 

[Oldpath05]

Why use special roof melt tablets when salt will work just as well?

Good question, I dont know, maybe because my wife bought it and it cost more, or maybe the Roof Melt tablets doesn't cause global warming or keeps the poles from shifting or keeps the big dipper from dumping out more snow, either way the ice is gone and after todays nice weather, think winter is over and I dont need to hit the panic button....

 

[Looking4new]

Good question, I dont know, maybe because my wife bought it and it cost more, or maybe the Roof Melt tablets doesn't cause global warming or keeps the poles from shifting or keeps the big dipper from dumping out more snow, either way the ice is gone and after todays nice weather, think winter is over and I dont need to hit the panic button....

Brace yourself, there is more snow coming for me and you will get it after I have my way with it.

 

[Cord]

Why use special roof melt tablets when salt will work just as well?

I don't know what the magic pellets are, but DON'T use salt. It'll rust your roof nails like crazy. If you have steel flashings or gutters, it'll hammer them as well.

 

[Oldpath05]

I don't know what the magic pellets are, but DON'T use salt. It'll rust your roof nails like crazy. If you have steel flashings or gutters, it'll hammer them as well.

Good tip, didn't know that. I'm just glad I didn't shovel off all my porch roof's, etc, what a waste of time that would of been. I've gone from3' of snow in two weeks down to nothing and I've gone from my tractor just barely able to make it in the woods to not enough snow to keep the firewood clean, but the good news is atleast it's not 1816, Me. had snow every month and gardens wouldn't grow......

 

[TCJatko]

View attachment 499125

If it's just ambient air circulating the roof will be the same temperature.

This is entirely correct. Ice dams occur because of inadequate insulation (heat loss) at the roof/wall juncture. Newer construction techniques have overcome this problem.