Remove Ice Dams From Roof

Ask this old house general contractor tom silva explains the best ways to keep your roof and gutters free from those dreaded ice dams.

Remove ice dams from roof.

Eliminate its fuel source if left alone the ice dam will continue to be built up by the snow and ice up on your roof. Stop ice dams with a cold roof. Using a long handled roof rake to removing the snow from at least at lower 4 feet of roof edge can help prevent ice dams from forming. Use a roof rake after heavy snowfalls.

Here are five ways to remove an ice dam from your roof. Ice dams and icicles form when the snow melts runs down your roof and refreezes near the edge. So the first step is to remove this ice and snow using a snow rake which is a retractable rake that can extend up to about 17 feet or so in length. Using a roof rake remove snow 3 4 feet from the edge of your roof being careful not to damage the roof covering or to allow snow to build up around walking paths or to block emergency exits.

Remove snow and ice dam from the roof this will eliminate the main ingredients necessary for the formation of another ice dam and will usually stop the water from coming in within an hour. If necessary use a long handled garden rake or hoe to push it into position. Ice dams appear quickly after a heavy snow because of the insulating properties of snow. Using a roof rake and push broom not water remove the snow by carefully pulling it down the slope of the roof line.

This only occurs when part of your roof warms to above 32 degrees f warm enough to melt the snow while the roof edge remains below freezing. The water trickles down between the layer of snow and the shingles until it reaches the eave of the roof which stays cold because it extends beyond the side of the house. 10 hacks to remove ice of all kinds. Ice dams can harm the roof in other ways as well.

Lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter. This does not involve climbing onto a snow and ice covered roof and putting yourself at risk. See below for a shopp. This scenario is often the result of a warm attic.

One way to get in front of potential ice dams is to remove the snow that causes them before it has a chance to melt. As water seeps between shingles and freezes it expands loosening the shingles and penetrating through the layers of the roof until you have a.