How To Clear Ice Dams On 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.

How to clear ice dams on roof.

See below for a shopp. It will put gutters and downspouts at risk too. Never use rock salt for this as it will do more damage to your roof than it will to the ice. 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.

Ice dams appear quickly after a heavy snow because of the insulating properties of snow. Use a roof rake after heavy snowfalls. Lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter. If your home is beginning to suffer the leaks indicative of an ice dam take a fan a box fan or small air mover into your attic and direct it at the section of roof suffering the leak.

Ice dams are a common sight in northern new england winters and home partners has dealt with quite a few. Learn how to turn your passion into an income. Clearing snow and ice dams from the roof gutters after first snow storm of the year in wisconsin. Over time the calcium chloride will clear a channel in the ice dam allowing the water on your roof to escape.

The calcium chloride will eventually melt through the snow and ice and create a channel for water to flow down into the gutters or off the roof. An ice dam can damage both your roof and the inside of your home. Alternatively you can fill paper bags with calcium chloride and toss them up on to the roof just above the ice dam. 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.

There are several things you can do to avoid getting an ice dam or to reduce the risk of damage after one has formed but. 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. One way to remove an ice dam is to melt it using calcium chloride ice melt.