Watch Your Roofs
 

Took a snowmobile ride out to the camp today On Welch Island. Saw a number of camps with a LOT of snow on the roof. With the impending wet snow or rain forecast for mid week, it may be wise to do what you can to remove some of the snow.

Just an fyi..

Dan

I have a stained ceiling in Mass thanks to the ice dams. :(

ice dams
 

is it safe to put ice melt on ice dams to speed up the melting? Will it do any damage to the shingles?

Gto....
 

I have used ice-melt in an emergency at the camp before I installed a heat tape with a thermostat that took care of the problem. There was just a gravel driveway in the run-off area, no shrubs or flower bead.

It might shorten their life-span so instead of replacing the roof after 30 years you do it after 20, maybe. As opposed to water damage now.

My neighbor did it last year but it is not his usual habit either. The roof looked ok all summer.

Good luck!

Here's what worked good for me.....boil up a big tea kettle of water....cliimb up to the ice dam....and slowly pour out the hot water....pry off a a one foot section of ice dam with a snow shovel. The hot water loosens the ice's grip to the roof.....it worked twice for me.

It's brains over brawn......who'd a thunk?

I see very little harm in using icemelt a few times during the year.There are products like manesium that more gentle than salt.You really only need to melt in a few spots to allow the water a path to run off.The whole roof edge does not need to be melted.

Hot water, Ice Melt, etc. Good call.... Here I am using a freakin pick axe breakin my back. On a positive note the icicles LOOK cool. Other than that it depresses me because it confirms that I have Ice Dams building up. I chipped away a small section (might have dented a gutter or two) and it cured the problem, temporarily.

been there
 

been there, done that. Chipping the ice off with a hammer and chisel/screwdriver. Ice chips flying in your eyes. ladder shaking back and forth...not for me. Climbing an unsteady ladder because it is resting on the edge of an icy roof carrying hot water doesn't seem like a good idea either. I can see a scalding accident waiting to happen there.

Roof shoveling
 

I know a guy in Laconia who is out of work right now and looking for any way to make some $$. He is a carpenter by trade, but is young and strong and certainly can shovel roofs! If you are interested in that please private message me and I can give you his number.

Unfortunately, I have some great video of a 400 lb icicle going through the roof of our aluminum trailer this weekend!

Snow on your roof
 

Something to remember is that keeping your roof shoveled off completely will prevent your ice dam issues. All to often you see the bottom four or five feet shoveled off and the rest of the roof is still covered. This will still cause ice dams to form they will just be four to five feet up the roof as well as keep all the weight higher on the roof and thus putting just as much strain on the framing as if you hadn't shoveled any snow off. It is virtually impossible to prevent ice dams in New England, warming from the sun and/or heat loss happen on every roof. The only way to help prevent the ice dam is to keep the snow from melting and that requires removing all the snow from the roof as often as possible. And think about how well you will sleep knowing that you do not have a ton of weight or more hanging over your head.:rolleye1:

Ice melt is a good idea, but stay away from rock salt for all roofs, not only will it stain your house, but it will kill any vegitation under your eaves. If you have architectural shingles you will not want to use calcium either, like SIKSUKR said there are products that are gentler than others. Just remember you are adding more moisture to the issue, so make sure the water has a place to go first.

Jmen24

FYI - Water does not have to be very hot to melt the ice. It does not have t be hot at all although it helps. If you have running water, a hose will breach the ice dams and wash off snow. Expect it to take a lot of water and to end up with a sheet if ice where you hosed off. You'd want to position yourself to be running the water down the slope instead of blowing up under the shingles so there will probably still be a climb involved.

I doubt too many island summer homes have running water right now but I thought I'd thow it out as a point of interest.

Good luck!

Well... there is one other way that many of us use. Just eliminate the heat loss by closing for the winter! :coolsm: It's often colder inside than out. By the time the sun is warm enough to cause melting, the cold that causes the ice dams is mostly gone too.

Now this still leaves the problem of potential weight issues if the snow load becomes wet. But in my case, with a house that's been there since 1944, I figure if it hasn't happened yet it won't be a problem. :)

Very good point and that keeps the heating bill down as well. Oh, honey I have an idea on how to reduce the bills.:laugh:

[QUOTE=Merrymeeting;88413]Well... there is one other way that many of us use. Just eliminate the heat loss by closing for the winter! :coolsm: It's often colder inside than out. By the time the sun is warm enough to cause melting, the cold that causes the ice dams is mostly gone too.

I use heated wire that you can buy at true value in Laconia. Just hitch it on the roof in a V pattern or lay it in the gutter and it will melt a path for the water to run off.

I was able to find something here is Mass that was an ice melt that was safe for roofs. Took a little longer but did the job and no more puddles in my bay window to mop up! I have been "raking" the roof ever since the window leaked and that has helped prevent the ice dams.

well
 

is it a secret or are you going to tell me the name of it?

sorry ...
 

I used it all up and don't have the container anymore. Lots of ice! But I found it at Rocky's / Ace hardware. If memory serves it was called roofmelt.

http://www.shophometrends.com/produc...cd2=1233890476

The only issue you have is keeping the tabs up on the roof. They work pretty well if you can keep them up there.

Also, Another thing that I Found Out....
 

Any problem area where there are gutters, take them down and when you reinstall them in more appropriate and warmer weather conditions, put spacers behind them to give the ice melt more room around them from the drip edge under the shingles.
If you do not understand this, feel free to PM me and I will attempt to unconfused you further. :confused:
T