To Roof Rake Or Not
Never never use a roof rake or try to shovel snow off a slanted roof.
To roof rake or not. Ice dams the melting and refreezing of snow can cause ice dams which allow water to become trapped on your roof with nowhere to drain but through your roofing into your home. To roof rake or not to roof rake. It is a term that describes the sloped sides of a gable end. There are several different ways to take care of this problem.
If you have a high roof you ll obviously want a roof snow shovel with a longer reach. The overhanging rake then is closed in with soffit and fascia or left open. A roof snow rake is like a 20 ft long aluminum hoe that homeowners us to lighten the structural load on their roof and to reduce the formation of an ice dam the only true solution to ice dams. Take the roof rake tour and avoid.
Use a downward motion to pull off the snow but don t dig into the roof surface or scrape the roof as you move the rake. With all of the snow we ve been getting a lot of people have huge drifts on their roofs which if left untreated leads to ice dams. Look for a long handle with a slight bend as it allows you to move the rake vertically as opposed to just pushing it back and forth with a straight handle. It really depends upon how much damage the roof has.
Most of the roofs we inspect typically can be repaired without the need to have the entire roof replaced. One roof rake detail you need to check when looking for a roof snow removal rake is the rake length or reach. You don t have to remove all of the leaving an inch or two is just fine for most roofs. The rake can be flat with no overhang or it can overhang the gable end like an eave.
Do rake your roof as routinely as possible preferably with a rake that has rollers or bumpers on the blade that keep the blade from directly touching your shingles a plastic or poly edged rake will also do. A roof rake may be intricately designed. New roofs can support in excess of 40 pounds per square foot. Always keep it as close to the top of the snow pile as possible away from the surface.
Posted on february 11 2019 posted by wschmit. It will do no good will not cure ice dams is extremely hazardous and can harm asphalt shingles and in your case slate. Snow loading the average weight of 1 foot of compacted snow is 30 pounds.