How to Safely Remove Snow & Ice from Your Roof

How to Safely Remove Snow & Ice from Your Roof

Each year in Minnesota, roofs throughout the state are thickly caked with layers of snow and ice. This can become a problem over time, both because the weight of accumulated ice and snow places extra stress on your roof and because it increases the risk of destructive leaks. Periodically removing snow and ice from your roof is important, but going about it the wrong way could cause additional roof damage or lead to injury. In this blog, we’ll address how to safely remove snow and ice from your roof.

How to Remove Snow Safely

Using a roof rake is the safest do-it-yourself method to remove snow from the roof of your Twin Cities home. To stay safe while clearing snow, only use the roof rake from the ground. Climbing up on a ladder and trying to scrape snow off your roof can easily get you hurt. Start near the edges of your roof and pull snow down the slope, never side-to-side. Remember that you don’t need to manually clear every bit of snow; once the first few feet of snow are removed from your eaves, the rest of it should begin to melt and slide off on its own.

To prevent damage to your roof while clearing snow with a roof rake, follow these tips:

• Use an extendable roof rake with a plastic blade and wheels. This minimizes the risk of damage to roof shingles, which become brittle in sub-zero temperatures.
• Pull snow down gently in multiple passes. Aggressively trying to remove all the snow as quickly as possible is likely to result in roof damage and leaks.
• Be especially careful when raking down roof snow near valleys, vents, and flashing. These areas damage easily and are where leaks occur most often.
• Always rake snow at a downward angle; never push up against your shingles with the blade of the rake.

How to Remove Ice Dams Safely

Ice dams often form on the rooflines of Twin Cities homes. These dams need to be removed regularly to prevent them from blocking drainage and causing roof leaks. For smaller ice dams, it may be possible to solve the problem yourself. However, it is important to never use physical force, rock salt or chemical solutions to remove ice dams because these methods often result in serious roof damage. A popular, safe-to-use DIY ice dam removal method is to fill a long sock with calcium chloride and lay it perpendicular across the ice dam. This will melt the ice – even in sub-zero winter weather – while leaving it a drainage channel.

For larger ice dams, your best option is to contact a professional ice dam removal specialist in the Twin Cities metro to get rid of the ice buildup using low-pressure steam.

To prevent ongoing ice dam issues, try the following:

• Upgrade the insulation in your attic. Better insulation prevents the leaking of hot air into the roof deck, which causes ice dams to form.
• Improve attic ventilation so that this space stays cold during the winter, decreasing the frequency of freeze-thaw cycles that create ice dams.
• Seal air leaks around areas such as attic hatches, plumbing stacks, recessed lights, and chimney chases.

Unsafe Snow & Ice Removal Methods You Should NEVER Use

• Never, under any circumstances, climb onto your roof once it is coated with snow and ice. Even a more level roof becomes incredibly slippery and one misstep can lead to a deadly fall. The leading cause of fatal roof accidents in Minnesota is attempting to walk across a snowy or icy roof.
• Don’t try to chip away at ice dams with hammers, chisels, shovels, or any other tools. The physical force required to smash away ice is almost certain to damage roof shingles and gutters. While ice dams can be destructive, trying to remove them physically is likely to cause even worse damage.
• Don’t try to melt ice and snow using rock salt. This highly corrosive substance will corrode your gutters and, as it drains into your yard, it will also kill nearby grass and landscape plants.

Rely on Professional Ice Dam Removal for the Best Results

At Arko Exteriors, we provide professional ice dam removal services and roof repairs to help our customers safely protect their homes from winter damage. Reach out to us today if you’re in need of ice dam removal or any other roofing services in the Twin Cities metro area!