An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow from draining off the roof.
Ways to remove ice from roof.
The clip starts out with an absolute treat an idyllic shot of a home that looks like it s straight out of a thomas kinkade painting.
Ask this old house general contractor tom silva explains the best ways to keep your roof and gutters free from those dreaded ice dams.
As water seeps between shingles and freezes it expands loosening the shingles and penetrating through the layers of the roof until you have a.
Professionals follow a lot of the same steps you would take to remove an ice dam on your own but they have better tools.
Close up attic bypasses.
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.
Here are five ways to remove an ice dam from your roof.
Hire a professional to remove the ice dams in an emergency.
A warmer roof however will soon have clear spots where the snow has melted off and may well have icicles hanging from the eaves.
The key to preventing ice dams is simply to keep your attic and roof cold.
This is where roofing issues may stem from.
To understand ice dams better find out the most common causes of their build up.
They then chip away at the remaining ice.
Ice dams can harm the roof in other ways as well.
Ice dams are formed when thick layers of ice build up along the eaves and gutters of the roof.
See below for a shopp.
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.
Though the sights are breathtaking the snow packed roof is enough to get any seasoned northerner s heart racing.
That pile of ice has got to go.
Using a roof rake and push broom not water remove the snow by carefully pulling it down the slope of the roof line.
These ice formations will then block the normal drainage system.
After a snowfall a cold roof will have a thick blanket of snow.
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.