Removing snow from roof

[inchworm]

I figure there are plenty of people here with much more experience with snow than I have...

SO - - when do you remove snow from your roof?

DH has been at it all day. I'm wondering about the wisdom of this. We had 29" of snow 3 days ago. We are supposed to get another 15" tonight and tomorrow. Now we just don't get that much snow all at once around here (Maryland). Our sunroom has a flat roof, so DH went up to shovel it before we got that extra 15" tonight. Then he saw our plumbing vents were iced over, so he shoveled them out. The main part of our house has a pitch to it, but it is on the shallow side of "typical" around here. So he kept pitching snow and pitching snow. And maybe he's "in the zone" now as it is dark out and he is still pitching the snow off the roof. I think the neighbors are staring at us and scratching their heads. What do you think?

Inchy

 

[miss_thenorth]

When we lived up north, whenever we got more tahn a foot accumulation on the roof we shovelled it. People who didn't, risked having their roofs collapse on them. It's really not that bad if it is light fluffy snow, but if it melts, and you get more, good luck getting it off. It's much easier to shovel when it is light and fluffy too, as opposed to having amelt and then freeze again.

Let the neighbours think you are crazy. Protect your investment, but also don't shovel right down to the shingles-you don't want to damage them.

 

[freemotion]

Your dh is right. Imagine, too, if you get a bit of rain....your roof will collapse! The snow will hold the rain and the weight will be tremendous.

 

[reinbeau]

Watch out for icicles, they indicate a warm roof, and ice dams can follow. Flat-ish roofs should be shoveled off. We have a snow rake, we can get the front roof pretty well from the ground, but hubby has to go up onto the back roof to shovel it off, it's got a shallow pitch, and I've already had ice dam damage to the walls and ceiling along that back wall

 

[freemotion]

We had a ceiling collapse overnight due to an ice dam! What a mess. And all that water seeped along the floor/ceiling and damaged most of our first floor ceilings. Of course, it was in our home office, where we keep our computer and shelves and shelves of books and notebooks full of research and materials gathered over the years. Lots went to the dump!

Get that snow off the roof!

 

[big brown horse]

What exactly is an ice dam?

 

[claud]

What exactly is an ice dam?

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/DK1068.html

 

[xpc]

What exactly is an ice dam?

For the most part an "ice dam" occurs because of lack of insulation or venting at the eves, accumulated snow will melt because of the heat loss and liquefy at the eves but then suddenly freezes again when cold enough, this then makes a ice bump near the roofs edge and any subsequent snow melting from the top will dam up against it and go backwards up into the shingles resulting in leaks.

It usually doesn't happen often and is dependent on weather and the orientation of your roof, stapling heat tape a foot above the gutters will alleviate it but is not a long term solution.

Most houses in the north are built with a minimum of 3/12 pitch and roof rafters to hold any snow load possible, those with low shed roofs or patio covers that are not built to code must shovel or face a collapse. The funny thing is that it only costs a few dollars more to insure that doesn't happen but our walmart mentality always wins out over quality and then you suffer tens of thousand in damage that an extra $500 could have averted when built.

 

[xpc]

What exactly is an ice dam?

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/DK1068.html

Hey claud nice to meet you, I had this thread open for the last few hours and added to it while painting the bathroom "beige" your link is very good and a bit more technical than mine but at least we concur.

 

[meriruka]

Great idea to get all that snow off the roof especially if it's flat.

I have a metal roof and even though the snow hangs up on the back part of the house, there is no way my brittle old butt is going up on what is in actuality a giant slippery sliding board with a cliff at the bottom. I just keep poking anything hanging over the edge with a stick until it falls.