Preventing Ice Dams With a Snow Rake

I received the following email
a couple of days ago:

Hi Ed,

Roof snow question: Why remove snow
from only the first 4-6 feet of roof?
Why not remove the snow all the way
up to the ridge?

Bob

Hi Bob,

I think I made an error of emphasis
in my original article on snow raking:

How to
Rake Snow Off Your Roof

In the original article, I emphasized
raking snow off the roof to prevent the
roof from collapsing. For me, this has
been of primary concern as the pitch on
our roof is too gradual for the State of
Maine. Our house was built in the 1950s
and there was a trend in our neighborhood,
at the time, of building houses to
specifications that would work well in the
deep south. Maine is not the deep south.

My error of emphasis was emphasizing roof
collapse rather than ice dams.

For most people, the primary concern is
ice dams. We've had this problem too.
I'm in the house I grew up in and my father
found it very disturbing when ice would
start pouring down the inside of our
picture windows in late February on a warm
day.

The answer to your question is that people
rake the eaves of the roof, plus a little
bit more, if they are concerned primarily
with ice dams. However, if the concern is
a collapsed roof, the tendency may be to
get more weight off the roof by raking
a little further than this.

Either way is probably sufficient. Most
roofs do not collapse. Taking even a
little bit of snow off the roof can make
a big difference and stop a roof from
collapsing.

However, each situation is a little bit
different. Some people prefer the additional
assurance of taking all the snow off.

I try to avoid taking all the snow off as
doing this tends to damage the shingles.
Since we do not currently have a problem
with ice dams, I have the luxury of leaving
a layer of snow on the roof. Not everyone
does.

I suppose it all comes down to knowing
yourself and knowing your situation. You
can't necessarily do things the way someone
else would because your situation may be
entirely different than their situation.

Ed Abbott

What's the Best Snowrake?

I received the following email
a few days ago:

I’m a new homeowner and we've had
in excess of 50 inches of snow this month
in Connecticut, the worst ever …

I have read your step-by-step
instructions on how to rake a
roof, but what type of snow rake
would you recommend?

Thank you for your assistance.    

This is a common question I really
don't have an answer to. I, myself,
bought a snowrake from the local
hardware store and have no idea
what brand it was. I purchased my
snowrake, which is an aluminum pole
with a plastic rake head, years ago.

Three things you may wish to
consider:

1. How far do you need to reach
   to get to the snow? The pole has
   to at least be that long
2. Can the size of the pole be
   adjusted? My snowrake is adjustable
   by adding or taking away a pole.
3. Is the head of the rake metal or
   some other material? While a metal roof
   rake head is rugged, it can damage your
   shingles somewhat if you are not careful.

By the way: My roof rake is actually constructed
of two roof rake kits. This is because our
roof is so far from the ground, in some places,
that I need to extend the length of the rake
to 3 poles rather than use the 1 or 2 poles that
came with the original roof rake kit.

Back to the original question: Do I know
what is the best roof rake? Do I know if
one roof rake is better than the other?
I don't know. I'm just a guy who rakes his
own roof.

If anyone has a snowrake recommendation,
would you post it below?

Thanks! It a wonderful thing, extending
my knowledge of roof rakes, by asking
people who know more than I do. Much
appreciated.

Ed Abbott

Finding the Snork Snowrake

Got the following email just now:

Hello Ed,

I read your info about snow on a roof.
I am trying to purchase a snow rake
called "Snorke Snowrake" which is made
by Unlimited Visions in New Hampshire.

I have checked more than a few places
in the Boston area and nobody has ever
heard of them. Their website is
www.snorksnowrake.com but there is no way
to contact them to ask where to purchase
their products.

If you have any information on contacting
them --- phone, street address, etc --- could
you respond.

Thank you.

I will respond to this person by sending
them the domain name registration information
for the above domain name that goes with
this website:

Snork Snowrakes by Unlimited Visions

I will not be publishing this information
here.

Ed Abbott

Roof Raking From a Second Story Window

I received the following email
today:

I am looking for a rake that I
can push snow off the roof from
my 2nd floor window.  

Cannot seem to find one anywhere.  
Is there such an animal???

The only thing I can think of is
to use a push broom. How big is
the roof? Is it a large area or
a small area?

If a small area, a push broom might
work on newly fallen snow. However,
it will not work if you let the snow
sit for any length of time. Also, it
will not work if the roof area is too
big.

I offer my suggestion in the hope
that someone out there will think of
something much much better. Comment
below if you have a better idea.

Ed Abbott

Raking Snow Off a Flat Roof

I received the following email a
few days ago:

I read your page on removing
snow from a roof. I have a garage
with a flat roof, and i don't think
the traditional rakes will allow me
to get the snow from the ground.

At 63, I'm unwilling to get up on a
ladder. Do you know of a rake that
has a bend in it so its usable from
the ground on a flat roof? Thanks
so much.

I do not know of a rake with a bend
in it. Even if I did know of such
a rake, I'm not sure whether it would
work well or not.

A big problem when raking snow is being
able to see. If you cannot see what
you are doing, it is very hard to do
a good job.

Perhaps someone who knows better than
I will post a comment below that will
help you with your problem.

Ed Abbott