Using a Roof Rake to Prevent Ice Dams

Ice dams form at the cold edge of the roof. Clearing the lower few feet of snow removes the source of meltwater that refreezes there.

After storms that leave more than a few inches of snow, especially when sunny days follow. Do it before the ice builds.

Stay on the ground, pull snow down in small sections and watch for falling snow and ice. Keep clear of power lines and never climb onto an icy roof.

Do not chip or hammer at ice. It damages shingles and gutters.

If ice dams return every year, the real fix is in the attic: sealing air leaks and adding insulation.

Put buckets under drips, turn off power to wet fixtures and call for drying.

This article is about using a roof rake to prevent ice dams. If water is already on the floor, the order is the same in every Sugar House home: stop it at the valve or get the sump running, keep away from wet outlets and the furnace, photograph the water and the source, and call for help. Every hour water sits in a finished basement adds to what has to be cut out later.

The bill after using a roof rake to prevent ice dams goes up with time, dirt and finished space. A puddle caught early on bare concrete is a short visit. The same water found days later under carpet in a finished family room can mean new pad, new drywall and most of a week of equipment. Ask how the price is set before work starts and whether the company bills insurers.

A few things about Sugar House shape using a roof rake to prevent ice dams: nearly every home has a basement, most houses date from the 1910s to the 1940s with old pipes and sewer laterals, the mountains bring heavy snow and a big spring melt, and winter nights freeze pipes in outside walls. Knowing where your main valve and sump are, keeping window wells clear and checking the basement after every storm and thaw covers most of the risk.

When you call about using a roof rake to prevent ice dams, ask how quickly they can arrive, what they will measure, whether they check behind finished walls and under pad, how long drying should take and how they price it. Ask for a Utah license number and proof of insurance, and whether they handle the rebuild. Clear answers on the phone are a good sign.

People dealing with using a roof rake to prevent ice dams most often wait to see if it dries, rely on a household fan, put carpet back on wet pad or throw out damaged things before photographing them. Each one adds drying days, invites mold or weakens an insurance claim. Moisture readings settle whether something is truly dry.

For more on using a roof rake to prevent ice dams and the cleanup that can follow, start at water damage restoration in Sugar House, or see flooded basement cleanup and structural drying.

Roof rakes come with extension poles and sliding heads that push snow off without scraping shingles. Pick one long enough to reach the lowest four feet of the roof from the ground, and use it gently on older shingles.

Ice dams form fastest where two roof planes meet in a valley and on low-slope sections over porches and additions. Clear those first.

Gutters packed with ice act like a dam of their own. Keep downspouts open and do not try to chip ice out of gutters by hand.

Most problems related to using a roof rake to prevent ice dams show up at predictable times in Sugar House: the first hard freeze in late fall, the coldest weeks of January, the big melt from April into June and summer storms. Putting a few reminders on the calendar, such as testing the sump in March, clearing window wells in October and checking pipes before a trip, prevents most emergencies.

If water is spreading, if it reached finished space, if it came from outside or a drain, or if you cannot find where it is coming from, it is time to call. With using a roof rake to prevent ice dams, a provider with meters and a thermal camera can find the edges of the water in minutes, which is hard to do by eye.

Interior damage from ice dams is often covered; roof fixes usually are not.

Questions about using a roof rake to prevent ice dams? Call (801) 000-0001 to reach a local Sugar House provider any hour.