The Cobra
02-02-2011, 10:02 PM
Every year I post this little tid bit in hopes of saving someone a ton of headaches and $$$$$.
Now that we have all survived "the great snow storm of 2011" I`m sure we`ve all got a ton of ice and snow on our roof----our eaves are all jammed up with ice and snow. The jamming up of our eaves and downspouts with snow and ice are called "Ice Dams" because as the snow melts on our roof and the water rolls down the roof it hits the frozen overloaded eaves and has no where to go. Or does it?? it has somewhere to go all right---right back up the roof for a few inches till it gets under the shingles & into your house. The water will then destroy your ceilings as gravity helps it find it`s way thru your insulation, down your walls and down into the next level of your home destroying everything in it`s path.
Every spring I do at least 5 reno jobs (some insured and some not) that are a direct result of ice dams-----all of those jobs are expensive! They involve new drywall/plaster for walls & ceilings, new insulation and vapor barriers, in some cases the electrical system has been compromised, moldings, paint job etc.
It`s easy to cut down the risk of damage by almost 100% and takes only a few mins. to accomplish....
Go outside and clean off the roof about 3' above and along the length of your eaves. Most households have one of those 10-20' extension poles or even a long pole to use---I tape my hard rake to the pole, reverse it so the teeth point skyward and just go along the eaves pulling the snow off the roof falling on the ground---all of this can be done just walking along the house. What I do after that is done is I put a little of that ice buster stuff for driveways etc around the downspouts so when it starts melting the stuff will go down the spout and clean it out as well. This however will probably involve getting on a ladder.
You`re done---it`s that easy-----the sooner the better !!!!!!
Keeping your eaves and downspouts clean and clear can save you a fortune.
Note---many stores sell those heated wiring systems that either sit in your eaves or sit in a grid 3' up your roof along the perimeter of your house. They work well but don`t last long----plus they suck electricity cause you often forget to turn them off. Take the few mins it takes to clean your roof perimeter and let the sun heat your roof is what I say.
Now that we have all survived "the great snow storm of 2011" I`m sure we`ve all got a ton of ice and snow on our roof----our eaves are all jammed up with ice and snow. The jamming up of our eaves and downspouts with snow and ice are called "Ice Dams" because as the snow melts on our roof and the water rolls down the roof it hits the frozen overloaded eaves and has no where to go. Or does it?? it has somewhere to go all right---right back up the roof for a few inches till it gets under the shingles & into your house. The water will then destroy your ceilings as gravity helps it find it`s way thru your insulation, down your walls and down into the next level of your home destroying everything in it`s path.
Every spring I do at least 5 reno jobs (some insured and some not) that are a direct result of ice dams-----all of those jobs are expensive! They involve new drywall/plaster for walls & ceilings, new insulation and vapor barriers, in some cases the electrical system has been compromised, moldings, paint job etc.
It`s easy to cut down the risk of damage by almost 100% and takes only a few mins. to accomplish....
Go outside and clean off the roof about 3' above and along the length of your eaves. Most households have one of those 10-20' extension poles or even a long pole to use---I tape my hard rake to the pole, reverse it so the teeth point skyward and just go along the eaves pulling the snow off the roof falling on the ground---all of this can be done just walking along the house. What I do after that is done is I put a little of that ice buster stuff for driveways etc around the downspouts so when it starts melting the stuff will go down the spout and clean it out as well. This however will probably involve getting on a ladder.
You`re done---it`s that easy-----the sooner the better !!!!!!
Keeping your eaves and downspouts clean and clear can save you a fortune.
Note---many stores sell those heated wiring systems that either sit in your eaves or sit in a grid 3' up your roof along the perimeter of your house. They work well but don`t last long----plus they suck electricity cause you often forget to turn them off. Take the few mins it takes to clean your roof perimeter and let the sun heat your roof is what I say.