Clearing the snow off your roof is essential if you want to prevent ice dams from building. Accumulated snow on roofs creates ice dams so if you succeed at removing the snow, you will succeed at averting any impairment to the roof. Hiring snow removal contractors is a great way of making this possible.
Roof snow removal also takes away the possibility of having too much load on your roof. Excess snow on roofs can cause strain that can lead to the roof falling in and causing an accident or causing it to leak.
Ways By Which You Can Prevent Ice Dams from Forming on Your Roof
1. Clear Your Roof Regularly
A good tip is to remove snow from your roof every time snow accumulates up to 6 inches or less. Removing snow as often as possible will prevent the snow from gathering too much enough to cause an ice dam. Doing this will also allow you not to fear any sort of damage occurring to your roof.
2. Raking
This is a good method for keeping your roof snow-free and preventing ice dams. A benefit of this method is that you can do it yourself and it can clear off most if not all of the snow from your roofs. Raking the ledges takes the load off the parts of the roof that are not as strong.
3. Keep Up with The Weather Forecast
This is another great way to discover when to start roof snow removal. If a lot of snow falls on your roof and the weather forecast predict temperatures to be higher than the freezing level, then there is no need to remove the snow because it probably won’t take too long for it to melt. But if the reverse is the case and the forecast predicts a temperature below the freezing level when you experience heavy snow then you should try as much as possible to remove the snow from your roofs quickly.
4. You Can Choose to Shovel
Shoveling is the more recommended method for removing snow from roofs especially in instances where lifting heavy snow will be required. It is also advised not to do it yourself. Hiring snow removal contractors is the safer option that would clear the snow off your roofs faster and more effectively. If you still choose to shovel by yourself then you should make use of plastic-edged shovels and not the ones with metal edges to avoid harming the roof surface. Also, be careful not to shovel your roof too often.
5. Avoid Creating Snow Trails
Do not leave paths in the snow from your footprints. If care is not taken, the pathways can create the ice dams that you’re trying to prevent. Remove all footprints.
Conclusion
Ice dams can be very detrimental to your roof and can lead to cave-ins or any other accidents. Checking to discover whether your snow is heavy and wet or dry is a good method of finding out when the best time is for roof snow removal. Seeking the help of snow removal contractors is still more efficient and recommended for your safety.