Ice Dams again...

I was out at the boy's bus stop yesterday and one of the parents asked me about a large ice dam they had on the back side of their house. 

They had been thinking of using a propane torch to reduce the size of the ice dam, but that would use up a lot of propane and probably not reduce the ice dam by much. 
If the ice dam is thick, the best thing you can do is use an ice pick or chisel to get most of it off, but  DO NOT chisel all the way down to the shingles.  Leave some of the ice on the shingles, and for the last bit you can use ice melt in a nylon stocking (see earlier post).  Reminder:  do not use water softener salt because it will stain your shingles.

Next post:  keeping your furnace fresh air intake clear.

Ice Dams continued...

What a ton of snow!!!  I need to get out and shovel my own roof, but after doing the driveway and deck I think I'll save that for tomorrow.

Here are a few methods that will help prevent and remove ice dams...

1.  Removing snow from the roof can help slow down ice dam growth.  On very sloped or flat roofs you may want to shovel off all the snow.  Of roofs with a greater pitch, removing 3-4 feet of snow above the roof line will slow down the growth.  A roof rake is a special tool for removing snow and can be found at any local hardware store. 

2.  Chisel grooves into the dam to allow the water behind it to drain off.  This is a good emergency measure...especially if rain or a sudden thaw is coming.  Be careful with those shingles, though!

3.  Fill an old pair of nylon stockings with an ice melt product and lay it across the ice dam.  Do not use rock salt because it will stain the roof.  

Winter in Minnesota has only just begun!