The best type of snow rake you can give for your roof is one that is going to have a long extension pole and be light weight. Reason why you want a lightweight snow roof rake is that it will be much easier to maneuver when it is 20 feet away from you if it is light. Some of the more expensive types of snow rakes come with rollers on them so that they do not scratch up your roof when you’re using them. It is actually good idea, because even though you can clean your roof off without having rollers, your hands do get tired after a while from holding up the rake. Also, if you have a fire roof, you may want to bike to snow rakes that are similar so that you can use the extension poles from the other rake to increase your reach. My opinion is that the aluminum rakes are better than the plastic ones.
Important Things to Remember When Buying Roof Rakes for Snow Removal
When you’re buying a snow rake, one of the most important factors to consider is the height of the roof. You want to buy a snow rake build you to reach the top of your roof without endangering yourself. Generally it is safer to clean a roof off from the ground than it is to try and clean it off from a ladder, or from the top of a roof. Also, try not to bring the snow down right on top of you, because this could be dangerous, especially if the snow is falling from a second story.
What Is the Danger of Not Using a Snow Rake or Roof Rake?
The danger of not using a snow rake or roof rake is that it can cause your roof to collapse. If this is going to happen, it tends to happen right when
the snow turns to ice and gets a little bit heavier. Even though this is not likely to occur in most instances, it does happen occasionally and it can be very expensive to fix. Most of the time, the dangers you have of having excess snow is that the snow on the edges will melt and the stuff on the top of the roof will not. This will cause an ice dam. When you have an ice dam, you have water in puddles on your roof. This water can cause damage to your roof. The best way to prevent this is take the snow off of your roof, before it has a chance to create an ice dam by using a snow rake. Rather than using a roof rake, you could try and take care of the problem by getting on top of your roof with a shovel, but this is of course a lot more dangerous. Another advantage of using a snow rake is that it helps to prevent icicles from dangling off of your roof. Icicles have been known to be dangerous, and they can also be very heavy when they’re hanging off of your gutters.
How to Remove Snow with Roof Rakes
Step One- When you are removing snow from your roof with a roof rake is to make sure that you put your snow rake fits together properly. Make sure that all of your extension poles snap together and that your roofing rake is attached to the end.
Step Two- Make sure that you are in the right place for raking your roof. You do not want to be directly under your eaves because you do not want to get covered in snow. Always try to clean the snow off your roof from the ground. Getting on a ladder or on your roof is a lot more dangerous. ( that is why you bought a snow roof rake in the first place so you wouldn’t have too!)
Step Three- Make sure that you are not in the ‘fall zone’ you should test this out by taking a little but of snow off of the edge of the roof and seeing where it lands. Your next step is to start cleaning your roof. You should start on the edges of your roof and then work your way up. It is not usually necessary (or possible) to remove all of the snow. Most people can reduce a lot of the stress that would come to their roof simply by removing the first 4 to 6 feet of snow from the edges of your roof. Try to take small pieces time, like 2 feet of snow at a time. Take two feet off on the entire side, and then come back and take off another 2 feet. You may want to continue doing this until you get as much knowledge you can reach off of your roof. This way it is safer and also easier to get the snow off of your roof. In addition, removing this snow can help you to prevent ice dams which can lead to having a leak in your roof. (Ice dams most often form on the edges of your roof, because that the part of your roof that gets most of the heat from your home.) Most of the time you will not have much trouble getting rid of all of the snow, but some houses are more difficult than others and may require the assistance of a professional. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, if what you are doing starts to fill dangerous.
Step Four- Make sure that you go all around your house and remove the last 3 to 4 feet of snow that are on there. If you have an older house, or a barn, you may feel more comfortable removing all of the snow off the roof. And if you can do this safely from the ground, it is probably a good idea.
Other Important Considerations When Using a Roof Snow Rakes
Make sure you know plan where the snow is going to fall in advance. The last thing that you want to do is to have to shovel up all of snow because you accidentally put in your walkway or on your driveway. Snow is a lot easier to move when gravity is working in your favor!