Reapply the tablets as needed.
Ice on roof how to thaw.
Fill a woman s stocking with calcium chloride and lay it in position directly over the ice dam in your gutter.
As you re waiting for the unit to thaw keep an eye out for.
If you can access your indoor ac unit you may want to put some towels on the floor surrounding the unit.
If necessary use a long handled rake or other tool to help get it in position.
An ice pick or awl is best for this task though a crowbar or hatchet can work too.
Sprinkle a chemical deicer on the roof to get rid of large sections of snow.
Distribute roof melt tablets evenly around the perimeter of the roof either near the eaves or near the gutters to assist with ice reduction.
Wear gloves to protect your hands from the chemicals and throw small handfuls of the deicer onto the roof so it can start melting the snow.
The socks will create melt a channel in the ice to allow the water to run off your roof instead of building up along the eaves and leaking inside.
If necessary use a long handled garden rake or hoe to push it into position.
An overflowing drain pan.
Pull the snow toward you.
This is a great way to get the water flowing if you have ice buildup.
Secure shingle clips to roof shingles using a flathead screwdriver making sure to align them in a zigzag pattern.
When it reaches the eaves where the temperature of the roof is colder the water refreezes.
This will help prevent water damage if the melting ice overflows the drain pan and leaks onto the floor.
Stand on the ground not on the roof or ladder and use this rake to scrape the existing snowpack down off your roof.
Toss roof melt into the gutters as well.
As more and more water melts down the roof and refreezes at these locations ice builds up and forms a blockage or dam.
Do not use rock salt.
Lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter.
There truly is no wrong way to do this.
Don t use a side to side motion because doing so could dislodge shingles.
It will damage paint metals and plants beneath the eave and wherever the salty water drains.
Melt troughs through the ice dam with calcium chloride ice melter.
Next go up on the roof and put ice melt socks vertically one end onto the gutter and the other end up the roof slopes spacing them every 3 feet.
The calcium chloride will eventually melt through the snow and ice and create a channel for water to flow down into the gutters or off the roof.
They form when snow melts in warmer areas of the roof sending water running down toward the edge.
It all depends on the extent of the ice buildup.
Clip in the cable along the same zigzag pattern as the shingle clips.
In this video master electrician for ask this old house scott caron helps a homeowner install heat cables on his roof to stop ice dams.
