An ice pick or awl is best for this task though a crowbar or hatchet can work too.
How to remove ice dam from metal roof.
Gently toss the tied off pantyhose onto the edge of your roof to begin melting the snow.
If left alone the ice dam will continue to be built up by the snow and ice up on your roof.
Ice dam on your roof.
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.
Eliminate its fuel source.
Using a roof rake remove snow 3 4 feet from the edge of your roof being careful not to damage the roof covering or to allow snow to build up around walking paths or to block emergency exits.
Another option to consider is a metal roof.
You will still want to have an adequate.
If you don t want to get sued by the parents of the girl scout who came to sell cookies but instead played with the cool icicle attached to the 2000 lb.
Ask this old house general contractor tom silva explains the best ways to keep your roof and gutters free from those dreaded ice dams.
4 place heat tape in the gutter itself.
Melting ice using chemicals or heat.
If necessary use a long handled garden rake or hoe to push it into position.
One way to remove an ice dam is to melt it using calcium chloride ice melt.
So the first.
The slipperiness of metal roofs is what almost always keeps ice dams from forming but by the same token ice can slide off at the drop of a hat if an ice dam does form.
By installing a metal roof that has a special coating designed to shed snow and ice causing it to fall off the roof before it has a chance to form into an ice dam you can completely eliminate ice dam formations on your roof in the first place.
See below for a shopp.
Purchase sidewalk salt also called calcium chloride from your local hardware or big box store.
Standing on a.
With any luck the bags after becoming wet will rip and spread the calcium chloride into the dam effectively melting it away.