See below for a shopp.
Rock salt to melt ice dams on roof.
But if you ve let your ice dam fester for so long that you can t even get a credible ice dam company to help you because they re booked solid salt may help you emerge from your diy ice dam removal adventure as unscathed as possible.
Removing the snow removes the water that forms ice.
A do not put salt on your roof.
A word of caution.
Removing snow from your roof.
Use roof melt tablets to reduce snow and ice buildup that occurs on your roof typically on the eaves and in gutters.
It should be no surprise then that it is the first thing many people think of to remove ice dams.
The tablets help prevent roof damage by melting through ice dams and allowing water to drain safely.
The tablets are specially formulated with calcium chloride so they won t harm your exterior like products such as rock salt which could rust your gutters and damage shingles.
However rock salt is a form of sodium chloride which corrodes metal including the metal nails holding your shingles in place.
They work effectively in temperatures down to 25 f.
While safely on the ground toss a roofmelt tablet onto the roof.
Why you have them why you don t want them.
The roofmelt ice melt is designed to eliminate the need to climb onto roofs while melt snow.
Permanent fixes for ice dams illustration by yuko shimizu.
Melt troughs through the ice dam with calcium chloride ice melter.
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.
It will damage the roofing siding gutters and downspouts and the poisonous runoff will kill foundation plants.
Do not use rock salt.
Do not substitute rock salt for calcium chloride as rock salt can damage shingles and kill bushes and foliage beneath.
Next up a list of long term fixes that will help you get rid of your ice dams for good.
When you ve got icicles like those above it s time to figure out the best strategy for removing the snow from your roof.
Sodium chloride or rock salt is highly corrosive.
It will damage paint metals and plants beneath the eave and wherever the salty water drains.
Ask this old house general contractor tom silva explains the best ways to keep your roof and gutters free from those dreaded ice dams.
Pantyhose a quick fix to melt ice dams this article.
It also does not work well below 20 degrees fahrenheit.
A good trough maker is a tube of cloth a leg from an old pair of panty hose works well.
Emphasis on the as possible part.
Preventing ice dam problems.