Knowing how to use the snow roof rake correctly is essential to both your safety and health. There are ways that you can make roof-raking safe and you can reduce the effort that you have to put into the raking.
Snow-Raking Can Be A Difficult Job
You will find that raking the snow off your roof is much more difficult than raking your yard. For one thing, a roof is inclined and this is why you have to either use a manual tool to remove the snow or you will have to call in a professional to rake your roof for you. Gravity can help you, however, if the snow fall does not come down for a very long period of time, because the snow will eventually melt, which will keep the ice off of your roof with very little effort from you.
Aluminum Or Hard Plastic Roof Rakes
You will need an aluminum ladder and a roof rake to rake your roof. Roof rakes are attached to the end of an aluminum or hard plastic tube to enable you to reach the entire roof area. If you want a roof rake that will last you for a while, then you will want to choose an aluminum one over a plastic one. YOu will need an aluminum ladder to allow you to get up to the roof area and rake the roof to prevent ice. You can even use a chemical deicer if you desire.
Raking Your Roof Safely
There are a few things that you need to refrain from doing when clearing the snow from your roof.
1. Do not climb on the roof to clear off the snow. The mixture of the slippery snow and ice with the inclined roof are a combination that can be quite dangerous.
2. Do not pound or chop on the roof to remove the ice or snow. You could damage your roof if you do.
3. Make sure that your aluminum ladder is anchored firmly to the ground and it offers you firm footing for raking. You may even want to consider having someone hold the ladder to ensure that it does not move while you are raking the roof.
Alternatives to Roof Raking
If you want to save yourself time and energy, you can install de-icing cables on your roof. These cables are installed in a zigzag pattern across the roof and parallel to the gutters. You use a controller inside your home to warm up the cables to melt the snow and ice without any effort from you.
Andrew Caxton is the author and editor of many resources published at http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com A focused website that offers the best articles on lawn care and snow removal, read more at snow roof rakes.
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