Tips on Using Roof Rakes

Choose Your Weapon

• Roof rakes come in many different styles. Make sure that the one you choose is long enough to comfortably reach your roof. Some roof rakes come with sectional handles that screw or snap together, while others are telescoping. The heads may be of different materials; choose metal for normal roof surfaces, or softer polyethylene foam for delicate surfaces like solar panels. Some models have plastic wheels on the bottom of the head to keep the edge of the blade from scraping and damaging your shingles.

Use Roof Rakes Appropriately

• Roof rakes are designed with one purpose in mind: removing snow. While it may be tempting to try to break up an existing ice dam by whacking it with the rake, you risk damaging your roof and breaking the rake by doing so. Don't be too ambitious with your snow removal, either. Take small "bites" with the rake, removing only a foot or two of snow at a time -- less for heavy, wet snow. Start at the edges of the roof and work up. To break up ice dams, you generally only need to remove the first few feet of snow on the roof.

Stay Safe

• Using a roof rake from the ground is a much safer option than climbing onto your roof to remove snow. Even so, it's important to be aware of your surroundings. Never use a roof rake near power lines. Stand well back from the edge of the roof -- snow and ice are heavy and can injure you if they fall on you. Don't use a ladder to reach the top of the roof; leave the snow you can't reach, get a longer extension for the roof rake handle or hire a professional to remove that snow.

Don't Overdo It

• Roof rakes can damage the surface of your roof and reduce the life of your shingles. To protect your home, don't let the edge of the blade touch the roof itself. Leave a shallow layer of snow about an inch thick to protect the shingles. This protective snow covering also helps keep the roof cold, which helps to reduce the amount of meltwater that flows down to add to an ice dam. When the weather warms up, it will disappear quickly.