RoofRake Blog

Leaf Roof Brush and Snow Rake Assembly Instructions

2025-04-03T21:16:21-05:00

Your USA Made Leaf Roof Brush or Snow Rake is inspected at least 2 times during packaging.

But, if anything is missing or just not right - we will make it right fast.
email sales@roofrake.com or text 248-802-2455

Leaf Roof Brush Assembly Video

The Truth About Snow On Your Roof

2015-08-02T18:54:00-05:00

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You may think those icicles hanging from your roof are pretty but they are actually a symptom of a potentially damaging problem for your home. As snow melts from you roof either by the sun or heat escaping from the home it tends to refreeze at the edges and other juncture points of your roof. The refreezing of water has a damming effect creating an even bigger ice dam behind it. Continuous feeding of the ice dam by melting and refreezing snow melt can cause significant damage to the roof and well as interior of the home. As the water seeps under shingles it refreezes expanding and creating an even bigger gap for future drainage to fill and further the cycle. This in the very least is raising your shingles. As the cycle continues the water will look for and create cracks in the wood and walls each time expanding to create more damage ‘til you see leakage and cracks in the ceiling and walls of the home.

Weight of Snow

A square foot of compacted snow can way close to 50 pounds. Many roofs, especially, older, flat and special structures such as carports, garages, and sheds are not always rated to support this kind of weight. It is important to remove as much of it as you safely can from the ground. We encounter people daily that did not know a tool was even available for this. Many inventions have been around since the 1800s to lighten the snow load on barns.

What can you do if you already have ice dams?

You need to remove the source of the water that is creating this problem. This can be safely done from the ground with a product called a roof rake. A roof rake is not a rake as in what you’d use in fall but rake refers to the pulling or raking process involved in pulling the snow off the roof, versus a shovel which you push. If the ice dams are already there try to remove as much snow as possible from the area of the roof behind the ice dam, at least 4-6 feet. Do not try to pull at the ice dam. You’ll damage your roof rake and the roof. Many people have pulled down shingles from their roof tugging at them with a roof rake. Remember there’s frozen water above and below the shingles. Once the snow is no longer there to feed the ice dam it will start to diminish in size. Many homeowners use ladies nylons filled with calcium chlorite or ice melter tablets – hockey puck like tablets that can be tossedb>n a roof.

If you’ve had ice damming in the past or signs of leakage it’s important to remove the snow from the front 4-6 feet of your roof after every snow fall. Just as you’d go out there to shovel the snow from the driveway or sidewalks, you need to get out and remove the snow from the roof. Get your roof rake out and pull the snow off that first 4-6 feet and any other trouble areas you’re aware of.

How do I know how long of a roof rake to get?

When using a roof rake you typically stand as far back on the ground so you can see where you’re working. For example on a typical one story I stand about 6 feet back but on a second story you’ll need to stand 18’ or so back. Terrain has a lot to do with it to a house up on a hill you’ll need more length. For a 21’ roof rake it can reach halfway up a single story and just to the gutter on a second story. On a 2 story house you’ll need two 5 foot extensions.

l it damage my roof?

re are different types of roof rakes available. Roofrake.com carries different roof rakes for various roof surfaces as well as solar panels. The roof rakes available feature special treatments or features that prevent the blades from shearing the asphalt from shingles such as wheels or rollers. For metal roofs the goal is avoiding the metal blade coming in contact with the treated metal and clearing the seams that can be as high as an inch and a half.

l my insurance cover a problem?

is essential that review your insurance policy and check with your agent before you have a problem. Basic form insurance policies do not cover collapse of a structure due to the weight of ice or snow. With people trying to save costs wherever possible it may be something to look in to. Most insurance companies improve the language from basic form, but look into it before you have no options.

####### About roofrake.com Roofrake.com was started in 2000 in Plymouth, Michigan when the owners viewed a man on top of his steep roof with a snow shovel. Thinking there has to be a better way they found a few firms with long handled snow shovels called roof rakes. The company now offers over a half dozen American Made tools to remove safely remove snow from a roof. Due to economic stimulus programs offered solar panels can now be commonly found on roofs. Roofrake.com offers the only soft headed roof rake to keep your solar panels clear of snow so they can continue to work year round. Cheryl Rotole has been with Roofrake.com for 8 years. Roofrake.com offers same day shipping as well as a knowledgeable staff that can match the best roof rake to your specific situation, be it deep snow, metal roof or solar panels. Please call 734.560.7153 or visit www.roofrake.com for more information or to order.

No Roof Rake Could Mean Collapse

2014-10-14T16:43:00-05:00

So you have a perfectly cool attic and are seeing no ice dams but mother nature and her snow making machine wont let up. This winter scenario could be even worse and it takes me back years to speaking with a client in Washington state who was letting us listen to her creaking roof. At that point we did everything we could to overnight a roof rake to a location that didn't really have great road access. And who could forget images of the the Minneapolis Stadium collapsing? Well, there's probably the only structure a roof rake could not have helped from impending collapse but I will add that Minnsnowta roof rake razors where used on domes in the 1999 winter games in Utah. Carports and porches seem to be the first to collapse from snow. Their flat surfaces can only take so much weight, older structures seem next in line and it isnt long before stories begin popping up on the news.

How much does that snow on your roof weigh anyway? The average weight of 1 foot of compacted snow is 30 pounds. New roofs can support in excess of 40 pounds per square foot. Older homes vary. This is known as Snow Loading. Do you know how much snow your roof is rated for? Contacting your builder or architect, if they are still around is a good place to start. Wet or drifted snow can cause the weight on your roof to increase dramatically so no need to remove as much as much of it as you can quickly. And the only tool to do that safely from the ground is a roof rake.

What roof rake should I buy?

2014-10-14T16:42:00-05:00

We have spoken with homeowners, who have lived in their homes for years without the slightest problem with snow or ice on their roofs or ice dams, that are surprised to learn that all of a sudden they need a snow roof rake. But we are more surprised to hear that some of our newer clients are getting too old to climb up on their roof and shovel off the snow. If you are even considering that - Stop! - get a roofrake! If we could only tell you about the hundreds of clients that we have spoken to that have fallen trying to do just that - remove snow from the roof.

So lets talk about the science of an ice dam and why you need a snow roof rake. Ice dams occur in two ways or in a combination of both.

Scenario number one: snow accumulates over time and melts when temperatures warm which is normally during the day as the sun is shining. Then at night snow tends to refreeze trapping some water beneath the snow and forcing it back up your roof right under the shingles and into your home. You may begin to see some water marks in your drywall.

Scenario number two: again snow accumulates but you have a warm attic - in full or in spots. This can be in the roof over a kitchen, directly below an access door, in areas where insulation is not present, or over your whole roof. Icicles are the first sign. Melted snow will find the path of least resistance and that can be right in the cracks of your shingles. Your attic needs to be as cool as possible to avoid this and you may be scratching your head as to why this is suddenly happening.

In either situation having a snow roof rake in hand can avoid costly damage and roof repairs. All you need to do is simply roof rake about six feet clear from the edge of your roof to minimize damage to your home or business.