How to Keep Icicles off a Roof

Icicles can often be seen hanging from gutters and roofs during the winter months. These sticks of ice form when the warmer part of an attic melts the snow above it. The water then flows downward and refreezes when it comes in contact with a colder section. Homeowners would be wise to prevent the icicles from forming, as icicles are often a sign of a pending ice dam. Ice dams can cause such damage as gutters pulling away from roofing and water entering your home underneath the roofing.

Insulation
Ventilation
Nylon stockings
Calcium chloride

Instructions

- 1
  Insulate your attic, if it is not already insulated. The insulation keeps the heat inside your home, instead of allowing it to reach your roof, where it melts the snow above it.
- 2
  Increase the ventilation in your attic. HomeImprovementWeb.com recommends that every 150 feet of the attic floor have 1 square foot of vent. The improved ventilation works together with the insulation to reduce the heat from reaching and warming up the roof.
- 3
  Fill several nylon stockings with calcium chloride. Set the stockings along the edges of your roof or inside your gutters during the winter months. The calcium chloride keeps the ice melted so that it does not freeze and turn into icicles.

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