Tips to Melt Snow on Your Roof

Portable Heaters

• One of the ways that people use to try to get snow off their roof is by putting portable heaters in the attic to raise the temperature under the roof and melt the snow, which is a bad idea for many reasons, but there are two primary reasons why you should not do this. The first is that portable heaters left running unattended in your attic present a fire hazard. The second reason this is a bad idea is that the constant heat on on side of your roof's wood foundation and the intense cold on the other side can cause damage to the wood itself and could result in roof repair or replacement.

Hands-on Approach

• Another method people use to try to melt snow off their roofs is to point a hairdryer or other handheld heating device at the snow. Using handheld devices to melt snow from your roof when the devices are designed for indoor use only creates a fire hazard and the threat of electrocution. The other potential threat from this method is leaning a ladder against your gutters that are filled with ice. The additional pressure on your gutters, coupled with the weight of the ice, will cause structural damage to your home and could also cause your gutters to collapse.

Warm Water

• People will sometimes try to pour warm water on their roofs to melt the snow. Adding more water to a situation that already involves snow and ice will cause a larger buildup of ice in your gutters. That ice could eventually build up to the point where the water starts leaking into your home, your gutters collapse or both.

Electrical Coils

• One of the safe ways to melt snow on your roof is to use electrical heating coils specifically designed to melt snow and ice. Heating coils can be safely installed on any roofing surface and plug into any standard home outlet. Do not leave the coils on for too long as they do draw a significant amount of electricity, and running them for extended periods of time could raise your energy bills.