Home Garden

DIY Roof Melt

During a snowy, cold winter, accumulated snow on the roof can potentially cause leaky ceilings or collapsed roofs. Purchasing a commercial product designed to melt ice on the roof can get expensive throughout a harsh season. Creating an ice-melting solution yourself can be just as effective at a fraction of the cost. Homemade ice melters will slowly melt away the snow and ice on your roof, allowing the water to run off into the gutters and alleviating the damage to your roof and gutters.

Things You'll Need

  • Pantyhose
  • Calcium chloride ice melting pellets
  • Ladder
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Pour calcium chloride pellets into one leg of the pantyhose.

    • 2

      Tie the leg off every 5 to 6 inches, creating separate compartments for the pellets. This prevents the pellets from gathering in the foot.

    • 3

      Repeat for the other leg and securely tie off the pantyhose at the waist.

    • 4

      Repeat the process so you have enough ice melters to lay across your roof every 5 feet.

    • 5

      Set up a ladder to gain access to the roof.

    • 6

      Place the ice melters vertically on the roof. One foot should hang just over the gutter. The other leg should rotate 180 degrees so that the other foot reaches for the roof ridge.

    • 7

      Place one every 5 to 6 feet across the roof.