The Pros & Cons of Roof Rakes for Snow Removal

Aged Roof Damage

• The age of the roof and shingles will determine whether you should use a snow rake for removing snow. Avoid using a snow rake with older roofs because the shingles can be broken off by the rake, warns Henri De Marne in "About the House with Henri de Marne: How to Maintain, Repair, Upgrade, and Enjoy Your Home."

Snow Removal

• If you can effectively remove the snow from every corner of your roof with a snow rake, you should not have a problem using it on your roof, but larger roofs are too big for a snow rake to get to every area to remove snow. The leftover snow can build up or melt and refreeze and produce ice dams. Roof rakes will not chip off ice already on a roof. You must either use an ice chipper for those areas or melt the ice and remove the water from the roof before it refreezes.

Safety

• Using a roof rake keeps you on the ground while getting the snow off your roof. Walking on a snow-covered roof invites slipping or damaging the shingles on your roof. When using a roof rake, avoid standing on a ladder because pulling the weight of the snow can put you off balance on top of the ladder. On the ground, stand far enough away from the edge of the roof so that you will not pull the snow on top of you. Add an extension pole to the roof rake to make it long enough.

Preventing Roof Damage

• Roof rakes that can reach the entire roof's surface are an effective method for clearing off your roof. If left untreated, snow on a roof can cause roof leaks, ice dams or a roof collapse. Remove the snow as soon as it falls to keep it from melting and refreezing into ice, which is more difficult to remove.