How to Melt Ice Build Up on a Roof

Sloped Roofs

• 1

  Remove any snow on top of the ice. Always start at the top of the roof. With a push broom, push the snow off the roof. Avoid pushing the broom too hard or fast, as you may lose your balance.

• 2

  Pour a bucket of hot water down the ice dam to melt a channel in the ice. This allows the water to exit the roof, rather than leaking into your house.

• 3

  Detach one leg from an old pair of panty hose. Fill the leg with calcium chloride, an ice melter. Tie the top of the leg closed.

• 4

  Lay the panty hose leg in the channel that you melted with the hot water. The leg should travel down the channel so that it lays perpendicular to the roof's gutter. One end of the leg should touch the outer edge of the gutter. This will keep the channel clear of ice to allow for water run-off.

• 5

  Make more channels in the ice, filling them with calcium chloride-filled panty hose legs. Large roofs with severe ice and water problems will benefit from having water run-off channels spaced at intervals around the roof. Depending on the size of the roof, you may have a channel at each end of the roof and one in the middle.

Flat Roofs

• 6

  Shovel loose snow off the roof. Always check the ground for people or pets before shoveling anything off a roof.

• 7

  Arrange electrical de-icing cables on a flat roof with a central drain. Lay one cable near the edge of the roof, running parallel from one corner to the next. Do the same on the opposite side.

• 8

  Cross the cables to form an "X" on the roof, but avoid placing cables inside the central drain. If you have any obstructions on the roof, like a skylight, circle a cable around them.

• 9

  Plug the cables into an exterior outlet.