How to De-Ice House Eaves

Ice buildup on the eaves of your roof can cause water to back up and leak down through the shingles, possibly leading to water damage inside your home. Ice can also break and cause damage to people and property below. It's dangerous to climb up on the roof and push ice from the eaves, plus the force could damage shingles. Instead, use what is known as an ice melt sleeve to cut through the buildup. A commercial ice melt sleeve or sock is a 3- to 6-foot-long tube of porous fabric, such as nylon, that concentrates the ice melt on the blocks of ice.

Things You'll Need

• Ice melt sleeve
• Ice melt containing calcium magnesium acetate
• Rope

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Fill the ice melt sleeve with ice melt and tie the end securely. Use a noncorrosive ice melt, such as calcium magnesium acetate.

   • 2

     Tie a rope to the end of the ice melt sleeve.

   • 3

     Toss the ice melt sleeve onto the roof far above the icy eaves.

   • 4

     Pull the rope to position the ice melt sleeve so that it falls over the ridge of ice on the eaves. Leave the ice melt sleeve in place for about 30 to 60 minutes to allow it to melt a groove into the ice.

   • 5

     Reposition the ice melt sleeve onto another part of the roof ice and repeat until all the ice is significantly reduced.