Your response to those little icicles should be to break out your fancy new roof rake and remove the snow from your roof.
Should you break icicles off roof.
It s not recommended for a typical homeowner to remove icicles because it could cause damage to.
The cycle repeats itself as long as your attic is warming the roof there s snow on the roof and the temperatures outside are below zero.
Should i knock icicles down myself.
Assuming you live in a house and not in a cave you should not knock the icicles off your roof.
With time these ice deposits get thicker forming a dam that prevents the roof water runoff.
If there are no eavestroughs or gutters on your roof then there is no way to stop icicles.
Icicles have to attach somewhere on your roof which means there s more ice up there.
So how can you remove them safely.
The icicles look pretty but i don t want any damage to the roof ice dam or to gutters themselves by being pulled away from the roof by the weight of the ice.
A few drips refreeze to begin the base of the icicle.
Call a contractor for help with larger ones to prevent roof damage.
The long handle on the rake allows you to remove icicles and snow.
If icicles form even when there is a trough then it means that the trough is frozen full and water is getting by the trough somehow either over it or behind it.
For this reason it is advised that homeowners never go up on shingled roofs to shovel off snow.
Remove the snow from your overhangs at the very least.
There are several risks to knocking icicles down yourself.
The reason is that the icicles often form on your shingles.
You will instantly rip some of the shingles cleanly off your roof.
But to answer your good question no.
If the icicles are less than a foot long and an inch wide they can be removed with a telescoping roof rake like snow joe rake 30.
If you rip the icicle off one of two bad things will happen.
If you re looking for a great excuse to call over a roofer in the springtime look no farther.
Water that is trapped on your roof can and potentially weaken your roof loosen your shingles or causing leaks to the interior of your home.
Should you break icicles off your gutters.
It s not recommended for a typical homeowner to remove icicles because it could cause damage.
The weight of trapped ice in your gutter can damage the gutter or rip it away from the side of the house completely.
Small icicles along the edge of your roof.
If you have eavestroughs you will most likely not have icicles forming.
For this reason it is advised that homeowners never go up on shingled roofs to shovel off snow.
While standing safely on the ground hold a long handled aluminum rake and use it to scrape the snow and icicles off your roof.
