The holidays are over, and we are now in the middle of winter. This is typically the time of year when snowstorms start hitting us one after the other. That means there will be a significant amount of snow building up on your roof. Although it may look pretty, especially if you still have your holiday lights up, snow is extremely heavy. For example, one (1) square foot of compacted snow can weigh upwards of 50 pounds. Many roofs, especially older roofs and flat roofs simply cannot support this amount of weight. Even newer and pitched roofs can only take so much. That’s why we advise: snow roof raking is dangerous so leave it to a professional, and here’s why.
What is Snow Roof Raking
All of that pretty yet extremely heavy snow is actually wreaking havoc on your roof. In the least, it may lead to annoying leaks. At worst, it can lead to the build up of damaging ice dams, and even cause your roof to cave in. Winter related roof cave-ins are not only incredibly dangerous to the people living inside the building, they also tend to cause a logistical nightmare. Just imagine being displaced until the damage is fixed. Between the insurance company and the contractors scheduling, that can make months or even longer.
The good news is that this can all be avoided through a method called snow roof raking. In essence, a snow roof rake is a long aluminum hoe that is used to push and pull snow from pitched and flat roofs. The roof rake is long enough to reach the roof from the ground. However, using these tools can be physically demanding and even hazardous to both people and property alike. That is why you need to leave the snow roof raking up the professionals. Do not attempt this dangerous task yourself.
Falling Ice/Icicles
The bigger the piece of ice on your roof or icicle dangling off of it, the harder it falls. Did you know that ice is even heavier than snow? One (1) cubic foot of ice weighs approximately 62 pounds, not to mention that it gains velocity as it falls. You can easily knock large pieces of ice and icicles off of the roof when snow roof raking. A great deal of property owners have been injured and even killed from falling roof ice when attempting this dangerous task on their own. So why leave it up to chance when you can hire a professional that knows how to properly remove snow and ice without endangering themselves or your property?
Falling Snow
When snow is raked from the roof it falls to the ground. Professionals incorporate the use of time-tested techniques in order to avoid being hit by all of that falling snow. Remember, snow is heavy. It can cause damage to your property and yourself if not removed in the proper manner. In essence, big chunks of sliding snow can be an outright safety hazard. Many property owners that attempt to rake the snow from their own roof end up damaging the shrubs. Although that is far better than injuring themselves, it adds to landscaping costs in the spring, which tend to be expensive.
The Power Lines
People tend to forget that a large aluminum roof rake is just as dangerous as an aluminum ladder when it comes to making contact with power lines that are located overhead. Far too many property owners end up electrocuting themselves when raking snow off of their roof. This danger can be completely avoided by hiring a professional to take care of the task for you. Professional snow roof raking is affordable, saves your property from major roof problems, and removes the physical danger from your to do list.
In conclusion, we have a full crew of trained and experienced professionals to handle the job for you as part of our winter services. Please contact The Veron Company today with any and all questions about your snow roof raking needs. Our company has been concentrating on maximizing your landscape’s potential since 1982.
