Fill the leg of discarded pair of panty hose with a calcium chloride ice melter. Lay the hose onto the roof so it crosses the ice dam and overhangs the gutter. If necessary, use a long-handled garden rake or hoe to push it into position. The calcium chloride will eventually melt through the snow and ice and create a channel for water to flow down into the gutters or off the roof.
Wallace S. Gibson, CPM * GIBSON MANAGEMENT GROUP, Ltd.
Central Virginia
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Wallace, excellent post!
We have friends in MD that are experiencing a problem with ice dams... We'll forward them your suggestion.
Looks like a super smart and cheap solution -- good post for those in ice states.
I drove by a property I used to manage that the owner now manages directly and there are ice dams all over the back which does not get any sun...
and where was this post last week when my gutter fell off the back of my house? ;)
Larry * fingers crossed * I don't have any on my properties yet * I had gutters cleaned in Dec and they were checked then....just loads of trees down
What a great idea. I'll have to try it.