Roof Raking Tips

Roof Raking:  In terms of technique, all you have to remember is: start at the bottom of the roof and work your way to the top, and don’t try to pull off too much snow at once.

1.) Having the right rake: Most importantly, your roof rake should have small rollers or bumpers on the bottom of the blade, so that it doesn’t come into direct contact with the surface of your roof (the shingles) and unnecessarily scrape them. If you cannot find a rake with rollers or bumpers, try to get a plastic rake so there is less damage caused to the shingles. If you have a higher roof, it would be a good idea to get extension poles so you can reach all the hard to get places.

2.) Clear off snow overhangs, which are the areas where ice dams usually form. The easiest and most efficient technique for raking is to start clearing the overhangs first and work your way to the top, pulling off a foot or so of snow at a time, although, depending on the depth and weight of the snow you may be able to pull much more than a foot at a time.  If you start raking too high-up on the roof and try to pull off too much snow at once, on your way down the roof the rake head will begin to float and loose contact with the surface of the roof.  This is bad because you’ll end up packing down any snow that’s left behind, making it more difficult to remove on later passes.

3.) If it is too tricky, or you are unable to do it yourself, DRS specializes in roof raking and preventing ice dams. 877-280-7961.