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Heavy snowfalls are increasingly causing roofs to collapse. Fragile structures, due to their dilapidation or mistakes made during construction, cannot withstand the pressure of heavy snow caps. Collapse can only be prevented by timely cleaning of the roof. At the same time, there is no need to climb to the roof, risking your health, because there are a lot of different devices that allow you to reach the highest point of the ridge, standing confidently on the ground. It is about such devices that will be discussed in the article below.
What threatens snow on the roof
Throughout the winter, the thickness of the snow cover on the roof only grows. Its weight can reach several tons. Regular alternation of thawing and freezing provokes the formation of ice. Huge blocks of snow and ice move as they grow, and can damage the roofing material, outlets of ventilation pipes, tear off the elements of fasteners, gutters. Spontaneous falling of snow from the roof can cause disaster.
The period of snow melting in autumn is also a test for the roof. Heavy, packed snow slowly turns into water and flows into even the most secluded cracks on the roof. As a result, the rafter part gets wet, a putrefactive process begins. In such conditions, even a small amount of liquid can cause significant damage.
The above arguments are a good reason for every owner of a private house to take care of cleaning the roof. from snow... After all, even a high-quality, new roof under the influence of a snow cover may suffer. In such a situation, there is no need to talk about the old buildings of the housing complex.
It is worth noting that many new buildings are equipped with a system of special snow retainers that prevent spontaneous snow fall. Indeed, the presence of such devices gives a certain effect and does not allow heavy masses to actively move, but this does not mean at all that you can refuse to clean the roofs, because there is still a threat of serious damage. The same applies to the cable heating system for drainage systems. They do not allow the accumulation of snow and ice along the perimeter of the roof, but the main area of the roof will still be subject to snow pressure.
Roof cleaning equipment
There are a huge number of universal and special tools for cleaning the roof. For this purpose, homeowners use both conventional shovels and special paper clips. Before using this or that tool, you need to remember some important points:
- Any kind of equipment can be used on flat roofs of multi-storey and private houses. Ordinary shovels and electric snow blowers will do. Working on a horizontal surface is easy enough.
- It is unsafe to stay and move on pitched roofs in winter, therefore it is recommended to use special scrapers attached to the telescopic handle. They allow, standing on the ground, to remove snow even from the roof of the attic floor.
- In the absence of a special scraper, you can clean the pitched roof with a shovel with the same telescopic handle. In this case, you will have to climb to the roof, but you can carry out actions from one point without moving along the pitched roof.
- Delete snow from the roof it is possible with homemade devices, the device and technology for the creation of which we will offer below.
Each type of the proposed inventory has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages that you need to be aware of.
Features of the use of conventional shovels
A shovel for removing snow from the roof should be as light and comfortable as possible, and its bucket should be roomy. Wooden, metal and plastic shovels are used to clean the roofs. They all have their own advantages and disadvantages:
- Metal shovels are quite heavy and bulky. When operated on the roof, they emit a characteristic sound that is also heard indoors. Reliable metal can damage some elements of the roof.
- Wooden shovels are heavy and bulky, but they cannot damage the roof surface. At a relatively low cost, wooden shovels are characterized by a short period of use.
- Plastic shovels are very light and comfortable, but, unfortunately, under the influence of low temperatures, low-quality plastic quickly wears out and breaks. A reliable tool is quite expensive and it is not rational to buy it especially for cleaning the roof.
It is ordinary shovels that are most often used to clean snow in private buildings, because every owner has such equipment. And even if you have to buy a shovel, it will come in handy not only for cleaning the roof, but also for cleaning walkways and platforms.
Important features of cuttings
A shovel made of any material can be equipped with a good handle, which will greatly facilitate the process of removing snow from the roof. Of course, the ideal option in this case is a telescopic handle that can be extended several meters. But even when using a conventional handle, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- The shank should be as reliable and lightweight as possible. It is preferable to choose a handle made of aluminum or high quality plastic.
- The wood cuttings are very heavy and smooth. They can easily slip out of the hand of a working person.
- On plastic, wood and metal cuttings, it is necessary to provide for the presence of a special rubberized layer that will not allow the shovel to slip out of the hands.
To acquire a comfortable long-handled shovel, there is no need to buy expensive, branded inventory, because it will be much cheaper to buy a separate telescopic device and install a modern handle on an existing shovel.
Special scrapers for cleaning roofs
All specialized roof scrapers have roughly the same equipment. They consist of a scraper and a telescopic handle. In some models, the telescopic handle is replaced with a special aluminum tube of 3-4 rods. The length of each of these rods can be 1.2-1.5 m.The scraper itself is made of high-quality plastic that can withstand temperatures down to -400C. The dimensions of the working surface for each specific model may be special. It is important to note that the scraper does not have a flat plane and is at a slight angle. Special skids on the working surface do not allow damage to the roof during operation.
These special roof scrapers are quite lightweight. Their weight, as a rule, does not exceed 3 kg.
Some manufacturers make roof scraper slightly differently, replacing the plastic scraper with a metal stripper. It is a contour attached to a telescopic handle. When working, this equipment cuts off some of the snow that rolls along a sliding belt attached to the bottom of the structure. The work of such a scraper can be seen in the video:
How to make a do-it-yourself roof scraper
To once again affect the family budget, you can make a roof scraper yourself. To do this, you need a wire with a diameter of 10 mm or more. It is necessary to bend a rectangular frame from it. When bending, consider the fact that the ends of the wire should converge in the middle of the wide side of the frame.
A telescopic handle or aluminum profile can be used as a scraper handle. It is preferable to make a home-made handle from several parts so that you can add and remove a number of knees if necessary.
A long piece of slip film should be hung on the underside of the frame. On the upper part of the contour, fix a handle that will connect the free ends of the wire. In this simple way, you can make a reliable and practical scraper for cleaning snow from roofs at home.
It turns out to be very simple to clean the roof in winter. To do this, there is no need to flatter at a height and risk your health, because you can buy or make your own long-handled scraper, which will reach the highest point of the roof ridge, and remove the entire thickness of heavy snow. If you do not clean the roof in time, then you can expose your family and friends to danger, spoil the roof or elements of ventilation, drainage. One huge block of snow with ice can cause significant damage to the building itself and the people living in it. Agree, such serious risks in this situation are unjustified.
