DIYbanter - View Single Post

wrote:
Info only! A roof heater system is not practical as no one is in
house
to
switch the heaters on & off!

I wanted to tell you about my experiment. I have now 4 salt bags on
my
roof of
our Deep Creek house. I have filled two pairs of OLD pantyhose with
salt and
threw them up on the house roof in crock area where the water has
leaked into
the house in the past. No water leak seen while we were there
however.
None
pre of post salt on roof.
I belive its the ice dam problem. Most likely when a family comes in
after a
snow & puts the heat on in the house. The over hang area is not warm
&
causes
an ice dam.
I saw an internet idea about this. I cut the legs off the pantyhose
to
mage
two bags from each. No, I do not know what will happen to the empty
panty
hose , but likely may clog gutter!
I used cement safe salt as it could go to the cement ground pad
below.
The
bags are on top of the snow, but I really wanted to put them up pre
snow days.
I think rock salt could be used if put up pre snow as the gutters may
not
freeze & clear all the salty water via the drains & not hit the
cement.

I think I will try a test here in Bowie also, one leg of regular rock
salt &
one of safe salt. Put on roof next to each other in fall line ( no
plants
below!)& see what happens next snow.

So, if it works, that area of the crotch should clear before the rest
of the
shady roof!

This is an old old idea. Yes it can work. Yes it's a lot of work.
It's better to fix the roof system and ventilation or use thermostatic
heat tape and be done with it.