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1. 
   renosteinke | Feb 22, 2015 03:23pm | #1

   I would not worry about "snow weight," all by itself. Snow is, after all, fairly lightweight. Dry snow, that is. You pretty much have to assume the roof was designed properly, and will handle anything you'll encounter.

   Instead, let's look at what happens to snow. Unless you're in some exceptional places, snow goes away by melting. "Wet" snow, snow that has been rained on, snow that has melted and re-frozen .... these are the things to worry about.

   Think about that word "wet." That's the key. You need to make sure that water has a place to go before it can freeze again.

   Here, rain gutters are your enemy. They provide a place for water to accumulate, they direct all the water to a few small places (that will be overwhelmed by the flow), and they help snow accumulate atop the roof.

   Your best defense is to properly install heat-trace tape. All around the perimeter, in roof valleys, in gutters and downspouts. Keep the water flowing until it's off the house.

   Ultimately, the heat trace will undermine the snow near the eaves, helping snow to fall off the roof.

   I recommend the Raychem 'self-regulating' style of heat trace. You can custom-fit the length, it can cross over itself, and there is no separate thermostat wire to damage. It actually adjusts it's own setting, using less power when it's warm and more when it's cold -even within the same length of cable!

2. 
   RyAck | Feb 22, 2015 06:49pm | #2

   Try using a hammer drill with a wide spade bit. It cuts through ice as fast as it deals with concrete! That's the way we do it in sunny California...at 8000' elevation in the Sierra Nevada where a big winter can mean 50'+ of snow.

3. 
   artagain | Feb 25, 2015 09:06am | #3

   Hooked up a hose to the hot water heater and tried blasting channels thru them to make them smaller to remove. It probably wood have worked had I done it when they were 5" to 6" thick but they were 10"+ and taking way too long to get thru. The hot water did get under the dams and made them easier to break up and remove when I switched to a 3 lb sledge and a cold chisel...

4. 
   ouellettem | Mar 02, 2015 01:14pm | #4

   Lots and lots of ice melt that will not harm the shingles or other areas below the roof. Once the ice is softer it is easier with the hammer or ax to break it up and remove it. You do not need to get to the bare shingle with the hammer. Enough to remove the dam hump. Ice melt on that gets things down to the bare shingle and water just flows off the roof. This methods cuts down on time and effort but it will cost you a little bit. I think it was worth the cost.

5. 
   Tomkeefe | Mar 02, 2015 01:24pm | #5

   An ice pick, carefully wielded, works wonders on even large chunks of ice---but stop several inches short of the roof surface or any flashing. Heat tapes are almost never a good solution (not green; inefficient; often break or mal-function; fire hazard; unsightly....etc.). An ice dam is a red light & horn telling you to fix the underlying problem ASAP, don't just treat the symptom. Using a sledge or cold chisel on a roof seems to be asking for trouble...a D-9 blade would work, too, but it's overkill. Gutters - if you insist on having them - should be taken off in late fall, and re-installed in spring; better solution is to install a good (large) drip flashing and put a pitched gravel splash on the drip line. This also helps keep plantings away from foundations where they don't belong.

6. 
   beardog | Mar 02, 2015 01:28pm | #6

   I had Ice dam problems that had rivers running down exterior walls until I put a strip of clad aluminum about 4 ft. wide all along the eave. The first bit of sun that comes out after a snowfall and the snow slides off the roof leaving a clean edge. Best thing I ever did. Ridge vents that get buried won't work so install a couple of vertical vents and all will be well.

   Wally, Montreal

7. 
   EthanB | Mar 02, 2015 05:56pm | #7

   We've had record snow falls here in Massachusetts. So I've spent a lot of time recently removing ice dams. Some guys I know like to use a sawzall and use the end of the blade to chip channels in the ice another guy I know swears by an Estwing "Fireside Friend" which is a 4 lb mini splitting maul, which I tried but the splitting side makes me real nervous around shingles. Plus swinging that thing all day would destroy my joints!

   Personally I think the best way to go is a smallish (@ 1") rotary hammer with a chipping function (corded or cordless but you'll need a LOT of batteries) and a tile removal chisel. The tile chisel is slightly angled which helps keep you in line with the roof and the blade is long and thin, so it can create cracks in the ice rather than just trying to mash it. I follow the pitch of the roof from the bottom and leave a few inches of ice on the roof which I then break up with a 28 oz framing hammer. Starting from the bottom I break up the ice right by the gutter and get to bare roof, from there it's easier because you can just break off chunks from the edge of the hole you've created in the ice, I also use the bouncy spot between rafters and let that flex break up the sheet of ice. I never actually touch the roof so there's no cracked shingles and very little ice left on the roof. Works great!

8. 
   trinker | Mar 07, 2015 04:09am | #8

   Move south.

9. 
   Bookcrazy | Aug 05, 2015 07:25am | #9

   No contest, an ice pick works beautifully to remove ice dams.
   The ice has grain like wood. A sharp jab will split the ice and allow removal in large chunks. The pick works especially well clearing ice out of gutters from around the gutter fasteners. Try it and you will see how the ice pick teaches you how to use it (my father-in-law delivered ice before refrigeration, and told me that). It really works.