One thing I learned, is the fact that roof/gutter heating cables aren't worth a crap when it gets this cold. I have a very slight grade on the garage roof and I had issues with ice dams a few years ago. I countered by installing the heated plugin cable to melt the snow and ice to prevent that. It worked great last year, but we didn't see temperatures this low.
When this latest polar blast arrived along with a bunch of snow, I plugged them in again. Turns out when it gets this cold, they don't work. My gutters are packed full of ice again and I'm dealing with ice dams. I need to figure something out before I have water flow back up to a heating vent, which will result in having water enter the garage, like it did a few years ago.
Last time this happened, I had to grab a dead blow hammer and beat the ice out of the gutter and off the edge of the roof. That worked fine, but it also raised hell with the gutter. I just had new gutters installed right before this last cold front arrived, so I'm not anxious about going that direction.
Salt doesn't work well when it's this cold either. The direction to go, would be to use a steamer, but I can't find an industrial grade unit to rent, and I'm not going drop several grand to buy something I would use at most, twice a year. The idea of wandering around on an ice covered roof, doesn't get me excited either.
Time to MacGyver something, I just haven't figured out what yet.
Originally Posted by BWillie:
I love the cold until it snows or gets below zero. No yard work. Lower electric bill. And anything over 80 degeees is miserable.
It is nice to know that somebody else adores bad weather, though I adore snow and sub-zero temperatures.
Having a wood-burning fireplace helps, but if my thermostat gets over 70 degrees, I get miserable. [Reply]
One thing I learned, is the fact that roof/gutter heating cables aren't worth a crap when it gets this cold. I have a very slight grade on the garage roof and I had issues with ice dams a few years ago. I countered by installing the heated plugin cable to melt the snow and ice to prevent that. It worked great last year, but we didn't see temperatures this low.
When this latest polar blast arrived along with a bunch of snow, I plugged them in again. Turns out when it gets this cold, they don't work. My gutters are packed full of ice again and I'm dealing with ice dams. I need to figure something out before I have water flow back up to a heating vent, which will result in having water enter the garage, like it did a few years ago.
Last time this happened, I had to grab a dead blow hammer and beat the ice out of the gutter and off the edge of the roof. That worked fine, but it also raised hell with the gutter. I just had new gutters installed right before this last cold front arrived, so I'm not anxious about going that direction.
Salt doesn't work well when it's this cold either. The direction to go, would be to use a steamer, but I can't find an industrial grade unit to rent, and I'm not going drop several grand to buy something I would use at most, twice a year. The idea of wandering around on an ice covered roof, doesn't get me excited either.
Time to MacGyver something, I just haven't figured out what yet.
You need one of these...
Or maybe a propane torch if you have trouble finding a flamethrower. [Reply]
One thing I learned, is the fact that roof/gutter heating cables aren't worth a crap when it gets this cold. I have a very slight grade on the garage roof and I had issues with ice dams a few years ago. I countered by installing the heated plugin cable to melt the snow and ice to prevent that. It worked great last year, but we didn't see temperatures this low.
When this latest polar blast arrived along with a bunch of snow, I plugged them in again. Turns out when it gets this cold, they don't work. My gutters are packed full of ice again and I'm dealing with ice dams. I need to figure something out before I have water flow back up to a heating vent, which will result in having water enter the garage, like it did a few years ago.
Last time this happened, I had to grab a dead blow hammer and beat the ice out of the gutter and off the edge of the roof. That worked fine, but it also raised hell with the gutter. I just had new gutters installed right before this last cold front arrived, so I'm not anxious about going that direction.
Salt doesn't work well when it's this cold either. The direction to go, would be to use a steamer, but I can't find an industrial grade unit to rent, and I'm not going drop several grand to buy something I would use at most, twice a year. The idea of wandering around on an ice covered roof, doesn't get me excited either.
Time to MacGyver something, I just haven't figured out what yet.
The heaters actually make it worse when you have a snow pack because it melts the lower part enough to have water back up. I had a similar problem like 7 years ago. You gotta shovel about 2-3 ft above the gutter right after it snows. Then it will drain before it freezes and you won’t be stuck with an 8 inch block of ice in your gutter.
Also, gutters cause a lot of problems and aren’t really needed in some areas. They’re really just to keep a waterfall from coming off your roof. I would just take the gutters off your garage as long as that won’t cause a sheet of ice in your driveway and that will solve that problem. [Reply]
It was -4 this morning. If you'd like to experience what it was like when the Titanic passengers hit the water, step into my garage wearing a short sleeve shirt. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Frazod:
It was -4 this morning. If you'd like to experience what it was like when the Titanic passengers hit the water, step into my garage wearing a short sleeve shirt.
Dude where’s the Han Solo meme from 7 years ago? [Reply]
Originally Posted by kccrow:
Fix your roof venting this summer. :P
I'm going to install a couple this summer. I have a 20" snow rake that I use for the house, but with the cable up there on the garage, if I try to rake over that, it dislodges the cables.
If I remove the gutter, it would drop the water right in the walkway where I enter the garage and make an ice skating rink, so I'm kind of stuck with the gutter. [Reply]
