Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I'm looking for something that would be good for doing our roof. obviously the big 2 stage Toro won't be able to do it and would be a PITA to get up a ladder or out a window.

We have a new roof so I don't want to hurt the roof but the snow is really built up out there and it tends to melt very slowly. We are heading into Feb and lots more snow so I need something light enough and easy to manuever to use up there. The roof is pretty steep and in one section windows are mounted in the roof so that area might not be possible. They want a fortune to clear it and only the lesser section so I need something. Electric would probably be ok but it has to have enough power and the roof is pretty steep and high.

Any ideas?

Steve_Cebu wrote:

Your house sounds like a good candidate for geothermal heating.  And a good candidate for a slick steel roof!     Most of all, you need to figure out a way to get some more insulation in the roof!

As for a backup generator, I have a propane 3.5kw unit, hook it up when needed on the back patio, run the HD 30A power cord through a capped pipe I have going under the deck to inside the house just above the dropped ceiling in the walkout basement.  From there, I can run the electric blower on the propane fireplace (centrally located downstairs, so gets heat to most of the house), as well as the TV, cable modem and laptop, so I'm set if the power goes out.    I got the propane generator to hook up to the 500-gal bulk tank, but the manual says it needs a higher PSI (like from a BBQ tank), so just have it hooked to a 100-lb tank for now until I get the pressure stuff figured out - nice that I don't have to worry about bad gas getting into the generator.

longboat wrote:

The problem with geo thermal heating is you need wells and we have so much ledge around here that it's lucky we even have a well, and it's an artisian well like 400 feet deep! Geothermal is nice but would cost us about $60k to install. I had to go through hell just to have my aunt not freak out about my Weber BBQ grill. She's all no go on a generator and when we lost power during the ice storm she fired up the fireplace in the kitchen and toughed it out. It was Damn cold too! She's terrified of Propane and really any kind of gas. Gasoline not as much but she doesn't want a generator. She's at that age where she hates change. We had to change the kitchen faucet a 40 year old Koehler, she wasn't happy but the thing was leaking badly and it had to go, now if we could just replace the blaze orange sink....

I like gas I used it overseas and it was great. I had natural gas (prefer it) in all my other houses. Just here I can't do it and they really gouge you on propane up here. If I heated with that I'd be spending at least $500 a month more.

How I really wanted a metal roof but they were just too much money. I was up on the roof and there is no way to add more insulation to the roof without a full rebuild.

Good ideas tho!

Not to be rude Steve, but is you aunt a Luddite?  Sounds like she has a real aversion to technological advancement of any kind.  

Metal roofing is good provided the house design is suitable for it.  If you have an entrance under a slope, it could be dangerous unless a snow brake is installed.  Then you loose the self shedding aspect. 

That's the problem with modern home building designs.  Everyone wants a fancy, unique looking home and that leads to complicated roof configurations (ours included).   Fortunately, our buildings at camp are simple structures that lend themselves well to metal roofing which is a good thing for a number of reasons.  Snow shedding is one, durability another and more importantly, forest fire resistance.   We get plenty of forest fires up here and have had two recently fairly close to our camp (Ham Lake MN fire 2007 was most recent).   Structures with asphalt shingles are very susceptible to catching fire during a forest fire.   During a forest fire, the updraft  sends so much burning matter into the air and the wind can carry it for miles.  It's not uncommon for burning branches to drop on asphalt roofs causing a fire.  That's why forest fire fighters put gas powered water pumps down at the lake shore, run a line to the structures and put sprinklers on the roofs.  They also hose down the area close to the camp then let the sprinkler do it's thing before they bug out.

One thing I noticed after installing the metal roof at camp was that I had to run external antennas to get radio reception.     

borat wrote:

She is very adamant that she "at her age" doesn't like change of any kind. She's a self confessed luddite although she wouldn't use that actual term. She's gotten much worse as she's gotten older. She literally hasn't moved any furniture in the house except for cleaning in many years. She saw my wifes iPod nano and was completlely amazed, but she can't figure out how to use a very simple and basic cellphone, but she can get her email, she never deletes any of it tho.

So yeah it keeps life uh... interesting.

Metal roof would work here but yes the doors would need those snow brakes but only in a few places. If we ever had a nearby forest fire well that's why we have insurance. There are no fire hydrants except for teh water resevoir 2.5 miles down the road, so they'd save the basement. Maybe that's why gas and fire terrifies her so much?

The new roof will outlast me as it's a 50 year roof and by then I'll probably be a self confessed luddite too.

Steve - i used the gas power shovel yesterday to shovel off my roof and a friend's roof (all but the part over the deck as detailed in my toro 221 post - i shoveled that part first and then realized shoveling the whole thing would result in me dying on my roof, so i enlisted the power shovel). I initially didnt bother with the power shovel because i didnt think it would work as we have about 3 feet of snow cover. The snow had to be tackled in layers but it was relatively easy to accomplish, just required sliding the shovel up and down. Since it runs all the time ( no clutch ) you didnt have to hold the trigger down like on an electric one, and could thus extend the unit as far as your arm would reach. How far are you from northeastern MA?

superbuick wrote:

I was going to buy one today after seeing so many places collapsing. There are of course none in stock. I shoveled a pretty large area the other day and that was insane. The roof rakes are not enough to use on this house and would only get the edges. We have more snow on the way and the upper roof is pretty damn scary to be up that high with nothing to hang on to.

We have almost 3 feet of dense snow on the roof now. They want a LOT of remove it. It's 2 large roofs. I don't mind that it takes some time but I do care if the roof collapses. I think the Toro snow shovel would work for my purposes. IF they had any left in stock, but no one does, everything that can move snow other than regular shovels is sold out even at the dealers! We have 6 weeks of snow left, some of that is going to be heavy wet snow. i can order one online but they want an extra $30 for it plus shipping. I'd rather buy from Home Depot as they have a great return policy.

Electric is ok with me, gas is more of a hassle way up on the roof like that standing in 3 feet of snow.

I'm up in the Concord NH area, so it depends what part of Northeastern Mass.

Coupla other thoughts...

- Pantyhose filled with ice melter (MgCl) placed near the roof peak might work, but will take a little while.

- they make an ice melter product for roofs, forget what it's called but it looks like hockey pucks.  you throw them up on the roof and they are supposed to melt the ice/snow.  last time I looked, they sold them at ACE Hardware, but they may be sold out in your area.  Kinda pricey for one-time use.

- if it is fluffy enough, use a leaf blower.

- if you have good footing and/or can tie a safety rope to yourself, I'd recommend shoveling.  I have one of the Garant snow scoops that moves something like six shovelfuls of snow at a time, and you just slide it along, no lifting necessary - it'll glide right over the snow so you can take a bite of the top two feet, push it off, then take a bite of the remaining snow.  I got mine at the local ACE Hardware for around $40, but I think Home Depot also carries it, as well as Amazon, for higher prices - search for B000JLK0SM  on Amazon, or search for Garant snow scoop.  It does have a metal edge that might be a little hard on the shingles if you scoop down that far.  There is a UHMW shovel (thesnowplow.com) out there that might be easier on the shingles and I hear good things about it, but haven't personally used it; however, since it is just a pusher, may be hard to deal with pushing three feet of snow.

p.s. - I used that snow scoop to clean my driveway the other day just to see how long it would take, cleaned 2500sq.ft. averaging four inches of snow in a little over an hour, just taking it easy.  Never lifted any snow, just slid it around and relocated it on top of existing snow piles.  Worked great on EOD stuff, too.  This really didn't take much longer than using the blower, and it was great exercise and kept me warmer. 

longboat wrote:

I've seen the Garant snow scoops on TV. They look pretty good. Stuff that melts the snow won't work. I can upload a pic to show some of the snow if you like but it's really deep up there. it's not fluffy any longer it's compacted and a real pain to shovel. I'm not sure what i'm going to do at this point. We are getting another storm on Saturday and we are still in the first week of Feb. The upper roof has no way to tie a safety rope to anything. It's really dangerous up there. Thanks for the suggestions.

What about a chimney or a sewer vent pipe?  Not sure how "safe" either would be, but a brick chimney or a cast iron 6" pipe should both hold a decent amount of weight.  I was thinking of one of those hook ladders, but I think you would have to clear a path down the roof before you would be able to hook it to anything.  What about tying a rope to a tree and then draping it over the roof?  Have you thought about convincing the wife that it can be part of her weekly workout, and if she does fall there is enough snow on the ground to catch her? :)

"if she does fall there is enough snow on the ground to catch her? :)"

At 83 lbs., she'll fall like a leaf. 

Steve:

Can you get up into the attic to take a look at your truss's and rafters to see if they're deflecting excessively?   A slight bit of deflections is normal.  Particularly under such a load.   However, serious deflection will indicate the need to get the snow off.  If you see very obvious bowing of the the roof supports, you'd probably do something about it a.s.a.p.  If there's little bowing, chances are the roof is good for what it's bearing and probably considerably more.  

If you're into mathematics and can estimate your roof configuration, the following might be of some assistance to you:

http://www.jabacus.com/engineering/load/snowload.php

By the way, if you must go up on the roof, as mentioned by another participant, tying a long piece of 1/2 climbing rope or similar to a tree on the opposite side of the house will allow you to work one slope.  You could tie off on both sides simultaneously using the same method.   Once you're up there, the snow will likely keep you in place until it's been cleared.  I'd start at the bottom and work toward the peak so that you don't have to move the snow twice.