The gutter helmet people sell a heavier duty solution for about $1000 on my modest sized home, but that wouldn't include the electrical hook-up.
However, I have enough electrical know-how to do that part myself.
Posted on 03/04/2014 7:31:15 AM PST by AngelesCrestHighway
It was a close call for one homeowner along Evans Street in Rockville trying to clear the ice off of his front steps.
“[It was a] small fire on the outside of the house,” said Assistant Chief Scott Goldstein of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. “The homeowner appeared to be using some type of torch device to melt ice near his front porch. He lit the siding on fire with a little bit of extension into the house.”
If you can’t do it with duct tape or WD-40, don’t do it.
Used to live in big snow country.
Most people had these big alumnimum rake things that were used to rake show off the eaves. Had to get it before it melted and refroze, and in a really big snowfall you’d have to pull the show off several times. But you could get back on the eaves about four feet.
Potentially an excellent way to electrocute yourself, BTW.
However, I have enough electrical know-how to do that part myself.
Sounds like a Barbara Mikulsi voter.
famous last words...
It is a bit of a balancing act: You definitely want to use it on the big snows (8" plus) but need to be careful about overusing it on the smaller snows (less than 4") as you run the risk of scraping shingles along with the snow.
I NEVER dig deep. If you run into any resistance, ease off immediately. I always rake as is I intend to leave at least 3/4" on the roof. Here in SW Pennsylvania with a NORMAL winter and dark roof tiles, the sun will help out with the balance anyway and leave you with a thin coating of ice to protect your shingles from future rake jobs.
But when my significant other heard about it, she raised the roof. "YOU DID WHAT!!!!!" she shrieked. I said I don't know how else I was going to unfreeze the thing. She said I could have used a hairdrier. Or waited until the weather warmed up. But that would have meant standing in the garage in subzero weather for a period of time. She then said I could have waited until the weather warmed up. I said, but what if we got a foot of snow? Did she want me to get a heart attack shoveling our huge driveway? She's still seething. But it did work.
I’ve got plenty of WD-40. What temp does it freeze at?
Oh, yeah. I have metal roofing everywhere but the gazebo, which nearly collapsed under the snow load a couple of years ago. Got a snow rake and learned the one lesson you always learn the hard way with them: do not stand directly underneath the snow mass you’re trying to bring down. I had approximately half a second to reflect on how stupid I am before the snow impacted... :-(
Another thing: use nowhere even close to where the power lines enter the house . . . even if you think you are a safe distance away. The natural bowing in the aluminum pipe extensions plus the stress put on the rake in moving snow plus the changing winds plus your tiring arms and wrists can give the thing AMAZING recoil.
Yeah, you will leave an arc of snow on the roof in that vicinity. But the risks of getting it off just aren't worth it.
According to this person, -50F.
http://www.f150online.com/forums/v8-engines/144301-wd-40-freezing-point.html
This guy should be charged with a Global Warming hate crime...
More study is needed for making new, owner-built, wood-built efficiency houses fireproof and/or independently protected for shutting down fire protection rackets, impact fees, etc.
I only ever had to rake a one-story house. Don’t envy you the two-story project.
That didn't work, so the idiot had a brilliant idea. I dunno, maybe he saw it on a movie. He decided to combine the de-icer with a butane lighter:
The results were predictable. We wondered what the sirens were all about, and went outside to see the fire trucks and the ambulance. Not only did he set his car on fire, he got second-degree burns on his arm.
NOTE: we don't associate with this guy - he's probably an Obama supporter.
When I was in high school Auto Mechanics class, one of the students had the bright idea of using an air chisel...
Here’s a hint: Next time, invest $7 or so on a 10’ x 10’ tarp. Wifey tends to be very forgiving when I work in the living room on top of the tarp.
Always thought building flame throwers and selling them as Gore Throwers would have been a good investment opportunity for the returning ice age. Then of course, you have idiots like this that will ruin that whole business model.
No, they have the tapes that are made just for eaves. No chance of electrocution at all. Problem is they last just a few years, and the water drips and will freeze below.
Wasn’t technically in the living room. Just inside the door in the hallway from the garage leading to the living room. Thanks for the tip, but I just won’t tell her next time.
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