The Best Ice Melt Labels Ideas to Use on Your Shingles This Fall
If you live somewhere with harsh winters and you do not own a snowblower, ice melt will be your best friend. And here’s the thing: we don’t always think about where to put ice melt on our roof to keep it from damaging it. Most people just take whatever they have in their garage and dump it on top of their shingles since that’s what professional roofers seem to also recommend. Sure, sometimes professionals advise homeowners against doing certain things but there are times when they themselves aren’t aware of better alternatives either.
The fact is that every homeowner should know how to properly apply ice melt products onto their roofs without causing damage or other negative effects such as leaks around chimneys and skylights (even though these days it seems that most people don’t care about roof integrity and you can find countless horror stories of roofs collapsing because of improper installation, failure to maintain the roof and similar reasons).
So let’s see some ideas of what is really recommended by professionals:
1. Ice melt should NOT come in direct contact with your shingles as this will lead to damage such as loss of granules.
Instead, you need to apply ice melt on the very edge of the roof where it meets up with a wooden soffit or an eaves trough:
This way, the melted ice drops will drop off onto the ground and won’t cause any damage. This article recommends using calcium chloride ice melts since they work faster than rock salt which is great if you live somewhere where you have to remove snow and ice quickly.
2. When applying ice melt, focus on the lowest areas of your roof which are prone to accumulating snow and ice first.
This way you’ll avoid damage caused by heavyweight or pressure bearing down on your shingles:
This article recommends using rock salt flakes since they are readily available, cheap and will work in most cases. The only downside is that they take a little longer before they start working compared to calcium chloride ion removers (which can be seen as an advantage too).
3. Never use sand if it snows.
Sand attracts moisture so it could potentially be under your shingles and cause weight and pressure issues:
4. NEVER drip ice melt directly onto your shingles. If you do, you risk damaging them which will lead to leaks that can cause a lot of damage in the long run:
Additionally, note that never mix the different kinds of ice melts (rock salt + calcium chloride) together. This will change the way it works and make it completely ineffective when both types are used at once. The Best Ice Melt Labels Ideas to Use on Your Shingles This Fall
5. Be especially careful around skylights and your chimney because these areas might not be visible from ground level:
Now that you know all of that, let’s move on to some ice melt labels. We all know that a good-looking store is a store that will attract customers and it is the same with your roofer business! With some well-designed labels placed in visible locations around your store, you’ll gain more trust from your clients and they’ll be encouraged to call you more often when problems appear with their roofs or gutters.
Windshield ice melt has a long, narrow spout which makes it easy to place on or under your shingles for application form above.
You can either use the traditional green bag of this type of ice melt, or the more popular blue bags available now. The choice is yours as both are effective and will work well for your roof.
Whichever you choose, make sure to read the information on the bag completely before using it so you know how much to apply for proper coverage.
Follow any safety instructions carefully too.
Best Ice Melters for Shingle Roofs:
What You Need To Know! – Part 1 of 3 Best Ice Melters for Shingle Roofs: What You Need To Know! – Part 2 of 3
For complete clean-up, you’ll need a roof rake or something that scrapes your shingles. There are also brushes with long handles available for this purpose too. Be careful not to damage your shingles while cleaning them off. Your roof rake should be large enough to cover the area on top of your entire home or building.
Best Ice Melters for Shingle Roofs:
What You Need To Know! – Part 3 of 3 Best Ice Melters for Shingle Roofs: What You Need To Know!
Conclusion:
After you’ve removed the ice melt from your roof, let your home stand undisturbed for at least 24 hours until snow/ice has melted on its own. Then you can check the roof for any signs of damage caused by ice melt. If there’s any damage, refer to our how to fix damaged shingles guide.
Now that you’re ready to use ice melt safely on your home, be sure to share this article with anyone who needs these tips too! Any questions, don’t hesitate to ask us below. We’d love to hear from you!