I Gotta Shovel The What ?????

O.K. I realize people have been doing it in certain area's of the country all their lives, but for me shoveling snow off the roof is, must I say it, INSANE !!!!

Now I know if I don't do it those "ice dam's" will continue to build, and the weight of the snow will put a lot of added pressure on the roof, not to mention water leaking into the house, but aside from a few years back, I had never heard of a roof rake or shoveling the roof. (I still find it hard to say without laughing).

So when should you get out there and do it ? I've done some research on this for you and found this official government document on roof snow removal:

For those of you that are wondering “When should I shovel the snow off my roof?” Here is a quick rule of thumb to help you determine if you may need to be concerned.
Basic calculation – (for a quick analysis only) This calculation uses a 25% moisture
density which may be conservative for our current snow fall. As a rule of thumb,
saturated snow weighs about 20 pounds per cubic foot. The moisture content of snow can range from about 1% to about 33% so snow can weigh from about 1 pound per cubic foot to over 21 pounds per cubic foot.
(S)(1.25)=P
S=Inches of snow on the roof
1.25= Weight of 1 sq ft of snow for each 1” of depth
P= Pounds per square foot
Example:
If my roof has 20” of snow, what would that equate to?
(S)(1.25)=P
(20”)(1.25 lbs/sq ft) = 25 lbs/ sq ft
Any ice build-up on the roof needs to be added to this formula. Use 5.2 lbs for every inch in thickness.

Well this certainly clears up everything for me......not !!!! I didn't know I needed a masters degree in Calculus to figure out when to shovel.

Now check out this guy who did all the calculating and defiantly minimized his time:

And for those who feel the need to learn more check out this Roof Rake Tutorial, and happy shoveling.