How do I choose the best roof-rake for cleaning snow?
Well, it’s winter time again in Winnipeg, and the snow is started to pile up.
If you’re getting a little worried about the weight of the snow on your roof and are looking to clean it off, but being from Winnipeg are too “economical” to hire a Winnipeg roofing company to do it, you need to know how to choose the best roof-rake for cleaning snow off your roof.
Cleaning the snow off your roof will help prevent ice dams and structural damage to your home.
But not all roof-rakes are the same.
Don’t worry, we got you covered. We’ll help you avoid buying a roof-rake that will damage your shingles, or be too hard to use. Some rakes will allow you to clean the snow from your whole roof, while others may not have the capacity to do that.
Here are five things to look for when buying a roof-rake.
1. Wheels, rollers or bumpers
Probably the most important feature, the roof-rake should come with small bumpers, wheels or roller that are located near the blade. Being near the blade means that rake won’t scrape the surface of the shingles.
A roof-rake without these will scrape the granules off the shingles as there is direct contact between the blade and your roof. You want to keep the granules on your shingles, as they offer protection from the sun’s UV rays and provide a bit of fire-resistance. The less granules you have on your shingles, the sooner you will have to replace your roof.
Unless your roof is perfect, and even if it is, there’s still a good chance that the blade will catch a shingle and tear it off completely.
So, do yourself a favour and make sure the roof-rake comes with wheels or rollers.
2. Handle design
Basically, you have two options here. One is to go with your standard straight handle. The other is to get a roof-rake with a slight bend in it.
Having the bend allows you to move the rake vertically while raking the roof, whereas a straight handle only allows you to push back and forth.
If you’re looking for ease of use and versatility, go with the bend.
3. Plastic vs metal
Your first instinct might be to automatically think of going with metal, as metal signifies a stronger, more durable product in most cases.
However, there are some advantages with plastic handles.
As plastic is lighter, it will be easier to completely finish your roof if it’s a big area. For a smaller roof, this may not make much a difference.
If your arms get tired or something happens where the roof-rake falls, a lighter plastic will be easier to manage and possibly avoid any damage.
The other advantage of the plastic handle being lighter is that you are less likely to scrape off the granules or take off a shingle.
4. Telescoping/protractible slide
This feature might only be necessary if you have a high roof or possibly a difficult to access roof. The telescoping feature will allow you to come at your roof from different angles.
But if you’re not worried about getting to the peak of your roof, and just to the valleys and overhangs, a non-protractible roof-rake might be your best bet. That is something that will depend on your budget as well.
5. Extra handle extensions
The last thing you should look at when buying a roof-rake is whether it accepts handle extensions. With the rigors of roof-raking, it’s fairly common for the handle to break. Buying a few extra means you can continue without having to spend all that time going to the store for a new one.
Plus, there may be a few times where you’ll want to reach a little higher perhaps. Anyways, it’s something to keep in mind.