The tablets are specially formulated with calcium chloride so they won t harm your exterior like products such as rock salt which could rust your gutters and damage shingles.
Salt to melt roof ice.
Salt socks work on the principle that the ice melting compound is contained in a linear form which when laid across an ice dam will melt a channel through the ice.
But are they doing more harm than good.
The roofmelt ice melt is designed to eliminate the need to climb onto roofs while melt snow.
Although there are others e g.
If you must use salt at least choose the right type of salt.
The big five include.
Most salt pucks use calcium chloride to melt ice which can cause numerous issues down the line.
There are five commonly used types of ice melt a k a.
Here are four reasons salt pucks are bad for your roof.
Urea ammonium sulfate glycols formates etc they are not easily obtainable nor are they widely used.
If you are going to.
Use roof melt tablets to reduce snow and ice buildup that occurs on your roof typically on the eaves and in gutters.
Comes in a 14 lb pail and is an estimated 60 pucks per container.
Begins working within 1 hour of application.
Roofmelt tablet then melts its way down and settles on the roofs surface.
Place this vertically on your roof near the edge so it will melt a section of snow and ice creating an area where the water can leak off.
It is not as likely to stain or cause corrosion as sodium chloride but it can damage wooden gutters.
It melts ice faster than sodium chloride does works at lower temperatures than sodium chloride and also melts larger volumes of ice.
That path would then presumably be used as an escape route for water that may tend to get trapped behind the ice dam.
Gently toss the tied off pantyhose onto the edge of your roof to begin melting the snow.
Apply 1 tablet on every sqft of problem area.
If there are heavy rains and you already put ice melting socks on the roof the rock salt will dissolve by water and will run down into your gutters so it s best to put them up when it becomes cold.
Purchase sidewalk salt also called calcium chloride from your local hardware or big box store.
The tablets help prevent roof damage by melting through ice dams and allowing water to drain safely.
Salt pucks are supposed to eliminate the need to climb onto your roof and are designed to melt snow and ice before ice dams can form.
Calcium chloride is the best salt to use on ice dams according to handyman glenn haege.