ICE BE DAMMED
The biggest problem
we have from snow in our townhouse is ice damming. After a large storm, if the conditions are
just right, we have one gutter that fills with snow and water from melted
snow. At night when the temperature
drops quickly, the slurry gutter slop freezes solid all the way to the roof
overhang.
The next day
the sun melts the snow on the roof, but because of the ice dam in the gutter
the water has nowhere to go. Well
actually water always finds a place to go, and with the gutter stopped up, it
seeps its way up under the roof and drips onto the dining room ceiling. This makes a bit of a mess.
The town-home association has replaced this section of roof, but I know that is not the
issue. The issue is ice damming.
Yesterday I
took preventative steps against this event.
While Mrs. C was shopping, I pulled out a step ladder, slammed it in the
snow and climbed to the very top to reach the gutter. I scrapped the snow and slurry from the
gutter and roof to make room for the next day’s melt off.
When Mrs. C
came home, her Sherlock Homes instincts immediately kicked in. She spotted the disturbed snow under the
roof, and the snow removed from the roof.
“What were you doing to the roof?”
“I was clearing the gutter from ice
damming.”
“By yourself? What if you fell, you don’t have one of those
‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up’ buttons you know.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“No you don’t! I’d rather have a drip
in the dining room than a husband in intensive care. JERK!”
Now I know
how Sally Fields felt.
“She likes me, she really likes me.”
She loves you Joe, can't you tell that's her way of telling you? Stay off the roof while you're on your own for goodness sake, it's much too far for me to pop round with a bag of grapes to visit you in intensive care because you've been a jerk!
ReplyDeleteOur house has terrible ice-damming. One of our friends told us about a 'heat tape', which we snake back-and-forth over the lower 3 feet or so of the roof. It melts the ice before it has a chance to dam, and if I do it right, it drains right off the roof and down the gutter. . .
ReplyDeleteAnd, I suppose her response is better than, "Oh, you were up on the ladder in the snow and ice? Good idea! By the way, the life insurance is paid up, right?"
Hi Cranky Man,
ReplyDelete"JERK!" is a term of endearment.
:o)
Cheers
PM
She makes a good point. it's always best to have someone spotting you in case of an accident.
ReplyDeleteYes, she does love you. You are one lucky man, except for the ice dams.
ReplyDeleteHubby comes and gets me if he's going to be on a ladder. You should do the same. I'm just saying. And she loves you, not just like you.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
When I lived in Bozeman I had that trouble. I got some of those electrical up and down wires that you put near the edge of the roof and it really solved my problem.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying this with disrespect but I think Mrs. Cranky is quite a bit younger than you. She should go up on the roof for you. I still climb on my roof at 86 and I have a 2-story house. My husband was 20 + years older than I was so I always did things like that. But I understand how wives feel
about that. My next door neighbor was 95 and he would climb on his rood and want me to stand guard outside and tell him if Vermell was coming out.
Hahaha... the truth
Y gotta love a woman of any age who is willing to climb on the roof.
DeleteShe does. And hospitals are a pain to be in, even if convenient when needed. She doesn't want you to need it. Next time, you might wait until you have a spotter.
ReplyDeleteWe insulated. Took care of most of the problem. For the left over place, we put up a heating coil. Problem solved; no holes in the snow from the ladder or the ice cycles.
ReplyDeleteShe obviously loves you even though you're a JERK!!
ReplyDeletePhew, you make me glad I don't have gutters. I agree with the rest. JERK must be a term of endearment in your house. I'd get worried if she quit calling you one.
ReplyDeleteawww!
ReplyDeleteIf it's warm enough that the ice is melting, why not go out with the garden hose and flush the gutters out? Maybe it's just me, but it seems like it would work. I could be wrong though. If I am, don't tell me. I may have to agree with Mrs.C and call you a Jerk. lol
ReplyDeleteI'm sure she means it in the nicest way.
That last line made me laugh out loud, loudly. Now SWMBO is thinking, "What the hell is that goof doing in there now?"
ReplyDeleteI remember those ice dams. My damn ex-husband would never get up on a ladder and clear the gutter. We ended up with drips on the ceiling. He was a REAL jerk.
ReplyDeleteHa ha! With our new metal roof, we don't have to worry about ice damming. We just have to worry about "Oh, BLEEP!"-ing. You know, when a big sheet of ice slides off to slice our jugular...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I live in Australia. No ice damming here.
ReplyDeleteYeah, me mum has always put an overabundance of heat tape on her roof and in the gutters and downspouts because she's scared near death that the roof will collapse on her. Queenie, on the other hand, won't tolerate heat tape even if it's not visible. She's convinced there are other ways to deal with it, though after 30 years I'm apparently still not in enough for her to share this great secret!! ;-)
ReplyDelete