Tail-end of the holidays, and I thought I’d brave the snow-covered roof to unclog what I feared was an ice-jam in the evestrough at the front of the house.
The jam was resulting in a noisy mini-waterfall in front of the main picture window. Not major problem, perse, except that it tweaks the paranoia that comes packed in with any wood-foundation house.
Climbing a ladder in the winter onto a snow-covered roof is`always a safety risk, so here`s what Ì had to do in advance.
- wear ice-cleats – can be bought for cheap at Princess Auto – essential, though you don`t want overly spikey cleats if you`re walking on your roof.
- ice chipper to ensure the platform your ladder rests on remains clean and secure.
- harness and a tie-rope if you have them. Chimney is a good place to tie-off on, as long as its positioning doesn’t result in a broad swing if you fall.
- a cell phone in an easily accessible place on your person in case you do fall, and wind up suspended in air.
Good news is that the clog wasn’t an ice jam at all, but rather just a pile of sticks and mud from the last thaw. (We’ve had couple uncharacteristic thaws mid winter already.
In any case, here`s a vid of the successful operation!
