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Infomercial: Avalanche!

3K views 9 replies 3 participants last post by  uberT 
#1 ·
Guys, I know the season is off to a hugely disappointing start, and many of us have new gear we're desperate to run. It doesn't help our mindset to see the receding snow cover on the national map :( So, I'll share some fotos of my newest snow device, The Avalanche!

I bought this a while back on Amazon to complement my two, tired roof rakes. IIRC, it was $134 delivered. I'll assemble it this weekend and share a few more fotos of the finished product...and then pray for colder weather!





 
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#2 · (Edited)
It is snap together, as promised. Takes about 2 minutes. The overall construction is a bit more robust that my roof rakes. That, in itself, is gonna be a problem due to the weight and my wife fussing that it's too heavy. Oh, well. No Avalanche! fun for her.

The extension poles are of fiberglass.

The roller doesn't not have a torsion spring like a window shade.

Overall, it's heftier than I would have guessed.

The paperwork indicates there is a premium version so it can be converted to a traditional roof rake. I may look into that as one of my roof rakes is just about done.













 
#5 ·
I dont think you need a metal roof for these..the ones I have seen work fine on shingled roofs..there are commercially made units, but people also make their own..most of the youtube videos show people not cutting down right to the roof surface, they leave a few inches behind..which is fine, you are still removing 90% of the weight, which is the main goal..

Another thing to consider with theses..99% of houses simply dont need them.
your home roof is designed to handle all the snow you get..
yes, buildings do collapse..but notice most of the time they are commercial buildings, not homes..sure, its not a bad thing to remove snow, but most of the time its simply not necessary..I wouldn't even worry about it unless I had more than 4 feet on the roof, and that has never happened to my own roof in my lifetime, and likely never will..

most major blizzards also come with wind, which removes most of the snow from roofs..there is usually much more snow on the ground than there is on home roofs..

Scot
 
#6 ·
Thanks. I'm not worried about the snow loading. I worry about the slow melting routine, gutters and everything icing over. We've had our fair share of water leaks.

I make some attempt to clear the roof following nearly all snow falls unless I know there's warm weather coming. I've been in this house for 15+ years and know what I can (and can't) get away with. We have a lot of peaks, and when we get the big winds, the drifts can grow to 12' deep...and it's in an area I cannot reach. It's not a good scenario. This past winter was not to be believed.
 
#7 ·
I know what you mean uberT. My neighbor had an ice form in the gutter area. It lifted up the roof and leaked all inside his home. The damage was the length of the whole backside of the house. We spent two days last winter chipping away and melting what we can. No contractor wanted to deal with it during last years fiasco. Also my closest neighbor said he can hear his wall or roof creaking during the night especially. I wouldn't chance the weight either. Snow does collapse home roofs as well as commercial buidings. I remember seeing some horrible images on google.
 
#8 ·
You're right. I did see numerous building collapses last season. Some were pretty significant, specifically commercial bldgs. and a few old barns/garages.

The building code is strict in MA. I just want to stay a step or two ahead of the ice dams, if possible. That's 90% of my worry. Every house in the area suffered the same. Some people made no attempt to clear it.

 
#9 · (Edited)
Most people probably know this, but perhaps not everyone..
there is one well-known cause of ice-dams: not enough insulation.

If you generally get big icicles hanging off the roof, and ice dams, it means you dont have enough insulation in the attic. too much heat is escaping through the roof, melting the snow, which then re-freezes into icicles or ice dams.

yes, its expensive to add more insulation..but you probably spend more than that in increased heating costs by not having it..more insulation can usually completely solve ice dams and gutter damage from icicles, while also decreasing your heating bills at the same time.

My house has never had ice dams or icicles..while other houses nearby often have massive icicles.
10 years now, and never an issue..
we lucked out..I didn't add any, the previous owners or the original builders of the house must have piled in the insulation.

Scot
 
#10 ·
I contacted the mfr about getting the kit to convert this into a wheeled roof rake and you need two parts totaling $40. I have to believe there'll $10 in shipping on top of that.

What does a decent snow rake cost today?
 
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