How To Make An Icy Roof Safe To Walk On

Experienced roofers can easily walk a 6 12 and very carefully a 7 12.

How to make an icy roof safe to walk on.

Bending your knees a little. Use small controlled steps when walking on the shingle roof. Check with a roofing contractor before using mechanized equipment on the roof to ensure the equipment will not damage the roof membrane. Pay attention to the surface you are walking on and watch out for any loose shingles.

Walking on your roof. Walk up a roof and lean your body over towards the roof to help maintain your balance. This video shows a few tips for how to move around on an old roof without breaking too many tiles or slates. Grab onto a railing or other sturdy fixture for extra security.

Crouch down slightly to walk down a metal roof safely. Walk up or down a slightly inclined roof by walking as you would on the ground but slowly. If you have proper shoes cougar paws for instance you can walk a 7 12 and very carefully walk 8 12 i ve seen roofers work. Step 3 lay a roofing ladder across the shingle roof if the pitch of the roof is too high and you are not comfortable walking on it.

Ensure that powered equipment is not used within 15 feet of any roof edge. Inspect the shingles from the roof edge from upper building windows or if the roof must be walked on step carefully on the flat portions of the shingle on tiptoe avoiding stepping on the raised curled edges of the shingles as otherwise you ll break off the edges. Take slow short steps take the time to plant your feet securely with each deliberate step. Use a sturdy extension ladder that extends at least 3 feet above the eaves to climb onto the roof and secure the bottom to the foundation and the top to the eaves or fascia so it doesn t move.

It s something that seems like it should be so simple and yet presents so many risks. Your roof seems like it should be strong after all it needs to be able to withstand massive gusts of wind pelting from hail dosing in rain that can add hundreds of pounds of weight and so much more. Read understand and follow all manufacturers instructions for the safe use of snow blowers and similar mechanical equipment. Improve your center of gravity increase your stability by pointing your feet slightly outward and keeping your body weight directly over your feet as much as possible.