Thursday, February 03, 2011

The Aftermath: Work, Heat, & Roof Rakes

I don't let problems get to me so much any more. Maybe because I've learned more about what's important and what isn't, I'm calmer most of the time, more able to handle challenges that come my way.
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This was my first day back to work in almost a week, since approximately 38 inches of snow dropped from the heavens. The streets were messy and slushy and driving was slow. Most of the snowbanks were four or five feet high, with thin paths shoveled out in order to walk from the streets to the sidewalks, from the driveways to buildings.
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But the sun was high and bright today and even though the temperature was below freezing it felt warm. I was glad to be moving again, glad to see my clients. It was a nice day.
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Fast forward to tonight.
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JB and I walked into the house to find the heat off and water dripping inside our living room window.
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AARGGGGH!
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The first problem required a service call . Within a hour or so, an oil burner repair man had come and replaced a transformer (don't ask me because I don't know) and I was offering him a cup of coffee in a yellow fiesta cup.
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The second problem was more formidable. You see, all this snow has caused concerns everywhere about too much weight on roofs. Some have actually collapsed. It is the combination of heavy ice and snow that creates the risk, and our house is packed with both.
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Given that our front window had now officially taken in water, JB and I couldn't ignore that we do or might or could have a problem. There are now folks who are available for hire to clear all the snow off one's roof but, supply and demand being just that, the cost is $ 450 an hour. Holy Moly.
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JB and I hope to avoid that.
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So we were outside tonight chipping away at icicles and chipping away at four inch thick ice. We plugged in a hair dryer to an extension cord and brave JB, perched on a ladder I could not have done myself, is holding the hair dryer six feet in the air, to the ice covering our gutters, trying to melt enough so she could chip and then knock the ice off the house. For my part, I am swinging an industrial broom overhead knocking down icicles, many icicles, one by one.
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All to minimal avail.
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The oil burner repair guy reminded us that the best thing to do is to remove the first two feet of snow from all around the roof line so when the sun hits it tomorrow the remaining hopefully melting snow will be able to slide down and hopefully off. At least to some degree.
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So we borrowed a roof rake from our neighbor:
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Not the best photo, but look at how LONG a roof rake is. This is a job that requires arms overhead and the use of abdominal muscles to pull the snow forward and off the roof.
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For what it's worth, this is the thingy that pulls the snow down.
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(What has it come to, that I am writing a how-to on roof rakes?)
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So....once done, this is how a certain roof looks with two feet of snow removed. Not the neatest, perhaps, but we hope it will do the trick.
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Did I mention that we were too exhausted to do the back of the house? Did I mention that JB and I will be up and out at 6 am tomorrow morning, before work, using that roof rake once again?
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Oh dear god!
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And finally: how is it, exactly, that being outside tonight, worrying about the heat and the roof and the ice and the water inside the window, turned out to be a great way to spend a chilly beautiful night under the stars and moonlight?
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Love
kj

19 comments:

  1. this is all so educational to me, facinating! and for some strange reason it just makes me giddy, it looks like so much fun!

    of course not the repair man or damage or the worry, thats not okay and i'm sorry you have to have these things that come with the snow. so much snow.

    but i love how you found the beauty in it anyway kj. just lovely.

    xxx

    p.s. i think maybe you need a blowtorch instead of a blowdryer!

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  2. Oh darls, I love how you turn a misfortune into an adventure. That's a lotta snow! I'm sitting her in my lounge room with a sarong on, a fan blasting and sweat trickling down my cleavage. What I'd give to be on a roof mucking about in snow, you have no idea. Hope your roof holds up! Come Skype me tomorrow lunchtime and tell me all about it.

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  3. Until yesterday I don't think we used our roof rake in 3 years or so. Got to stop those ice dams from building up.

    I think the question is how well insulated is the floor of your attic if you were getting a lot of melt in sub freezing weather I think you need to add some R factors up there. because it means your "leaking" heat through the roof.

    One more bit of advice kj...the hair dryer...honestly not a good idea, go get a heat gun they put out ten times the amount of heat. Getting the ice dams broke up though is a good idea. That ice creeps under the shingles which is most likely why you had a slight leak at the window.

    Don't you just love the snow?

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  4. Hi KJ

    If you have a portable heater (one without a naked flame obvioulsy) then take it up into your roof space / loft / attic. Place it on a board if you have a bare layer of insulation up there. Leave heater on medium heat for a day or two.

    Snow is a great insulator so the attic should warm up reasonably OK and the snow will then melt. You will probably get avalanches though as the layer closest to the roof melts first and acts as a lubricant to the load above it. So mind how you go as you enter and leave the house!

    Brrr ... hope you are keeping warm! xx Jos

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  5. bri could have helped by throwing snowballs at the icicles ;P

    He would have raked the roof for you too.

    Our driveway is a skating rink. We've ruined our shovel chipping at it to make a safe path to the car. Bri called all the hardware stores ( including Home Depot and Lowes) to see if any of them had metal shovels so we could replace this one. NO shovels, not one to be found in all four stores!

    Deja vu...flash back to us trying to find an air conditioner in the middle of last summer's sweltering temps!

    I think we'd find a good sale on them today :)

    Good luck with the clean up. Thank goodness the heat is on for the three of you!

    xo
    Lo♥

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  6. Oh, KJ, how awful - and scary! I was worried about your roof.....

    I'm hoping that you and JB were able to get a lot of the back of the house done this morning.....
    BE CAREFUL! (I know you will, but I have to say it nonetheless...)

    Gosh, KJB, you will go to ANY lengths to have a starlight evening/morning with JB!
    (A-ha-ha!)

    Sending you many many BIG, WARM Hugs!

    Love,

    ♥ Cupcake ♥

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  7. Yikes this is serious! Had to smile at the hairdryer though - hopefully the additional advice you've been given here in the comments will help! All fascinating stuff and though I don't need it here in Malaysia I'm taking this post aboard for future colder climes! KJ, you and JB take good care - avalanches and waterfalls could be out there!x

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  8. Let's hope that the worst of the snows are behind you.

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  9. You are brave. Your roof post raking looked pretty good to me. I just woke up yesterday to the fact that my roof needed raking and also that I needed a path shoveled through five foot high snow so the fuel men could reach the fuel tank.

    Lucky fo r me my son came and did these things. My bro had a roof rake, certainly not myself, and loaned it to me. No way i could have done the roof raking myself esp now I know I have a hernia.

    the fee for raking the roof is outrageous. Good for you both. Yes, a night out under the stars. Perfect. Pardon me if I burip. my WV word.

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  10. Wow...stay safe.
    I hate the cold...ice and snow.
    I would not survive long in such conditions.
    I wish you good weather soon !

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  11. Tsup*!* Kj I can't help thinking Mother Nature is having a menopausal moment. Poor darling is obviously suffering hot and cold spells simultaneously. We are all feeling the affects as her hormones race around her universal globe in overdrive. So I think it's only fair that we chant in universal solidarity ...

    "for fecks sake would yer give it a rest now mammy!"

    Irish lilt optional ;)

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  12. I think we gotta do this too but no rakes to be had. But yes, all that snow on the roof is scary. And we expect more tomorrow...don't you? Tomorrow I go out and walk around the house and make sure the vents are free and clear so that we don't suffocate!!

    Glad you had a lovely snowy moonlit evening

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  13. Dear kj, I have been wondering about the snow on all my friend's roofs who are suffering through that huge amount of snow. What a great informative post...and what a lovely evening you had despite the cold.

    I can't believe what they're charging to clean off the roof...such greed! I feel so lucky that I live here, where if someone needs his roof cleared, a call goes out to the radio station and soon, there'll be lots of folks ready to take on the job...for nothing! I would guess it's because winter is severe here and so we all pitch in. One never knows when one will need help themselves, in the future.

    I love Bimbimbie's comment...perfect explanation!

    I hope you'll get some comfy cozy time this weekend. Comfy cozy is what Graydon and I do when we cuddle and read a book...I'll be thinking of you and JB! And dear Stella...I know she doesn't like that huge amount of snow!

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  14. Hi kj! I remember once, back in my Mojave desert days, we got a ton of snow (which doesn't happen there very often). My mom's house had a flat roof, and so the weight was just sitting there, not going anywhere, and we were worried about the roof caving in (desert houses are not built for snow - haha!). We got up on the roof and shoveled for hours. I have never been so tired. At one point, we decided that we had saved half the house and quit! LOL! You will have lovely arm muscles now! xoxo Pam

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  15. yikes - up on a ladder with a blow dryer -- sounds reallly dangerous. i hope jb won't do that anymore- too many possibilities for disaster -- please stay safe and stick to the roof rake!!

    i was watching that building collapse from snow on the roof and thought of you -- like lori said, good for you to find a way to discover beauty in this situation.

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  16. Oh, gosh, the hairdryer on a ladder part sounds very dangerous! I hope the snow slides off and you are able to take a break from all that shoveling.

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  17. Geesh Louise, that is a lot of snow!
    Good for the exercise too, kj!!
    You won't have to exercise for 2 years.
    I am so sorry.
    I hope everything turns out ok and the cheapest too!
    Love and huge aspercream and bengay hugs.

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  18. Ohmigoodness! You chipping away at snow and us clearing street gutters for unseasonal rains (Made a river of our street Fri night...Lucky we're on a hill!)... But you are right... Out in Mother Nature's full majesty is something <3

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  19. Getting snow off your roof is really an arduous task, KJ. The more piled up snow there is, the tougher it is to get rid of it. Good thing the oil burner repair guy was kind enough to give you a smart and useful tip. Just look at the bright side! Raking is a good post-winter exercise regimen!

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