I hear you on the heat cables—ran them one year, and my electric bill nearly doubled. I’ve had more luck just piling on extra insulation in the attic, but it's a pain crawling around up there. Anyone ever tried those roof rakes after a big snow? Worth the hassle or just cosmetic?
Roof rakes actually do more than just make things look tidy. If you can get to the lower few feet of your roof after a storm, pulling that snow off helps prevent ice dams from forming at the eaves. It’s not a cure-all—if you’ve got poor insulation or ventilation, you’ll still get some issues—but it can buy you time and reduce risk. Just watch out for damaging shingles if it’s super cold or if you’re using too much force. I’ve seen folks gouge their roofs without realizing it.
I tried using a roof rake for the first time last winter after hearing horror stories about ice dams. It definitely helped clear the edge, but I was surprised how easy it was to scrape up some of the shingles—especially when it was below 10°F. My house is older and the insulation isn’t great, so I still got a bit of ice buildup, but less than before. I’m thinking about adding more attic insulation this year... anyone else notice a big difference after doing that?
“I’m thinking about adding more attic insulation this year... anyone else notice a big difference after doing that?”
- Insulation definitely helps, but it’s not always the magic fix for ice dams—especially with older homes.
- I’ve seen cases where folks added a ton of insulation, but still had ice issues because of air leaks (think: gaps around light fixtures, attic hatches, plumbing vents). Warm air sneaks up and melts the snow from underneath, then it refreezes at the eaves.
- If you’re already scraping shingles with the rake, maybe look into a roof de-icing cable? Not the greenest solution, but it’s less risky for the roof than aggressive raking in deep cold.
- Another angle: check your roof ventilation. Sometimes just adding a ridge vent or more soffit vents can make a bigger difference than insulation alone.
- Personally, I went with dense-pack cellulose plus air sealing, and saw a bigger drop in ice dams than when I just added batts.
Insulation’s good, but it’s only part of the puzzle. If you’re still seeing ice after beefing it up, might be worth poking around for hidden leaks or airflow issues.
I used to think just piling on more insulation would be the magic bullet, but turns out my old Cape Cod had other ideas. First winter after I added a bunch of fiberglass batts, I still got those lovely ice dams—just a little less dramatic. What finally made a difference was crawling around up there with a can of spray foam and some caulk, sealing up every weird gap and hole I could find. The attic hatch was a big culprit, and so were the spots around the bathroom fan.
I totally agree about ventilation. Before I added more soffit vents, the attic felt like a sauna after a sunny day, even in January. Once I got the airflow sorted, the snow stopped melting in weird patches. Haven’t needed to use the roof rake nearly as much since then, which is good because I’m not exactly graceful on a ladder.
De-icing cables are kind of a last resort for me. I put them on the north side where the sun never hits, but honestly, they’re a pain to install and not cheap to run. Still beats chipping away at ice with a shovel, though.
One thing I’d add—if you’ve got recessed lights in the ceiling below the attic, those things are basically little chimneys for warm air unless they’re rated for insulation contact. Swapping mine out made a bigger difference than I expected.
Every house seems to have its own quirks. For me, it was a combo of plugging leaks, boosting insulation, and getting the air moving. Not perfect, but at least my gutters aren’t turning into mini glaciers anymore...