When a blizzard hits the Mid-Atlantic region, you should be on guard against excessive snow on your roof. One or more heavy snowfalls can overload your roof if it is damaged or not structurally sound. Getting the snow off your roof is easiest when it is still fresh and fluffy. Learning how to remove snow from a roof with a wire is a technique that homeowners turn to for a quick fix. A partner makes this job easier because two people can pull the wire through the snow.

Pulling the snow off of your roof is important. If left in place, the weight of the snow can threaten the building with structural damage. Heat radiating up from your home will result in melting. The thick layer of snow could prevent the water from draining away. As a result, leaks could form in the roof. Ice dams are also possible when the melted water hits frigid temperatures near the gutter.

Knowing how to remove snow from a roof with a wire will prepare you to prevent these problems. Ideally, you’ll already have a long wire on hand so that you can remove the snow as soon as possible. A deep snow may prevent you from getting to a store to buy a wire.

How to Remove Snow From Roof With a Wire Steps

1. Only try to learn how to remove snow from a roof with a wire on a single story home.
2. Purchase 100 to 200 feet of narrow wire cable. You’ll need plenty of slack so that you and a partner can pull the wire while standing out of the way of falling snow.
3. Select a scrap of wood or other small object that you can throw easily over the roof.
4. Find the middle point of the wire.
5. Wrap and tie your throwing object to the middle of the wire.
6. Toss the object toward the ridge of the roof.
7. Both ends of the wire should still be on the ground.
8. You and your partner will each grab an end of the wire.
9. Standing back from the edge of the roof, pull on the wire.
10. You may have to pull hard and use a sawing motion to work the wire through the snow.
11. The wire will undercut the snow. The weight of the snow should cause it to slide free.
12. Repeat the process of tossing the middle loop of the wire into snowy sections and pulling down on the wire.
13. On smaller roofs, such as on a shed or porch, you may be able to toss the wire across the whole roof.
14. To toss across a small roof, tie your throwing object to the end of the wire.
15. Your partner can grab the other end.
16. With each of you holding the wire, walk toward the eaves to pull the snow off.