Easily remove snow from your roof.
After receiving over 50 inches of snow this winter and you are like me you went to the local hardware store to find a snow rake for the roof. Only to be told they are sold out.
Well necessity being the mother of invention forced me to make my own.
So hear is my first attempt at an instructable.
Parts list and cost file attached below.
Step 1: Step 1
Cut two 12” pipes using the Schedule 40, 1 in. x 10 ft. PVC.
At the left side I marked each pipe with a 12.
At the left side I marked each pipe with a 12.
Step 2: Step 2
Cut two 25” pipes using the Schedule 40, 1/2 in. x 10 ft. PVC.
I marked each pipe with a 12, 13 and 25 inch marking.
I marked each pipe with a 12, 13 and 25 inch marking.
Step 3: Step 3
Take a rubber mallet and bang in both 12” pipes into each end of the tee. On the back side of the tee place a screw to hold each 12” PVC pipe in place.
Step 5: Step 5
Drill a 7/8” hole through the top to the bottom with a hole saw. Set the header on two spare 2x4’s to allow easier drilling. Note: Do not use a hole bit they make a mess and chew up the PVC pipe.
Step 6: Step 6
Slide the 25” x ½” PVC pipes through the header to the 12” mark. Screw in a hex head screw at the 12” mark. This allows the post to stop at 12”.
Step 8: Step 8
Take the sheet metal and cut out a notch according to the photo and screw into the 1” header and ½” support pipes using 10 screws. Measure from the right 11 1/8 inches and to 12 7/8 inches. Mark these measurements. Measure 1 inch in as seen in the photo. Cut with sheet metal shears the two line. Bend the cut piece to 90 degrees.
Step 9: Step 9
Take a hack saw to the other end of the ½” pipe and notch out a “V” grove to each post.
Insert the chain across each V Grove and screw into each side as shown in the photo.
Insert the chain across each V Grove and screw into each side as shown in the photo.
Step 10: Step 10
Add a Schedule 40, 1 in. x 10 ft. PVC pole into the tee and screw the pole into the handle. Duct tape the chain ends.
Copyright 2011
Copyright 2011
Step 11: Snow Ripper II - The Upgrade - For $20.00 More
Hi All,
I had a few comments about the pole so here I am trying to address them.
Some thought the pole might be to flexible.
As you know our hardware stores are running out of shovels, snow rakes, speedy melt, and anything used for snow removal.
With this economy I am still trying to keep a functional tool as well as cost effective.
So off to find a sturdier / lightweight pole.
I came up with a painter extension pole $17.97. Problem is I could not find a nut large enough to fit the thread at the end of the pole. So I bought a small roller handle for $1.97.
Step 12: Step 11
Remove the 10 foot PVC Pole and place the Snow Ripper head on the table with the top of the tee facing up. Mark the center of the tee and drill a 7/8 hole in the middle as shown below. This will allow the painters pole to be attached to the Snow Ripper head.
Step 13: Step 12
Take your paint roller and cut off the metal portion using a hack saw that holds the roller on as seen in the photo.
Step 14: Step 13
Slide the extension pole through the hole of the Snow Ripper head and screw on the roller handle to lock the head in place as seen below. You can use a washer if you have one.
Step 15: Step 14
You are now ready to use your Snow Ripper II with a sturdier pole.
8' to 16' in length.
8' to 16' in length.
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I made one, and it works sooo good!
Thank you, Thank you...
You should get a patent on this idea, you could make millions!!!
I put it out there to help people with the same problem I had. Glad it helped.
Happy snow removal,
Bill
I sent the snow ripper info to one of my brothers up there. My large (8) Irish family still all live less than an hour or two from Springfield; where we grew up COLD!
Bunch of nuts!
Went right over my thick Irish skull...
Not the first or last time, either!!! The joke was not stupid - in fact, I have that Beatle's vinyl; believe it or not. Right next to Buffalo Springfield and a bunch of other albums that are probably warped by now (more than then...).
Thanks for the laugh.
I had 4 feet of snow on my roofs, but not anymore! I would recommend this to anyone...especially since snow rakes are sold out and the Home Depots and Lowes in my area are charging too much for a dowel and a piece of wood fastened together.
http://wins.failblog.org/2011/01/21/epic-win-videos-snow-shovel-win/
(nevertheless, good idea and nice project)
http://bernardouellet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/bienvenuechezmoipetit.JPG
That's Quebec btw.
Thanks for the great support and the many of you that have forgiven my use of a ladder. I have put up a website for anyone who would like to visit.
http://www.snowripper.com
I'm still doing snow. But now it is for helping others. My properties are done.
Lastly a BIG thanks to instructables for having such a great forum to express our ideas.
Smile your on candid camera.
CYA,
Bill
I was shopping down at the local Home Depot for some tubing for a project, and three guys in a group there were looking at sheets of paper and picking up PVC fittings and lengths of tube. They were building their own roof rakes and what caught my eye was the orange header on the top sheet. Yep it was an Instructable, that header is way too easy to see!
They were all building the same item, and they were laughing at how much money they were saving over the cost of 'professional' (and right now unavailable) help! They left the plumbing section for hardware and chain, and only later I find this i'ble. Not sure if it was yours they were building, but Instructables is going to help a lot of folks out this winter with the shared information so freely given out here.
Instructables deserves a few awards for the service done for ordinary folks who share tricks, tips, and knowledge so everyone can benefit. Way to go!
That is way too funny. Hopefully it was my instructable they were building. In some way I hope I have helped a few people out. It is not perfect but it does get the job done.
Thank you for your great comment.
An idea shared here gives homeowners as simple way to keep their own homes safer. Instructables has done more by simply being here then a lot of experts who price their help out of range. Your idea was simple, clean and well presented, easy to make and use.
As a Minnesotan, I know all too well the mess snow can bring, and your idea was a first rate project. I printed it out and shared it with some of my neighbors who are homeowners, (I live in an apartment.)
Now if someone would create a cheap snow melter so that snow could be melted and sent down the storm drains! What a neat 'neighborhood project that would be.
The chain idea is clever. I wonder if a metal cable might not work even better, as it would be easier to pull through the snow. Might be good to have a smooth edge on the metal in case you get all the way down to the roof. Maybe roll it over at a 1/2 inch radius or something? Maybe make the pipes stick out an inch further and put on pipe caps to let it glide instead of gouge.
I managed to secure a roof rake and a 5 foot extension. Using them together, they're about as stiff as a noodle. Since this house has 2 stories, that still wasn't long enough, so I added an 8 foot aluminum tube, 1-1/4 inch OD. The extension was wrapped with tape to just fit inside the tube, with about a foot overlap. That makes the total length something like 28 feet. I drilled a hole and used a shortened nail to pin them together, wrapped with tape to hold it in. Works well, though it's harder to lift. I happened to have a big snow pile near the house. Raised it to 6 feet, put a board on top, and I can reach all the way to the center of the roof with this pole. Unfortunately not the entire ridge, but pretty close to most of it. I have a small sailboat mast I could use, but I don't think I'm strong enough to use it for very long. If I was, I could reach the center of that roof from ground level.
Making a handle with that aluminum tube would probably be a good way to go. It's a good idea to wax the business end of any snow removal equipment. Makes the snow stick less. Butcher's wax or car wax will do. I suspect furniture wax or silicone spray would also work. Rubbing with paraffin is ok too.
Thanks for the great suggestions. Love the creativity. That's what this site is about. It's nice to see someone focus on the ideas to expand and make a better tool.
I thought of using the PVC cement but the screws made it easy to repair if a part broke. As luck has it I broke one 12" pipe. I took a left over pipe and repaired it in 5 minutes. Then back to work.
I looked at using cable but it I thought it would be more complex to install. I can screw in the chain. How would you attach a cable? I used the chain because of use in creating trails for snowmobiles and also used in baseball to smooth out fields. Pipe caps are a good idea. As much as I have used it I try not to let it touch the roof. I like to leave and inch on the roof and let the sun melt the rest. Waxing the end is also a good idea.
Thank you and good luck with your snow removal.
You can get these little clamps for the cable. It could be as simple as using the clamp to make a loop to slip over the pipe, although then you'd have to hold it from sliding up and down. Or you could just drill a hole through the pipe, pass the cable through the hole, and put a clamp on the far side. You'd probably want to stuff some foam into the pipe first so that snow didn't get in there. With a small cable, you can actually tie a knot, but that's kind of messy. You could probably use some 1/8" nylon braided line, but it wouldn't last very long.
Be careful with that chain! A local model airplane club was put out of operation some years ago around here. They'd requested the property owner put up something to keep out vandals. The owner put up a chain which apparently wasn't terribly visible. After a nighttime snowmobiler lost his head (literally), the lawsuits started. So hang visible stuff on that chain!
I am almost done, but I decided I was too sore to keep going. 28 feet of snow rake is pretty tiring to handle, but I didn't want to walk around up there. I find it tricky, when working at that distance, to leave just a thin layer of snow. Once in a while I end up scraping the roof a little bit.
I don't know if it's too late to invest in Naproxen futures.
Again, thanks for the idea with the chain. If we have another big storm coming, it may be worth a try. Maybe I'll test it at first by just using coat hangar wire.
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I notice a comment by someone else that these kind of things are always best left to the pros. I'd say that depends on one's budget, one's abilities, and the quality of the local pros. It also depends on the load vs the strength of the roof. If the roof collapses, that's a lot more trouble than replacing shingles. Or it may be easier to replace a few shingles than to repair extensive water damage to plaster and who knows what else from ice dams. So one might not want to wait for the pro.
Cables and snow guards work, but a cold, well ventilated attic helps too, although not so much with the possible structural issues.
I remember, from when I was a child, watching a "pro" construction guy working on a ladder. He left his hammer on top of the ladder when he moved it. It fell off and hit him on the head. This happened more than once! Of course, I've seen really impressive, competent, fast pros too. And I once even got paid to help on a roofing job. Shingles are heavy!
But then again, living where you do, I guess I could teach you folks a couple of things about how to install hurricane shutters single handed. (sigh)
I did get a chuckle out of the irony of the Rent Florida Villas sign in the video.
Ya the snow is crazy deep. We have had over 70 inches dumped on us. 3 to 4 feet standing on our homes, add rain, sleet, and turn it to ice means a nasty winter.
Feel free to recommend our villa in Florida to your friends. A great place to stay.
Take care and thanks for your comments.
Looks like a good 'ible! I've been shoveling as we have a very long roof line, but fortunately not too steep a pitch. I could use this on the short steep stretch to push snow off. I've been a little hesitant to get onto that section of roof because it is coated with ice and a 25' drop to the driveway.
I've used the "insert a wooden dowel" trick and it works well. You can secure with a screw through the PVC. I'll have to try the expanding foam too. It helps if the dowel goes across the PVC joints. It adds some weight but that may help break through crust.
If you're scraping the actual shingles, you're removing the aggregate (those itty bitty rocks). The aggregate is what protects the tar/asphalt part of the shingle from weather damage -- especially UV.
Snow removal is better than a collapse (which only tends to happen in older, poorly built/engineered, low-slope structures)... but leaving an inch or two of snow is not only okay, it's recommended.
Nice project! But like any tool, use it wisely.
Thanks for the tip. You are correct. Try to get most of the snow off the roof. Leave a one inch layer and the sun will do the rest.
Thanks