If you just have a few inches of snow on your roof, it isn’t leaking, and your gutters are fine, you don’t have to remove the snow from your roof, says Taylor Webb, a construction consultant with Home Solutions of Iowa. “But if you’re having problems with ice damming or heavy snow and need to remove it,” he says, “you’ll want to do your research first.” We researched snow roof rakes based on style, material, and ease of use. Our top pick is the Garelick 89421 21-Foot Aluminum Snow Roof Rake for its light weight, sturdiness, ease of use, and rollers to protect your roof from damage. Here are our picks for the best snow roof rakes. What caught our eye with this product is the rollers, which keep the blade above the roof’s surface, protecting shingles from being damaged by being scraped. Unlike other rakes, the blade never touches the roof’s surface. The rollers also make it easy to advance the blade up the roof. And when you’re done using the rake, you can quickly disassemble it into three pieces to store until you need it next. We have noted that this rake may not remove all the snow from solar panels. Price at time of publish: $100 We have noted some issues with the design, particularly with the support straps disengaging, and with some parts misaligning. We also note that, like all snow-moving tools, this product works better on light, powdery snow than on heavy, wet snow. Price at time of publish: $43 We found some significant differences from the Garelick, which may account for the price difference. First, the Extreme Max’s aluminum pole may feel flimsy to some, and we have noted it can bend or break if you try to pull heavy, wet snow from off your roof. Second, aluminum has a tendency to react harshly to cold. So we recommend storing this snow roof rake indoors when not in use to keep the lock nut fasteners from freezing up; this would make it difficult or impossible to disassemble the rake. Also, note that a metal pole needs to be kept far away from power lines! Still, we recommend this product for homeowners who wish to haul snow off their roofs while keeping blades off their shingles. Price at time of publish: $56 This rake functions differently than some other roof rakes. Instead of pulling snow down, you push the pole, with its cedar blade, up your roof, and the snow slides down the other side. The design can work because typically, structures with metal roofs such as sheds, are lower and built with less steep roofs than most houses. The manufacturer claims that the rake can remove up to a ton of snow a minute. We note that the wheels can keep the blade nearly an inch above the roof, so it leaves some snow up there. For that reason, we don’t recommend it to clear snow off solar panels, despite the manufacturer’s claim. Price at time of publish: $129 At just 4 pounds, this product is the lightest roof rake we’ve found. It comes preassembled, so you can put it to use right away. Flip-tab locks let you easily change the pole’s length from 7 to 24 feet, and the entire reach can be up to 30 feet. The main drawback to this product is the head has some difficulty remaining attached to the pole. Price at time of publish: $95 Metal roofs are best served with rakes that contain large wheels; a 3-inch-diameter seems most recommended. Solar panels are the most susceptible to damage. For that reason, we strongly advise against using a product that has a metal or plastic blade to clear snow.
Length
If you decide to rake your roof, you need to use a rake with a pole long enough to get to the top of the roof, Webb says. Or you should only rake snow off the first couple of feet, where the shingles are still likely to be protected by the roof’s ice and water barrier. “Most newer roofs have an ice and water barrier 3 to 4 feet beyond the gutter,” he points out. “I’ve seen people only rake 10 feet up the roof, and then they end up causing an ice dam farther up the roof, where there’s no ice and water barrier.” Shorter poles can be functional for residential roofs which have pitches ranging from 4/12 (the roof rises 4 inches for every linear foot) to 6/12 (6 inches for every linear foot). Single-story homes generally have lower-pitched roofs, while multiple-story home roofs are steeper and may be unsuitable for snow roof rakes, even those with longer poles. Many snow roof rakes are extendable; some stretch as high as 20 feet. Of course, the taller the pole, the harder it is to maneuver a snow roof rake easily.
Weight
Typically, snow roof rakes are constructed from fiberglass, or aluminum, which is one of the lightest metals. Wood and other materials are denser, and therefore heavier. If it’s all practical, try out a snow roof rake in a brick-and-mortar store before committing to a purchase.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Missy Keenan is a freelance writer with more than two decades’ experience as a journalist and communications professional, with a special interest in all things home and garden. She has written hundreds of articles for publications, including Do It Yourself, Secrets of Getting Organized, DSM, and Glamour magazines; USA Today; The Des Moines Register; and Iowa Gardening. For this article, Missy consulted with Taylor Webb, a construction consultant with Home Solutions of Iowa, and spent hours researching products online.
