Icicles Over the Front Door: When Roof Snow Becomes a Hazard

Icicles look pretty in photos, but a long one falling from the eaves can injure anyone walking below. They are also a sign that water is going where it should not.

What icicles tell you

Large icicles grow when snow on the roof melts from the heat of the house and refreezes at the cold edge. The same process builds a ridge of ice along the eaves that traps water behind it.

Check these spots after a storm

Above the front door, steps and walkway, where people pass every day.
Over the driveway, where ice can drop onto a parked car.
Gutters sagging or pulling away from the fascia.
Damp patches on ceilings near the outside walls.

What is safe to do from the ground

Small icicles can be knocked down with a broom handle while you stand well to the side, never directly underneath. Keep people and pets away from the area under the eaves until it is done.

What to leave to a crew

Climbing a ladder or walking on an icy roof.
Breaking up thick ice along the roof edge.
Shovelling a flat roof, garage roof or rooftop deck.

We rake snow off the lower part of sloped roofs, clear flat roofs by hand and take down dangerous icicles without hacking at the shingles or gutters.

Keep reading: Digging out a buried car · The plow ridge at your driveway · Shovelling without injury