How Do I Remove Leaves From My Roof?
Fall is a beautiful time of year, but as a homeowner, it’s also the messiest. Leaves can clutter up yards, gutters, drains, and landscaping beds, even if they’re nice to look at.
Leaves that get stuck on the roof aren’t as inconsequential as they seem to be, getting caught in the gutter system and disrupting the flow of water can lead to foundational flooding and water damage. Plus, it hurts your overall curb appeal when leaves gather on your roof. So, how do you get them off?
Fortunately, technology and smart manufacturing has made removing leaves from a roof rather easy. There are more than a few methods you can employ to tackle this chore.
Roof Safety
You may have to climb up on your roof to remove leaves. Only choose this method of leaf removal if your roof is safe to climb, meaning the pitch is low enough for you to safely walk around on it. According to OSHA, any roof with a pitch of more than 18.4-degrees is considered to be a steep roof, which make the angle dangerous to work on.
Follow ladder safety if you’re climbing up to the roof to remove leaves. Have someone spot you while you climb up and while you work on your roof. Always maintain three points of contact and make sure the ladder isn’t wobbling, maintaining a stable connection to the level ground.
The Right Day & The Right Weather
You don’t want to remove leaves on just any old day. You’ll want good weather because chances are, you’ll need to climb on to the roof to really get the leaves off.
Roof safety is of the upmost importance so choose sunny weather and when it hasn’t rained for at least a few days. Have you ever tried to blow away wet leaves? It’s practically impossible and you certainly don’t want to be working on your roof trying to get wet leaves removed.
You’ll also want a day without wind, if possible. Otherwise, you’ll be fighting with the wind to get the leaves removed from your roof. It’ll be a much easier time with a leaf blower on a windless day—and faster.
Use Your Leaf Blower
Following the guidelines for choosing the best day to remove leaves and the safety rules of using a ladder and working on your roof, grab your leaf blower and climb up to the roof. Don’t take your leaf blower up the ladder with one hand because you could lose balance and fall. Instead, tie a rope around its handle and carry the rope as you ascend the ladder.
Cover the surface of your roof with your leaf blower. When blowing, blow the leaves down and across the shingles, never against them or you may cause damage by lifting and tearing. Blow the leaves to a place on the roof that doesn’t have a gutter, if possible. Leaves that get stuck in the gutter are hard to dislodge, so once you’ve removed all of the loose leaves, you’ll need to address the ones in the gutter system.
Removing Leaves from Gutters
Unfortunately, you can’t really use the leaf blower trick on the gutters because the design sits just below the roof edge, making it difficult to blow them out. Instead, you’ll need to clean out the gutters as you normally would, by grabbing a ladder and moving around the perimeter of your house, scooping out the leaves as you go along.
It’s tedious, but this is the most important part of leaf removal. If you don’t clear out the gutters, the leaves will clog them, which forces the water runoff to drain improperly along the sides of the house. Gutters need to channel water further away, otherwise the foundation, siding, and landscaping beds can experience water damage.
To make the job easier, use a gutter cleaning wand. Not only will this simplify this annoying task, but also speed things up. You can also skip the ladder with this wand as it attaches to a hose providing you with a long reach.
What if My Roof is too Steep?
High-pitched roofs are not safe to work on unless you are a trained professional with the appropriate safety equipment. That being said, there are alternatives to removing leaves from your roof.
Modern tools can help you forgo the leaf blower, so you don’t need to climb up on a dangerously high-pitched roof. Instead, use a telescoping leaf rake. Its designed for these scenarios so you can remove leaves without having to put yourself at risk.
You’ll stay on the ground, using the telescoping leaf rake to pull the leaves and debris off of your steep roof. Because of its pitch, leaves probably won’t collect anywhere but the roof edges.  If you find that your roof is unique and can’t seem to reach the leaves with this tool, you’ll need to call a professional to help you out with leaf removal.
At Feldco, we have a strong reputation for great quality asphalt shingles and colors that will complement your home. Thousands of homeowners choose Feldco over the competitors. Speak to a product specialist and get a free quote online today.
