Rock Salt On Your Roof

Why you shouldn t use rock salt on your roof.

Rock salt on your roof.

Rock salt is not the most effective or efficient method for managing snow on your rooftop. It will damage the roofing siding gutters and downspouts and the poisonous runoff will kill foundation plants. Rock salt can also leave permanent stains on your roof and walls. It should be no surprise then that it is the first thing many people think of to remove ice dams.

Sodium chloride or rock salt is highly corrosive. Discolored shingles dead shrubbery dead grass discolored driveway sidewalks or front stoop corroded gutters and downspouts rust and pits on your flashing which. Rock salt is also only effective at temperatures down to about 20 degrees fahrenheit. Rock salt is common for de icing driveways and paths.

A do not put salt on your roof. In this article we hope to address the main reasons why rock salt is not a good way to cure ice dams. However rock salt is a form of sodium chloride which corrodes metal including the metal nails holding your shingles in place. This is because of its temperature limitations the impracticality of reapplying it during adverse conditions and the large volume.

What rock salt is doing to your roof. Just say no to salting your roof. Rock salt s ability to damage driveways and other outdoor pavements is relatively well known but there is another place where rock salt can do damage to your home on the roof top. While it works and will remove snow and ice from your roof and prevent accumulation it is not recommended to use rock salt on your roof.