(http://i475.photobucket.com/albums/rr111/hlovett_2008/IMG_0923.jpg)
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WARNING!
Most of us who work around multi story buildings like the high rises in our downtown areas, are used to the falling ice warnings and walkways roadways being blocked off due to the hazards it represents. But very few of realize that the dangers are just as real and threatening to our lives and well being at home!
Above are two pictures of my home post the 1/31-2/1/2011 ice storms. Today the sun is out and shining brightly as you can see. Result? That ice is now melting! As you can see our roof is a very large and thick sheet of ice, and that ice can very easily break loose in huge sheets/chunks and slide right off the edge and onto the ground at any given moment!
That means, when you are outside your home stay away from the walls of your home! WELL away!
When you take the dog out walk out toward the edge of your property and well out of reach of falling ice! Spend as little time as possible within 15 -20 feet of your roofline and the home walls; especially on the sides that the roof is pitched toward!
To help facilitate the melting, make sure your downspouts are cleared of ice buildup and any other obstructions that will impede the free flow of water! Under no circumstance should you attempt to get into your gutters and chip out the ice that has built up there! (The sheet of ice on your roof could be jarred loose by the pounding and chipping vibrations and slide off, knocking you off the ladder or worse!)
Thanks for reading this! :smile:
Wow. :spooked: Hubby knocked the icicles off of our down spouts and gutters today when he went out to shovel the walk but didn't look at the roof to see if it was still snow covered or ice.
Quote from: me on February 03, 2011, 06:56:16 PM
Wow. :spooked: Hubby knocked the icicles off of our down spouts and gutters today when he went out to shovel the walk but didn't look at the roof to see if it was still snow covered or ice.
I had a waterfall coming down the back side of the house this early afternoon, so I went out to clear the downspouts. . . then I looked up and saw the roof. . . Scared the crap out of me! :spooked:
I've got between 4 and 6 inches of ice on my driveway and sidewalks and it is hard a concrete. I had to go out and help two neighbors get their cars out of their driveways today, and then I backed my truck away from the house too. . .
I also chipped at the surface of the ice to create a rough surface, then threw coarse sand into the tracks I roughed up so that my wife can get in and out of the garage without getting stuck. . .
Yah need a jackhammer to get to the concrete!
Hubby's using a spade rather than a snow shovel to break up and get the ice off the sidewalks. It's an older one so it's a little tougher than the newer ones you get today.
Quote from: me on February 03, 2011, 07:30:36 PM
Hubby's using a spade rather than a snow shovel to break up and get the ice off the sidewalks. It's an older one so it's a little tougher than the newer ones you get today.
Hell, I am using a straight spade, and a heavy duty one. I hit the damned ice as hard as I can and all it does is chip a little off the surface. I'd spread salt or "ice melt" but that crap eats up the concrete. . .
I may get a blowtorch out next! :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:
Man, that's the pitts. Blow torch might be the best option in your case at least to get a hole in it so the sun can help. It seems once you get a spot cleared the sun helps heat the concrete and it gets easier.
Quote from: Palehorse on February 03, 2011, 07:35:29 PM
Hell, I am using a straight spade, and a heavy duty one. I hit the damned ice as hard as I can and all it does is chip a little off the surface. I'd spread salt or "ice melt" but that crap eats up the concrete. . .
I may get a blowtorch out next! :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:
Quote from: me on February 03, 2011, 08:13:04 PM
Man, that's the pitts. Blow torch might be the best option in your case at least to get a hole in it so the sun can help. It seems once you get a spot cleared the sun helps heat the concrete and it gets easier.
Mother Nature put it there, let her take it away. Why break your back or cut off a toe. :yes:
Quote from: The Troll on February 03, 2011, 09:44:08 PM
Mother Nature put it there, let her take it away. Why break your back or cut off a toe. :yes:
It's a matter of not wanting to get sued if someone falls. :wink:
Quote from: me on February 04, 2011, 02:17:16 AM
It's a matter of not wanting to get sued if someone falls. :wink:
That's what home owner's insurance is for and I don't think a person is going to have much to stand on by suing, because the dumb ass was out walking on this ice. :wink: :smile:
Quote from: The Troll on February 04, 2011, 07:46:33 AM
That's what home owner's insurance is for and I don't think a person is going to have much to stand on by suing, because the dumb ass was out walking on this ice. :wink: :smile:
You seem to forget how sue happy a lot of people are today. If a persons walks aren't shoveled and someone falls they can sue you for negligence.
Quote from: me on February 04, 2011, 08:49:49 AM
You seem to forget how sue happy a lot of people are today. If a persons walks aren't shoveled and someone falls they can sue you for negligence.
Let them, I not going to lose sleep over the dumb ass. I would want a jury trial. But I imagine the insurance would settle out of court for pennies on the dollar. :biggrin:
Where sidewalks are concerned, you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. If you remove the snow/ice and somebody falls anyway, they can sue your ass for negligence because you did not do a good enough job to keep their fool legs beneath them. Even if you take it down to bare concrete and the wind blows more ice and snow on top of it, you are toast. . .
I say screw them. They fall on my sidewalk I am going to rush out with a hockey stick and slash their ass!
Quote from: Palehorse on February 04, 2011, 09:16:04 AM
Where sidewalks are concerned, you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. If you remove the snow/ice and somebody falls anyway, they can sue your ass for negligence because you did not do a good enough job to keep their fool legs beneath them. Even if you take it down to bare concrete and the wind blows more ice and snow on top of it, you are toast. . .
I say screw them. They fall on my sidewalk I am going to rush out with a hockey stick and slash their ass!
:biggrin:
Looks like the folks down in Texas didn't pay attention to your Public Service Announcement .....
Falling ice injures 5 at Cowboys Stadium
Five people were injured by falling ice at Cowboys Stadium after another blast of winter slammed North Texas on Friday, a Super Bowl official said.
Arnie Valdez with the Super Bowl safety committee said one person was critically injured and taken to a hospital. He did not immediately have details about the others and could not say why those injured were at the stadium.
http://www.comcast.net/articles/sports-general/20110204/US.Winter.Weather/ (http://www.comcast.net/articles/sports-general/20110204/US.Winter.Weather/)