Most common high performance ice melters such as magnesium chloride or calcium chloride will certainly melt the ice but they may also cause staining of the shingles and could also cause corrosion of the gutters aluminum siding or fasteners.
Magnesium chloride on roof.
It melts ice faster than sodium chloride does works at lower temperatures than sodium chloride and also melts larger volumes of ice.
Calcium chloride is the most aggressive ice melter working down to well below zero and magnesium chloride is very good.
Organic salts like magnesium chloride are slightly more effective than inorganic salts.
Another draw of magnesium chloride is that it s reasonably safe for your pets and more environmentally friendly.
Is your roof asphalt shingles.
Gel melt can be positioned directly on the roof or the ice dam to carve a deep channel into the ice buildup so that melt water has a channel to runoff into the gutter or downspout.
Salt will leave a white residue and is very corrosive to unprotected.
Also it s the least likely to cause all the damage listed above.
Calcium chloride is the best salt to use on ice dams according to handyman glenn haege.
The petco stuff is most likely urea kinda ok but the other mix will work better.
Many ice melt products contain a mix of other types of salt.
According to a 2017 review in current nutrition and food science magnesium chloride and other magnesium salts like magnesium aspartate gluconate citrate and lactate have a bioavailability of between 50 and 67.
Bare ground gel melt magnesium chloride gel is designed for alleviating issues of ice dam blockages.