|
Snow on a Roof:
Snow on a roof can be a major
problem. Roof snow removal will protect your roof from excessive weight
build-up. If the snow is wet, the weight of roof snow can be thousands
of
pounds. Snow roof ice is even a greater hazard.
Snow on roofs is
indeed a major
issue. Snow is just frozen water, and liquid water weighs 62.42 pounds
per
cubic foot. In all likelihood, your roof is probably designed for a
snow load
of 20 lbs. per horizontal square foot. But keep in mind that poor
materials and
poor building construction methods can contribute to a lower rating.
Ice is the
real danger as it weighs nearly the same as liquid water. A cubic foot
of solid
ice weighs 92% of what a cubic foot of liquid water. This means that
your roof
can only support a few inches of ice.
The snow on the roof
needs to be
removed immediately if you want to protect your home. Since you don't
know if
your builders and carpenters
were building the best roof for snow, you have to
assume they didn't. Without being an engineer or hiring one, you simply
can't
look and determine what roofs for snow look like. There are many
variables not
the least of which is the type of lumber and its grade that was used to
frame
the roof. Different lumber has vastly different strengths.
Depending upon the
style of house
you have, getting the snow from the roof might be difficult. Two story
houses
with low-slope roofs are the hardest. I've seen workers scale up these
roofs
wearing ice cleats and just shovel the snow to the ground. Steep
pitched roofs
tend to be the easiest to deal with as often these can be cleaned from
the
ground using snow roof rakes. I've used these tools to get lots of snow
off my
roof in a short amount of time.
Metal roofs and snow
pose a
different problem. Because the metal is slippery, snow can launch off
these
roofs without warning and cause serious injury or death to people who
get
buried by the avalanche. These roofs can be equipped with special
accessories
that break up the snow and ice into smaller pieces as it starts to
slide, but
the weight of the metal-roofing snow is still the same.
If you're unable to
use a snow roof
rake yourself, then hire an individual to do the job for you. Make sure
this
individual has Workman's Compensation insurance as well as general
liability
insurance. If he gets hurt while working, or the snow falls and damages
something, you want to be sure you don't have to pay for these extra
costs.
|
