How Much Snow Is Too Much On My Roof

By the time i ve worked my way around the building hip deep in snow my shoulders are burning with the effort.

How much snow is too much on my roof.

When heat escapes through your attic it melts the snow. When the snow gets really deep it s not unusual to see whole families up on the roof with snow shovels. But if you re really worried you might have too much snow on your roof here s how to figure out if your roof is at risk and how to remove that risk. One of the major determining factors for how much snow is too much for your roof is how heavy the snow fall is.

The drifts on the roof were 5 feet deep. How to protect your roof. Watch for ice build up on the edge and valleys of your roof. The critical factor in determining excessive snow loads on your roof isn t the depth of the snow it s the weight.

The easiest way to determine whether the snow on your roof is dry or wet is to examine a couple of full shovels of snow from the ground level. Odds are your roof is save. My wife and i rake the valleys over the front and back doors and when the snow really piles up i go out and rake the shop roof too. If you see clumps or chunky pieces on the head of your shovel the snow contains a relatively high level of moisture.

How much snow is too much for a roof to handle. When this water freezes at the edge of your roof it forms an ice dam and allows water to back up and enter the building under the shingles and wood decking. As everyone knows cold fluffy snow is very light while wet snow can be extremely heavy. A depth of 60 cm 24 in of built up snow or 60 cm 24 in of fresh snow can weigh as much as 27 kg 60 pounds per square foot of roof space.

The chart below courtesy of paul schimnowski p e gives some examples of snow loads. Last winter we had snow on the ground that was up to our hips. Weight of the snow not how much is what matters. How much snow a roof can hold depends on the type of snow roofline and material among other considerations.

These questions aren t quite so easy to answer because there are several variables. This is beyond the maximum recommended snowfall on a roof. A final point to remember. At least 2 inches of snow should remain on your roof.

You have probably heard of or seen the difference between wet snow and fluffy snow. Granulated snow on the other hand will be much lighter and won t stick together. For the twin cities metro area the roof snow load equals 35 pounds per square foot or 7 x 50. It isn t wise to remove all the snow on your roof as it can cause damage to tiles and start leaks.