The main risks of too much snow on the roof.
How much snow should i remove from my roof.
Visible sagging in the roof that can be seen from inside the home or in the attic as well as being seen from outside on the ground.
Just six inches of wet snow weighs as much as almost 40 inches of dry snow.
Roofs are generally built to withstand more than the expected snowfall in your area.
How should the snow be removed with a shovel or a rake.
Removing snow from your roof after every 6 inches of snow is a good standard to follow.
By removing this snow you are going to minimize risk of damage from ice building up called ice dams.
Generally the steeper your roof angle the more snow it can hold e g.
Use a roof rake or hire someone to do it professionally.
If you have never had issues with ice dams on your roof and your primary concern is the additional weight on your.
Take care not to damage flashing or shingles.
You need to know the weight of it.
A 10 12 or 12 12 pitch roof handles more snow than a flat roof.
If you have ice dams however removing the snow is the good thing to do.
The safest way a homeowner can remove snow from a roof is with a roof rake.
Don t risk your life to save a few hundred dollars.
Professional snow removers have special safety equipment they use.
Signs that your house be at risk from bearing the weight too much snow on the roof are.
This is extremely dangerous.
How deep the snow on your roof is won t matter.
Please remember that the numbers given by this calculator are just an approximation and are by no means 100 accurate.
Sometimes you need your roof snow removed by shoveling other times by roof raking.
If you do call the professionals to come out to remove the snow be aware that they will not remove all of the snow off of your roof they just need to remove the excessive weight.
When should i remove snow from my roof.
The goal isn t to clear every.
Our snow load calculator helps you to make the decision when to remove the snow from your roof by comparing the weight of snow with the load carrying capacity of the roof.
It depends largely on a how big your roof is and how tall your house is b how much snow your roof received and c whether the snow itself is powdery and light versus wet and heavy.
However you should make sure the ground isn t slippery and that you have the upper body strength to handle the rake and pull off the snow.
Do not walk on your roof to remove snow.