Installation of snow retainers - a useful necessity
Regions with a cold climate are characterized by a large amount of precipitation in the winter season, therefore, it is not possible to avoid the accumulation of snow masses on the roofs of buildings. Ice and snowdrifts exert a significant load on the structure, but the worst thing is that they pose a serious threat to the life of passers-by. In order to avoid unpleasant, and sometimes tragic consequences from falling icy masses, we offer to play it safe and install snow retainers on the roof with your own hands.
Of course, if there is time and desire, the owners can independently clean the roof surface from accumulated rainfall, but this is an unsafe and time-consuming process, and it is unlikely that anyone will want to devote a lot of time to it. In the modern market of services there are lots of offers from companies professionally engaged in such activities, but the cost of the relevant work is quite high and not everyone can afford to pay for them. Another obstacle to the call of specialists may be the remote location of the house from the city limits. All these factors indicate the correctness of the actions of those who plan to independently mount the protective structure and live in peace.
Types of protective devices
There are various types of snow retention devices on the construction market, among which you will find accessories:
- in the form of pipes;
- with lattice structure;
- from plates or corners;
- snow-hooks.
Metal pipes
Such protective devices consist of metal pipes with a small diameter, arranged in two rows and tightly fixed with brackets. Installation of fasteners is carried out by rigidly fixing them to the rafters or the elements of the crate.
The strength characteristics of such a snow barrier directly depend on what distance is maintained between the lower pipe and the roof plane. Also, the clearance between the pipes has a significant impact on the reliability of the installation. Reliability of protection decreases in proportion to the increase in the length of the main elements of the snow trap between the brackets, so the step of the fasteners must be reduced to the minimum possible. On sloping roofs, such a structure copes with preventing a person from falling from a dangerous height.
Grilles
By analogy with the first option, trellis traps are also mounted with brackets to the roof plane. For their manufacture, a metal profile is used, assembled in a frame and reinforced vertically with crossbars. The required length of such protection is adjusted by connecting several sections.
Plates and Corners
Snow retainers of this type are made of sheet metal with a galvanized surface or a metal profile coating for the roof. They consist of a metal support and a decorative lining.
As a rule, the roofing material with which the roof is equipped is used as the basis for the lining. Position the corner and plate protection parallel to the ridge. Unfortunately, the installation of such structures is not justified where heavy snowfalls are observed, since it will not withstand heavy loads.
If the angle of the roof slope exceeds 30%, it is better to abandon the installation of snow protection from corners and plates.
Hooks - Snow Stoppers
Despite the fact that such elements are called snow stoppers, they are not able to prevent the flow of snow from the roof. Their installation is carried out on roofs with a low slope, covered with soft rolled material. In this case, there is no need to resort to additional equipment, since here exclusively manual snow removal is performed.
Is additional protection needed?
As you can see, the choice of snow protection for the roof is due to several factors:
- Climatic conditions.
- The angle of the roof.
Immediately make a reservation that with a roof slope of 60 degrees or more, snow protection is not installed, since snow does not linger on it and does not accumulate in huge deposits.
Each homeowner independently determines the most suitable option for himself, but there is no doubt that the feasibility of the project is obvious. To make the right choice of equipment, read the table of precipitation in Russia, compiled by region.
The figures reflect the weight of snow mass in kilograms, which affects 1m2 of the roof in each individual region. When calculating, it turns out that a roof of 50 m2 can withstand 10-12 tons of snow without problems. If the roof installation was carried out with a slope of more than 25 degrees, you need to apply a coefficient of 0.7 to the numbers indicated in the table above.
Snow Retention Process
Some protective structures must not be installed on previously mounted roof surfaces. For example, snow hooks are fixed simultaneously with the laying of roofing material. This is due to the fact that their base is attached to the elements of the crate, and only then a flexible decorative coating is spread. Here, the main thing is to make sure that rainwater does not flow into the fixation points in the future. If you decide to make the installation of such structures in a checkerboard pattern on the finished roof, you will have to open it, and then carry out waterproofing work and cover in a new way.
Snow-holding elements are installed in each wave, starting from the upper edge, and fixation is carried out through the wave from the bottom. On large areas of the roof, such devices are best mounted in several rows. If desired, protection can be created from metal corners with increased strength, but at the same time you can not achieve a single decorative effect.
Unlike the previous version, devices from pipes and gratings can be installed on the edges of the roof at any stage of its construction, and it does not matter what material it is covered with. There is no difference, the process is still in full swing or has already been completed some time ago, you can safely organize such protection in your private home. Installation of protection is carried out across the ramp, and plates for fixing the vertical brackets are installed in the opposite direction.
The length of the support plates of the lattice structure can be completely different, and in the first place this will depend on the expected load that will affect it.
In this case, the slope of the roof does not matter, the only thing you should pay attention to is the length of the roof - if it is impressive, it is better to arrange the snow retainers in several rows (according to the principle of a checkerboard pattern) or in a single line.
Roof care
It would be right to correctly approach the issue of accumulation of precipitation on the roof surface in advance by designing a structure with steep slopes, which is very important for the northern regions, then you can not worry about installing traps for snow. The only drawback of such a project is the high cost and high consumption of materials, although the additional costs will save you from constant maintenance of the roof in the future. Unfortunately, there are cases when the region is covered by abnormal precipitations, breaking snow under their weight and bending the decorative roof covering with a slight slope, and this is fraught with leaks.
When planning the installation of snow retainers, do not be too lazy to make enclosing structures that can secure the work process. If the distance from the ground to the roof is 6 m or more, the fence is installed around the entire perimeter of the roof structure. It should be high and durable, as required by building rules and regulations.