Snow, sleet, and ice cause well-known winter travel hazards. Slick road conditions require serious driving skills and cause far too many accidents, some with very serious consequences. Severe storms bring school closures that disrupt daily schedules and leave parents scrambling for child care. Everyone who lives in a winter climate learns to handle these situations. However, how many of these individuals think about their roofs?

Get the Right Equipment

Most pictures of snow-covered roofs evoke romantic thoughts of winter holidays or scenes of neighborhood children building snowmen. Seldom do thoughts focus on the potential danger of roof collapses from the excessive weight of snow accumulation. Luckily, there are ways to determine how much snow load on roof you can tolerate. Consider using a snow load calculator that provides a realistic weight estimate to guide your decision about possible snow removal from your roof. There are even devices that measure roof surface deflection to warn of impending damage or collapse. They may even include communications features that send text or email messages.

Know How Much Snow Is Too Much for Your Roof

You’ve become aware of the importance of monitoring winter roof accumulation. Now you need to know when your roof is nearing its limit. Luckily, high school science can help you out. A couple of snow weight calculations should yield a decent estimate of what your roof might be bearing. Then you need to know if you have too much roof snow. Unfortunately, some variables can make it difficult to calculate an accurate snow weight. For example, the water content of snow varies widely, compromising the weight calculation. Your roof design and construction determine the maximum roof load, but rarely is that figure known. However, these calculations should produce sufficient estimates that can give you guidance to make a responsible decision on whether you should have the snow removed from your roof.

If you live in a winter locale, you likely already know how to install snow tires, shovel the driveway and sidewalks, and adjust automobile antifreeze. Learning how to monitor the snow accumulation on your roof can help you manage another critical concern.