How Much Snow Is To Much On My Roof

For the twin cities metro area the roof snow load equals 35 pounds per square foot or 7 x 50.

How much snow is to much on my roof.

How much snow can your roof support. These questions aren t quite so easy to answer because there are several variables. As everyone knows cold fluffy snow is very light. Roof collapse can happen to new and old buildings alike and can cause extensive damage to the building and contents.

Most roof designs can handle snow loads of 20 40 lbs per square foot. You have probably heard of or seen the difference between wet snow and fluffy snow. Wet snow weighs considerably more than dry or fluffy snow because as you can probably guess water weighs more than air. How much snow can my residential roof hold.

One of the major determining factors for how much snow is too much for your roof is how heavy the snow fall is. So how much snow does this equal. Low pitched and flat roofs are most susceptible to collapses. So how much snow does this equal.

The roof deck collects the snow load and transfers the weight to the rafters. How much snow a roof can hold depends on the type of snow roofline and material among other considerations. Asking yourself how much snow can my roof hold here is a list of indicators that may mean you need to move to a safer place. But as the chart below shows packed snow with ice can.

For the twin cities metro area the roof snow load equals 35 pounds per square foot or 7 x 50. The chart below courtesy of paul schimnowski p e gives some examples of snow loads. So you most likely will never have to worry about removing snow from your roof. The 20 psf load is equivalent to 14 inches of snow at the design.

57 pounds a square foot. It calls for 20 psf throughout most of ohio and 25 psf along a north south strip in the eastern half of the state. Fluffy fresh snow can weigh as little as three pounds per square foot compared with 21 pounds for wet heavy snow according to fema. For any rafter the portion of the roof deck that transfers this load is the tributary area.

We have some good news for you. How much snow is too much for my roof to support. The residential code of ohio which applies to one and two family homes shows a map indicating the required snow load.