How Much Snow Is Too Much On A Roof

A cubic foot of water weighs about 62 pounds.

How much snow is too much on a roof.

If that sounds a little involved the national research council of canada estimates that 1 in. These questions aren t quite so easy to answer because there are several variables. How much snow is too much for a roof to handle. But as the chart below shows packed snow with ice can easily overload a roof once it reaches about 12 off depth.

How much snow can my roof hold. Most roof designs can handle snow loads of 20 40 lbs per square foot. Older homes however can only handle about 45 pounds per square foot. The weight of snow depends on how much water it contains.

Last winter we had snow on the ground that was up to our hips. The drifts on the roof were 5 feet deep. This mainly occurs when the snow is concentrated in one area of the roof. For the twin cities metro area the roof snow load equals 35 pounds per square foot or 7 x 50.

That means clearing amounts above 20 pounds per square foot. Melting down a cubic foot of snow tells you how much water it holds and consequently how much the snow weighs. You have probably heard of or seen the difference between wet snow and fluffy snow. A kansas roof replacement is expensive so monitor the snow accumulation on your roof every time it snows.

So how much snow does this equal. According to the national research council of canada a roof should be able to withstand pressure of at least 21 pounds per square foot psf this number can fluctuate based on regional building regulations but any well built roof should be able to sustain this much weight before it gets too stressed. A new house can typically hold around 100 pounds per square foot on the roof. How to safely get the snow off your roof.

The chart below courtesy of paul schimnowski p e gives some examples of snow loads. How much snow a roof can hold depends on the type of snow roofline and material among other considerations. A snow rake with a long extension arm is recommended. Of snow equals about 1 to 1 1 2 psf.

Wet snow weighs considerably more than dry or fluffy snow because as you can probably guess water weighs more than air. Most residential roofs can support snow loads of up to 20 pounds per square foot. As everyone knows cold fluffy snow is very light while wet snow can be extremely heavy. One of the major determining factors for how much snow is too much for your roof is how heavy the snow fall is.