Snow that slides down a sloping roof surface can pose a threat to both roof structural elements as well as to people. A practical solution to the problem are snow fences. Is it worth installing snow fences on the roof? Read and find out!
Many investors planning to build a house do not know what roof snow fences are. The above-mentioned elements partially limit the possibility of sliding the residual snow mass down the roof. At the same time, they break up snow, that moves under the influence of gravity, before it reaches the eave line. In this way, structural components and any devices mounted on the roof slope are protected against the impact of a uniform mass that could damage them. The snow cover, broken into smaller pieces, significantly reduces the risk of the structure getting damaged.
Professional roof snow fences are high quality roof accessories usually built with the use of hot-dip galvanized steel. This type of metal is not only resistant to mechanical damage, but also not susceptible to the development of corrosion. Usually, a roof snow fence is about 2 meters long and looks like a ladder as far as its construction is concerned. It is mounted on the roof slope using dedicated brackets attached to the patches, as well as properly selected, solid mounting screws.
You should remember that there is a difference between a snow fence and a snow guard. The first of them has been already described above. A snow guard; however, is a profiled metal element used to break the sliding snow cover. It has no holes in it and is uniform.
People planning to build a roof often wonder how to install snow fences. Products belonging to this category should be installed at the height of the roof rafter support by a patch. Handles are mounted every 75 cm and no further than 20 centimeters from the end of the fence. Thanks to this, the residual snow cover will not make the rafters bend.
Another important question to answer is when to use roof snow fences. Roof protection should be always used whenever the slope is longer than 3 meters. You should also remember that although the use of snow fences is not required by applicable law, it is worth installing them for safety reasons.
As we mentioned earlier, the answer to the question of whether snow fences have to be installed, is – no. However, the installation of this type of accessories is recommended due to the role they play in protecting the roof structure against damage caused by the sliding snow cover masses.
The use of roof protection requires solid and durable installation. If you are looking for proven solutions in this area, choose practical roof accessories for installing snow fences!