Why are snow retainers needed and what happens when they are not
When planning a house, people often overlook an important element of the roof - snow retention. There are several types of snow removal systems. They are lintels or barriers on the roof surface to control snow masses.
If the estimate is made by professionals, then the snow retainers are sure to be included. However, most often, in order to save money, construction is not carried out properly, and ordinary installers give advice on the purchase of roofing materials.
Why you need to control the snow on the roof
In conditions of Russian winters with heavy snowfalls, snow retention elements are a necessity. In their absence, the snow masses accumulated on the roof descend like an avalanche, sweeping away everything in its path. The snow arresters established by the rules break the snow into portions and it comes off in parts that will not cause irreparable harm. Other systems keep the snow on the roof, preventing it from falling - in the spring it will gradually melt and descend through the drain. Saving on this important part of the roof can result in even greater financial costs and jeopardize people's lives and health.
This is of particular importance on the most popular roofing material today - metal tile and corrugated board. Profiled metal sheets have a smooth surface. With temperature extremes, the snow thaws and freezes again, forming an ice layer. With a longer thaw, such a block of snow will glide at great speed. However, experts recommend the use of snow retention on the roof of any material if its angle of inclination exceeds 6 degrees.
Safety
Falling a lot of snow from the roof poses a direct threat to the life of the inhabitants of the house and just passers-by when they are nearby. To reduce this risk, it is necessary to periodically manually remove excess snow, which is also unsafe for those involved in this.
Damage to property
Most often, in the absence of snow retainers, it is necessary to repair the drainage system annually. In the spring, gutter sales are growing precisely for this reason. The gutters simply pull out from the hooks, breaking them, in the best case there is a serious deformation of the drain.
With the immediate proximity of parking spaces, the spontaneous convergence of snow masses leads to tangible costs for motorists.
Often houses stand next to the fence. With insufficient roof equipment, falling snow is capable of knocking down several sections of fencing from corrugated board at once. With more serious amounts of snow, even a concrete fence may not be able to withstand.
Roof Preservation
Short-term thaws can gradually displace snow from the top of the roof closer to its edge. If you do not install snow retainers, then the snow accumulates a huge hat in a small area. This can lead to deformation and subsidence of the roof, which subsequently leads to leakage at the sites of damage.
Practice shows that neglect of snow removal elements, in most cases, is replaced by a decision to establish snow retention after several episodes of unplanned repairs. The cost of installing this mandatory part of the roof structure will more than pay off with calm for the safety of the house and the safety of property near it.
