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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    truckee
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    Stopping a roof from shedding

    Anyone (especially Tahoe local) with any experience with snow guards on a metal roof to keep it from shedding? My neighbor has a fairly steep roof that ends in a low angle roof over a walkway--it acts like a ski jump for snow. Today it shed halfway across my yard (his house sits farther back from the road than mine) up to fifteen foot deep (only about six feet deep at the back wall of my house--came part way up a bedroom window. He's considering reroofing with comp or possibly installing snow guards but I wonder if they would work with the kind of snow loads we get here at Donner Lake (north shore near the west end.) If they were used would it be enough to install them on the flatter section only? The only places I've seen them are in the alps and I don't imagine they get as much snow at the village elevation as we do.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    Aspen, Colorado
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    2,645
    I see them here in Aspen, but we do not get the snow loads you get. My neighbors have one on their low angled metal roof. It went up after the roof slid and took out their deck. It has worked well, but the snow on our roofs hardly ever gets three feet deep.

    I have a slightly angled metal roof on my garage, but it sheds into a safe area and I am glad when the snow creeps off slowly

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
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    my own little world
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    5,838
    We have a metal roof with snow brakes. Where we are we get between 15 and 20 ft of snow per year, average. Sometimes more. No problems. Pretty sure the pitch is 4 12.
    focus.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2020
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    5
    And we have installed metal roof snow guards. Very useful thing. I think it is good enough. I have forgotten about the problems with snow that is falling from the roof.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    whistler
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    1,164
    I clear roofs part time for a living in winter, or I used to before going outside was verboten. From the configuration you're describing, it sounds like they should be installed on the ski Juno part but also on the steep part. If the steep part got moving with stops only on the flatter part, the force could do some serious damage to your neighbour's roof. Definitely a solvable problem.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
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    SE Idaho
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    I thought this thread was going to be about going bald.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
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    Hell Track
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    13,846
    We need some follow up: has this issue been solved in the last 9 years?

  8. #8
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    Aug 2013
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    SE Idaho
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    I heard he is very bald.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
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    A LSD Steakhouse somewhere in the Wasatch
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    13,234
    Face screwing snow guards on a metal roofs and creating pentrations still makes my old seasoned journeyman balding bum ass cry
    9 years later
    "When the child was a child it waited patiently for the first snow and it still does"- Van "The Man" Morrison
    "I find I have already had my reward, in the doing of the thing" - Buzz Holmstrom
    "THIS IS WHAT WE DO"-AML -ski on in eternal peace
    "I have posted in here but haven't read it carefully with my trusty PoliAsshat antenna on."-DipshitDanno

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
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    Quote Originally Posted by skifishbum View Post
    Face screwing snow guards on a metal roofs and creating pentrations still makes my old seasoned journeyman balding bum ass cry
    9 years later
    I feel the same way but I got to do something, as soon as our roof starts shedding the dogs will come and hide under my desk. Makes it hard to get any work done.

    Big scary looking Shepinois and an angry Border Aussie bitch terrified of some snow falling off the roof..

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
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    The Fish
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    4,716
    We had snow brakes Fail 3 winters ago.... it would have killed you. Fuck those things and metal roofs for that matter. Click image for larger version. 

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    a positive attitude will not solve all of your problems, but it may annoy enough people to make it worth the effort

    Formerly Rludes025

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
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    30,896
    I run heat trace on the back roof where I get snow & Ice buildup, the ice/snow melt from the gutter to 3 ft up the roof, otherwise it builds up where the services vent and bends the gutters, I think its only for shingled roofs but it sure does a good job
    Last edited by XXX-er; 03-24-2020 at 10:14 PM.
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    truckee
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    The neighbor installed brakes last year on the flat part of the roof only. They worked all last season--monster season--until March when everything came down at once and tore the cable off the support wire (but didn't break the cable). The problem--the brakes were only on the part of the roof that was not over heated space so ice built up on the brakes and buried them. He replaced them with more brakes this year and so far they have held but I'm skeptical. They're still only on the flat part of the roof and they don't stick up very high. We've only had one major storm of 4 feet a week and a half ago and that fell on a dry roof.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    3,064
    Quote Originally Posted by Eluder View Post
    We had snow brakes Fail 3 winters ago.... it would have killed you. Fuck those things and metal roofs for that matter. Click image for larger version. 

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    I knew a dude that got crushed this way in Portage, AK.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    whistler
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    ^^ and that's why I reserve a special hatred for building "architects" who lay out buildings in snowy climes where the roof sheds somewhere people are supposed to go, eg driveway, deck, entrance. How fucking short sighted.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    Almost Mountains
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    1,883
    Quote Originally Posted by nickel View Post
    ^^ and that's why I reserve a special hatred for building "architects" who lay out buildings in snowy climes where the roof sheds somewhere people are supposed to go, eg driveway, deck, entrance. How fucking short sighted.
    I'd add those who lay out buildings that don't shed snow at all to that list, unless they're engineered to handle a big winter's worth of snow/ice load on the roof. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but I insisted that when we shop for our next home, "no roofs that need raking" is on my list of strongly desired features.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
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    30,896
    any roof could need snow removal depending on the weather

    2 years ago it snowed and then rained on oct 31 which put a layer of heavy ice/snow on everybodies roof it also flooded a whole bunch of basements including mine and it was recommended people get up there and shovel the roof off

    in places with lotsa snow I see people put snow sheds over where they need to walk,
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Hyperspace!
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    1,372
    Similar-ish issue.
    Trying to keep the shed snow pile off the building, she’ll only dig this 30’ tunnel once -happily anyway.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Figure either snow anchors, overbuilt the roof, but that is a lot of snow up there, or a ramp on the ground.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Shuswap Highlands
    Posts
    4,346
    Neighbour has an unpermited addition on his house with a metal roof. The eve is right on top of the property line. In a big snow year, like this one just past, it drops its load onto our back causeway. And I dutifully shovel it back against his house. Told him to put up snowbrakes, but lets just say he is the not the most motivated of homeowners. We're lucky his collection of broken toys and such haven't spilled onto our yard yet like the empty lot on his other side. Nice guy, would give you the shirt off his back, but just don't rely on him after he leaves your sight.
    Mostly the snow just drops straight down more or less on the propertyline, but then spreads almost right to our walls, and under the vehicles. It is annoying to say the least.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2020
    Posts
    6
    For the sheets I redid, I put a thin bead under each flap. When I did the coat of Henry's, I extended beyond those sheets as well for good measure.

    To my knowledge, every nail I put in was hammered in correctly (not under - or over-driven) and no nail is exposed or too near a key cut.


    I'm going to take a really close look again tonight, but I tried to be pretty careful when I put the new sheets in because I wanted it to look good and be solid.

    The only PITA was lifting the dimensional shingles and minor tearing; I'm honestly not sure how people lift those for hammering without having minor tearing.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    A LSD Steakhouse somewhere in the Wasatch
    Posts
    13,234
    25 and 30 year shingles can be torn
    50-100 I need an industrial ream paper chopping gulitine
    or multiple scores and fresh blades
    better warm
    id go multi layer heavy duty composite with full ice and water and ventilation
    before metal
    dyi solo metal installation sucks
    we did use a system where the metal snow guards are attached to the standing seam in a ball bearing pinching non penetration manner
    which works unless the snow above is allowed to gain momentum in a roofalaunche
    "When the child was a child it waited patiently for the first snow and it still does"- Van "The Man" Morrison
    "I find I have already had my reward, in the doing of the thing" - Buzz Holmstrom
    "THIS IS WHAT WE DO"-AML -ski on in eternal peace
    "I have posted in here but haven't read it carefully with my trusty PoliAsshat antenna on."-DipshitDanno

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Spokane/Schweitzer
    Posts
    6,741
    These are the best for metal roofs. They will need to calculate how many rows based on slope and roof size but they work well and aren't over-the-top expensive. https://s-5.com/products/snow-retention/

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Posts
    2,625
    Quote Originally Posted by GoldMember View Post
    These are the best for metal roofs. They will need to calculate how many rows based on slope and roof size but they work well and aren't over-the-top expensive. https://s-5.com/products/snow-retention/
    We've got the X-Gard 1.0 on our roof and have been happy with them. Our local lumber yard has the computer program to take into account the roof dimensions. In our case we've got a damn near flat roof (0.5/12) so only needed one row of the 1.0.

    If I remember correctly ~70 feet cost 7-800 bucks including all clamps.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Spokane/Schweitzer
    Posts
    6,741
    Here is the calculator. You have to register to use it but it's useful if you're thinking of DIY. They can be purchased through any number of distributors. We install them fairly regularly. It's easy, you just want to make sure you're getting the right choice for your project. https://s-5.com/calculator/

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    truckee
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    23,126
    Quote Originally Posted by anotherVTskibum View Post
    I'd add those who lay out buildings that don't shed snow at all to that list, unless they're engineered to handle a big winter's worth of snow/ice load on the roof. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but I insisted that when we shop for our next home, "no roofs that need raking" is on my list of strongly desired features.
    If you live in a high snow area I would think the local building code would require a roof to be built to withstand the highest foreseeable snow load whether it sheds or not. It certainly is here. 400psf. The code also requires direct vent flues to end at least 12 feet above grade. That's more snow than this area has seen since the Donner Party, so the standards are very conservative. The snow loads are calculated for micro climates. We're near the west end of Donner Lake--a couple of miles to the east further away from the crest snow loads are 200psf.
    Current setbacks are 10 ft because of the snow shedding issue, but it used to be 5 feet. The first time we pulled a permit for a roof over an outside stairs they made us put a deed restriction on the whole house--non shedding roof required.
    Main reason people like steel roofs is so they don't have to engineer properly to prevent ice dams.

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