How to Compute for the Possible Weight of Snow Your Roof will Likely Carry Next Winter
In places with cold winters, most children wish for snow as if it were “manna” from heaven. But adults who are forced to shovel away thick snow during winter consider it as nothing but blight. Well, with so many roofs that have already caved in because of thick snow, no one can blame them from being crabby.
Snow comes in small, light crystal pieces that look harmless at the beginning of winter. It only becomes formidable when accumulated at several inches thick. It can weigh much heavier than simple roofing systems can carry, causing some of them to collapse. However, proper estimate of the snow load a roof can carry can prevent such a disaster.
Snow usually builds up on the roof flat and even. If you know the surface area of your roof and assume an accurate snow thickness, you can easily compute for the weight of snow you expect your roof will carry next winter. And if you’re lucky, you can redesign your roof before winter in a way it won’t accumulate alarming amounts of snow.
The surface area of your roof is the sum of the areas of all faces, which are computed by multiplying the length of the rafter and the width of the ridge. The pitch (length of the rafter) is measured by finding the root of the sum of the squares of the height of the ridge and half the length of the ceiling joist. It is critical to know the pitch because it reveals the possibility of snow buildup, considering that snow will tend to slide off a high-pitched roof.
Winters in places like Annapolis, Maryland aren’t that threatening to houses, but with continuous snowfall, some roofs can be damaged. The loading capacity of Annapolis roofing systems is influenced by several factors, such as material and trussing. Pitch contributes to the roof’s endurance depending on how much snow it can cause to slide away. To measure the maximum weight of snow buildup on your roof, assume a reasonable thickness, multiply it with the roof area, and multiply the result with the snow’s density.
For instance, snow buildup can be assumed to go as high as 6 inches on a 200-square meter roof. The maximum volume of snow your roofing Annapolis can carry is therefore 1200 cubic meters. Using 50 kilogram/cubic meter standard snow density, the total snow load your roof is expected to carry next winter, which should be counterbalanced, is 60,000 kg or 60 metric tons.
Learn more roofing, such as roofers Annapolis houses should have on HowStuffWorks.com. This website provides a clear explanation on how loads are distributed on structures and how determining loads can help make a safe design.
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