Sprinkler heads are hung from the roof of most commercial buildings and as a result would be sagging if the snow load is beginning to put pressure on the roof.
How to see if your roof is collaping from snow.
Common signs of potential roof collapse from snow include.
10 12 inches of new snow equates to 5 lb per square foot of roof space.
Protect your roof to avoid snow roof collapse.
It is imperative to inspect your roof deck regularly and respond accordingly to any structural damage that might cause roof failure.
The roof collapsed from a snow load of 17 inches that fell in the area on december 12 2010.
Your roof can tolerate much less accumulation of wet snow.
Once the excess snow has been removed from your roof and weather conditions permit you should inspect your gutters and roof shingles to see if repairs are needed.
Leave a couple of inches of snow on the roof so you do not risk damaging the roof with the rake.
If you feel that you need a new guttering system or a full roof replacement you can contact harry helmet to schedule a free on site inspection.
If you need to wait for a roofer use a telescoping snow rake to remove what snow you can during heavy snowfall.
To understand just how much stress snow can put on your roof check out the following ibhs snow roof guidelines.
It is therefore very crucial for homeowners to identify and act on signs that a roof is in danger of collapse.
So about 4 feet of fresh snow would have to be on your roof for it to become stressed.
Extreme weather conditions are the most common cause of roof collapses.
Arguably the most famous roof collapse from snow of recent times was the minneapolis metrodome home to football s minnesota vikings and baseball s minnesota twins.