The Problem

GZO Sheet Metal & Roofing specializes in Architectural Metals and Custom Metal and Copper Fabrications in Aspen, Colorado and the Roaring Fork Valley for over 12 years.  But they came upon a problem they weren’t quite sure they had the expertise, time or desire to tackle.

Their customer had a PV solar system mounted on his metal panel roof, but the solar panels were creating a dangerous snow and ice problem.  Every time the garage door opened to let a car in or out, a huge avalanche of snow spilled off the first row of panels and slid over the eave, right onto the incoming or outgoing car.  This was a real nuisance and concern to the owner, who also happened to be an architect!  His family learned to open or close the garage door, wait for the avalanche, and then move in or out.  There had to be a better and less dangerous way to enter and exit the garage.

Naturally, the solar arrays were installed to capture as much of the sun’s rays as possible, but the desire for optimal sun capture on the first course of panel arrays became a secondary issue in light of the danger of falling snow and ice. The decision to protect people and property became paramount.  Rows of panels further up the roof could continue to shed snow so that sunlight could be captured on them, but the first row needed some type of snow retention.

The Solution

Tom Hegerty, owner of GZO, was called in.  GZO did not want to create a make-shift snow fence in their shop sothey turned to TRA, who had helped with custom designed systems in the past.  This was a very unusual issue Hegerty and TRA had not run into before.

Hegerty provided TRA’s technical experts with a simple, hand-drawn sketch of what he envisioned- a taller than normal clamp which would raise the snow fence a few inches higher than the downhill edge of the panel, stopping the snow and ice from moving over the edge.  Using that simple drawing, the engineers at TRA Snow & Sun then computer designed a custom 2 rail fence, and provided an exact detail to scale so Hegerty could approve it.  An appropriate power-coated color was matched to the existing metal panel, the homeowner approved the design and production began on the unusual snow fence.  The process of designing the new, customized snow fence began in March, with manufacture and shipping following soon after.  Installation of the fence was completed in April, just in time for unexpected and unusually heavy snowfalls in May.

The Result

The end result was a manufactured, custom C22Z Standing Seam Snow Fence, that clamps onto the standing seam metal panel, and wraps around the front edge of the solar panel to prevent snow from falling off the panel.  The snow fence extends high enough at the bottom edge of the panels to keep snow and ice from damaging property or people on the ground below. The new design was tested earlier than expected when heavier than normal snowstorms hit the area during May.  TRA’s customized snow fence performed perfectly.  Vehicles and people now enter and exit the garage with no further waste of time or fear of being bombarded by snow and ice.

GZO Sheet Metal & Roofing Inc. specializes in architectural metals and custom metal and copper fabrications for all types of roofing – wood shingles, standing seam, slate, asphalt shingles, membrane roofing and tapered deck systems They are focused on superior craftsmanship, attention to detail, clear communication, honesty and integrity.

TRA Snow and Sun, Inc., located in American Fork, Utah, offers Roof Snow Retention Devices, Solar Mounting Systems and Roof Flashing Solutions. They supply to all types of customers, from the individual homeowner to the big developer and free engineered designs of all their systems. For more information call Devin Hancock at TRA Snow and Sun at 800-606-8980, devin@trasnowandsun.com, or visit https://trasnowandsun.com

Have you heard about the BIG snow in Buffalo, New York?  Here are some of the headlines –

“The death toll from the epic snowstorm this week climbed by three on Friday to 13.”

” At least 30 building collapses were reported overnight, mostly farm buildings and flat-roof structures”

Apparently keeping snow on your roof is a very BAD idea.

OR IS IT?

Let’s not jump to conclusions here.  Keep in mind a couple of descriptive words in those headlines, particularly “flat roofs” and “epic snowstorm.”

Flat Roofs

Note that most roof collapsing happened on farm buildings and flat roof structures.  Since out buildings are often built without regard to standard building codes and often are very old buildings, this makes sense.   Remember that even with 30 older, flat roof or  outbuilding roofs collapsing, that means that 99+% of all buildings are NOT collapsing.

Epic snowstorm

Heavy snowstorms happen in all snowy areas and they are considered when planning for roof snow loads.  The snow loads are computed by structural engineers and those that set standards for buildings based on a 50 year Mean Recurrence  snow load.  They take into account ground snow loads, roof drainage, snowdrifting and other thermal factors.

SO WHY ARE SOME ROOFS COLLAPSING?

In the Northeast during the winter of 2010-2011, roofs collapsed, leading to studies by prominent engineers*.   Their conclusions can help us understand these distressing headlines and bring some comfort to people who are frightened by these headlines.

The first reason for roof failures has to do with when the building was constructed.  In Connecticut in 2011 of the 175 roofs that collapsed, 107 were built before Connecticut adopted its first state-wide building code in 1971.  In addition outbuildings like barns were exempt from snow load provisions, resulting in collapse.

The second reason for roof failures showed that poor performance was “hidden” structural defects such as inadequate slope to drainage resulting in ponding loads, blocked roof drains, solar panels causing dead loads, structural support removal,  material deterioration over time.

So, DON’T WORRY!

If your structure was built according to modern building codes, have no fear!  Use our snow retention products to keep that snow from moving, melting in place, and providing an insulative blanket during the cold months ahead.  You’ll be comfortable, safe and sound.

* http://www.structuremag.org/?p=1155

TRA Snow and Sun has redesigned TileVent to meet higher tile roof ventilation needs on Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouses. Natural resources are conserved when tile roof ventilation is installed.

TRA Snow and Sun of American Fork, Utah, recently created a new

TileVent to be used on meetinghouses for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) with tile roofs. The new TileVent is wider with more ventilation holes than the regular TRA TileVent.

TileVent is a lightweight, corrugated aluminum or copper product used to flash the ridge or hip of a tile roof while, at the same time, allowing air flow from the lower part of the roof to vent up and out through the ridge.

Why is air flow from the eave to the ridge important?

TRA President, Terry Anderson, explains, “If you have ever worked in an attic space on a hot summer day you know how stifling and miserable it can be up there. Obviously roofs and exterior surfaces get hot from the sun during daytime hours and that radiant heat enters the building, in turn heating the air molecules which then naturally travel upward. By venting the roof system, the warm air is sucked out the ridge as cool air enters at the eave. The escaped hot air is replaced by cooler air, thus keeping interior temperatures lower.” In other words, venting promotes a constant temperature from eave to roof ridge, reducing ice dams in winter months while providing energy efficiency and reducing costs all year. Condensation issues are also prevented.

A side benefit is that limited natural resources are conserved because buildings that are vented this way use less energy for cooling. According to a study done by Oakridge National Laboratory, “Venting caused a significant 50% reduction in the heat penetrating the conditioned space compared to the direct-nailed asphalt shingle roof that is in direct contact with the roof deck.*”

TRA Snow and Sun’s regular TileVent, available in 25 foot rolls in widths from 9.5″ – 15.75″, conforms to the surface of the roof at hip or ridge and can stretch up to 30%. It is ICC approved for fire, rain, and dust. Standard installation calls for one roll of TileVent to be placed over the ridge and then adhered down on each side of the ridge on top of the roofing product. A butyl adhesive strip prevents driving snow or rain from entering the roof and allows for 10.3 square inches of net free airflow per running foot of roof.

Most LDS Church meetinghouses have a longer eave to ridge span than the average tile roof building. Creating airflow from eave to ridge over a long length of roof requires much greater exhaust per running foot, hence the new LDS designs which are 11″, 13″, and 17.75″ wide. The 17.75″ wide vent is applied the standard way (one piece running down the ridgeline) but the 11′ and 13″ vent products are applied on both sides of the ridge, rather than one strip wrapping the ridge. All three designs allow for a lot more air flow than the standard – 17.8 square inches of air flow per lineal foot for the 11” wide material, 22 square inches of air flow per lineal foot for the 13” wide material. The 17.75″ wide TileVent used on the LDS church provides more ventilation holes than the standard tile vent which provides 16.2 square inches of air flow per lineal foot.

TRA Snow and Sun, Inc encourages customers to contact them about special products like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did. Oftentimes new products like this one become available for all other customers.

*William A. Miller, Ph.D. Buildings Technology Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Study Cited: Steep-slope Assembly Testing of Clay and Concrete Tile with and without Cool Pigmented Colors – October 2005

TRA Snow and Sun, Inc., located in American Fork, Utah, offers Roof Snow Retention Devices, Solar Mounting Systems and Roof Ventilation and Flashing Solutions. They are dedicated to improving roofing systems with energy efficiency. Supplying to all types of customers, from the individual homeowners to the big developers. Their engineered designs are always free for all types of systems. For more information call Devin Hancock at TRA Snow and Sun at 800-606-8980, devin(at)trasnowandsun(dot)com, or visit https://trasnowandsun.com/product-category/ventilation-flashing/.

In response to requests from architects and other construction specifiers, TRA Snow and Sun has added CAD details of many of their roof snow retention devices for easy access online.

TRA Snow and Sun, Inc., of American Fork, Utah, has recently provided their newly updated CAD details for their roof snow retention devices on their website – trasnowandsun.com.

Architects and specifiers are gradually moving away from keeping large volumes of information in their offices and many also work on their projects during non-business hours.  They have indicated some preferences as to how manufacturers can assist them to make their jobs easier.  One way is for manufacturers to provide online versions of their product data sheets, specifications and computer aided drawings.

TRA Snow and Sun President, Terry Anderson, patent holder on snow retention devices and other Snow and Sun products, expressed his desire to accommodate architects’ wishes.  “Obviously our world has changed.  In the old days I would drop off a binder full of product brochures, specifications, and drawings at an architect’s office, he would put it on his shelf, and then convert those later to use on his projects.  I would make in-person calls to update that information.  With the advent of our Information Age, most architects prefer a simpler and more timely and accurate method of obtaining their information.”

Available now by choosing the “CAD Details” button on the main navigation bar at trasnowandsun.com, are details for Snow Brackets™ A-L, details for all concrete tile manufacturers, asphalt, slate, metal and ceramic tile manufacturers, and decorative snow maple leaves, moose, bear and others).   There are also details for Gutter Brackets, Clamp-on Snow Fences, Deck Mount Snow Fences and their patented Ridge Riser.

Although the company still offers hard copies of all their information, they anticipate requests for information provided the old-fashioned way will continue to dwindle.  Taea Hall, Marketing Director, is spear-heading the effort to put all of TRA’s product details and drawings online, including their ventilation devices and solar mounting products.  ”CAD Details helps TRA Snow and Sun stay more connected to architects and specifiers.  Posting CAD Details on our website makes it easy to keep the information up to date and pertinent. Architects and specifiers don’t have to worry anymore if our information
is out of date.”

TRA Snow and Sun, Inc., located in American Fork, Utah, offers Roof Snow Retention Devices, Solar Racking Systems and Roof Ventilation and Flashing Solutions. They provide all customers, from the individual homeowner to the big developer, free engineered designs for all their systems. For more information call Robyn Finch at TRA Snow and Sun at 800-606-8980 or visit www.trasnowandsun.com

PDF version CAD Details