Why Use a Snow Guard System?

It’s summertime, but there’s no better time to be aware of the danger of sliding snowfall to your roof. Knowing now can save you later.

Shedding the snow throughout the winter can be detrimental to your roof and dangerous to anyone near your roof.

Metal roofs and other roofs besides metal roofs often have compacted snow falling off them during colder months that can be dangerous to both metal roofs and the ground around them.

A roof avalanche from slate roofs in a neighborhood can cause extensive damage to your property and damage to yourself with the sudden release of snow that has not had the chance to melt completely.

Not only does the sliding and scraping cause damage to your roof and anything waiting below on your property, but the resultant dams can also cause damage.

Have you heard of an ice dam?

If not, we can be pretty sure that you have at least seen one. They’re common in Utah on roofs that don’t have snow guards.

An ice dam is a buildup of compacted snow that occurs as snow is pushed down the roof, but does not quite make it off of the roof. It totters there, a constant warning to anyone down below that the slightest sliding motion could result in intense, crushing weight falling off past the gutters.

As all that compounds, the snow starts to melt and then refreeze.

You can see that the dam extends farther than the roof and as it builds up, it puts even more pressure on the edge of your roof.

To stop dams from developing and to snow the snow load from scraping and pulling at your roof, you must stop the movement.

The solution? Snow guards.

Snow guards, in case you don’t know, are protection to keep snow from damaging your roof.

A remarkable, simple technology, snow guards retain snow in an installed system across the roof of your house that has worked perfectly for European homes and has migrated recently to the American roof.

Interestingly, once you stop the movement of ice and snow you will also find that the snow acts as an insulator for your home.

When your attic is ventilated properly, you can assure that the snow keeps your warmth inside of your home.

It may seem counterintuitive that extra snow on your home will keep it warmer, but it’s true.

No matter your roof type, adding snow guards will provide snow retention that keeps snow on your roof and allows it to melt as the sun rises.

Snow Guard Types

There are different snow guards for different roofs; some of the roof types that can use snow guards include:

• metal roof (or standing seam roofs)
• slate roofs (with shingle systems)
• steel roof (no matter the slope or ridge situation)
• a roof with gutters (gutters are a great product, but stopping snowfall isn’t in their job description)
• a roof that a roofing contractor said wouldn’t need any sort of additional protection against the snow (they were wrong)
• and, most definitely, your roof

Why Snow Guards?

Keeping snow on your roof with snow guards, whether it’s snow guards for a standing seam roof or a roof with skylights, might make you concerned for the safety of your building.

Snow guards are still relatively new to the American roofing industry. They’re not overly popular. Why should you use a snow guard system?

But really, to prevent damage, the installation of snow guard systems using the right installation guides is what works. Pedestrians, landscaping, and your roof itself are all in danger from snow damage if you don’t enact snow retaining methods through snow guards systems.

But How Do Snow Guards Work?

Snow guards stop the snow from falling using snow retention methods.

Although there are many snow retention products, snow guards are generally seen as the best snow retention options for your roof.

Snow guards are:

• cheap
• versatile
• and easy to install for even the most uncertain customer

Your house can be protected with the simple installation of snow guards that break snow into small amounts and allow it to melt into water that will run off into your gutters.

This stops the potential for a standing seam roof to tear under the weight of the snow, the potential for damage to property or people, and all of your worries when it comes to snow damage. If you live somewhere with heavy snow fall, snow guards take a lot off your plate.

Finding snow guards designed for your roof is easy: businesses like TRA Snow and Sun work with contractors to design snow guards installation guides for your roof in particular.

Why Haven’t I Heard of Snow Guard Systems Before?

Most roofing consultants suggest that roofs are built in a way that sheds the snow and ice off of the roof throughout the winter.

But that’s actually a bad thing. Installation of snow guards will protect your roof to a greater extent than a “safety measure” that causes more harm than actual safety. Think about it like this: if you build a roof that pushes large volumes of snow and ice off of your roof, you will probably find that as the snow and ice scrape across your roof, it will cause damage.

But with the installation of snow guards, stops installed at engineered intervals keep the snow atop your building.

It melts under the sun and doesn’t bother anyone.

As we work with you to develop a more effective snow retention plan for your roof, we will ensure that your roof is safer to be around throughout winter months, that the snow will insulate your home, and that your roof will not endure as much stress, which results in damage, next snow season.