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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.
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.
There are different snow guards for different roofs; some of the roof types that can use snow guards include:
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.
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:
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.
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.
The formation of ice dams on the roof can spell disaster for any homeowner and is an issue that must be solved quickly. Ice dams are the name referring to the buildup of ice on the eaves of the roof which can cause standing water to be caught on the shingles.
An ice dam forms as heat from the home escapes through the roof and causes the snow that is on top of the roof to melt. As the meltwater runs down the roof, it cools when it hits the parts of the roof that are not heated from the home, usually the eaves of the roof, and refreezes, causing the buildup of more and more ice until an ice dam has formed and has completely blocked the flow of melting water from the roof.
When water is left standing on the roof, it has the potential to erode shingles and leak into the home, cause great amounts of water damage to both the roof of the home and possibly the interior of the home as well. But this damage can be avoided if the homeowner will take the appropriate steps in avoiding the buildup of ice dams.
TRA will be presenting an open snow retention lunch and learn with the Associated General Contractors of Utah on February 12th, from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. This lunch and learn is open to anyone who would like to attend. The cost for AGC members is $15 and for non-members is $20 which includes lunch. Follow the link to register. <To Register Click Here>
Event Location:
AGC Headquarters
2207 South 1070 West
Salt Lake City, UT. 84119
Event Description:
In the building world there are codes and standards for everything, that is except for rooftop snow retention. That’s right, there are no national or local codes that that govern the engineering, manufacturing, testing, or installation of snow retention devices. This is a dilemma for building professionals trying to deal with the safety issues caused by sliding snow and ice.
This course discusses the primary reasons snow retention is needed on a roof and the science behind each type of system. It explains why engineering is the key to a successful system and why a lack of engineering is the primary key to a system failing. You will also explore many of the common objections to including snow retention on a building project and why they are worth the added expense in the long run. Finally, you will learn how a good snow retention company will help bridge the gap created by the lack of codes and standards.
TRA Snow and Sun has something every roofer needs: VersaFlash. It’s a must-have for all roofers. We call it the “roofer’s duct tape”. Here’s why you need it for every roofing project.
The primary reason any type of roofing exists is to provide a protective layer to maintain a barrier between the interior of a building and the weather. How this is accomplished can take many different forms, but there’s nothing proven to work better than TRA Snow and Sun’s VersaFlash: flexible aluminum flashing that attaches down with a butyl. It adheres to the wall or other roofing structure or tile, is extremely flexible, and adds a professional finish to all roofing projects, while being extremely effective at sealing out water and preventing leaks.
Some types of VersaFlash are meant just for concrete and clay tile roofing only, while others are effective for all types of roof. Here’s a breakdown of VersaFlash offered by TRA Snow and Sun.
Simply put, VersaFlash is easy to use, flexible, and will save you time and money without sacrificing an inch in quality. There are many reasons you’ll love Aluminum and Copper VersaFlash — here’s why once you choose it, you’ll never roof without it again.
We don’t call it the “roofer’s duct tape” for nothing. VersaFlash is made of flexible, stretchy material that can be used to seal roof-to-wall abutments, chimneys, and basically anything you can think of. It’s very easy to work with so you can get the job done right the first time.
A roofer looking for a go-to roofing adhesive need look no further than VersaFlash. Other than the HD Aluminum Roll (clay and concrete) we offer, VersaFlash will conform to most types of roofs including, but not limited to:
Leave all of your re-flashing worries behind with VersaFlash. It’s highly durable, flexible, and weather resistant. It stretches to a maximum of 33 percent, conforms easily to roof surfaces, and installation is easy. If you want a durable roofing adhesive that won’t give you problems down the road, VersaFlash is the gold standard. On top of it all, TRA Snow and Sun offers a 25-year limited warranty.
TRA Snow and Sun is your number one source for solar mounting, snow retention, flexible ventilation, and flashing material. We offer competitive prices and guarantee our products. Give us a call today at 877-290-8669 for more details, and check out all of our flashing products at trasnowandsun.com.
Solar on tile roofs is become increasing popular in many parts of the US as the insulative and life cycle cost of tile combined with the benefits of converting sunshine into electricity is recognized. There are markets in Arizona and parts of California where tile makes up 90% of the systems installed. As the population continues to grow throughout, so does the diversity of preferences of roofing applications. As we start to see more and more clay and concrete tile roofing solutions, in some cases installing solar on tile presents some challenges that are not inherent with the standard shingle roofs. As demand for tile solar mounting increases so does the time spent on cutting tile.
Our Solar Tile Mounts Require NO CUTTING Of The Tile & They Are Adjustable Both Horizontally & Vertically With A Height Up To 6”. They Can Be Attached To The Truss Or Rafter With No Tile Cutting Needed!
Our high-quality material extruded aluminum and divert the mount around the tile instead of going directly through the tile, which decreases install time, and doesn’t compromise the strength or coverage of the customer’s tile. The wide base of the hook makes the mount very easy to adjust. The new tile hook allowed for fast and easy installation. It also helps increase the longevity of our micro-inverters. *Also available in black anodized.
The Perfect Foundation for Solar Systems when it comes right down to it, a solar system is only as good as its mounting structure. That’s why when you need the highest quality roof mounting accessories and fastening systems, you turn to TRA Snow and Sun. Built to last. Built to be reliable. Each and every component in our solar tile mount creates a perfect foundation for your solar systems.
Materials/Finishes
Testing
Solar Tile Mount has been tested from the fail point of the system.
In making the preferred distance needed to provide the necessary spacing of the micro-inverters and modules so that they are kept at a relatively low temperature, increasing their longevity, while bringing down the costs due to equipment failure. Installation was fast, meaning less cost passed on to the customer.
At TRA Snow and Sun, we engineer and layout each project free of charge using many factors specific to your project. We then provide you with; rail spans, max loads on components, wind parameters, solar panel geometry, force per foot on rail and panels, a schematic of the module field, the wind speed, shipping weight, and project details. TRA Snow and Sun representatives will work with you to design the most efficient solar mounting system.
We can design your awning to work with a variety of application. Just give us your project details & we will design your Mounting Solution to fit your project. For more information call Ben Anderson at TRA Snow and Sun at 800-606-8980, ben@trasnowadsun.com, or visit: https://trasnowandsun.com/solar-mounting/
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