GutterSupply.com: FAQs All About Snow Guards

Snow guards aren't needed in all climates, but they're especially useful for buildings in places where winter's known for its snowy conditions. In this article, we're examining some frequently asked questions about snow guards.

Depending on where you live, it may snow a lot during the winter months. Not only that, it might snow enough to cover your entire roof!

Even though the thought sounds humorous, it's not when you think about the potential danger snow poses to a relatively resilient roofing system. Snow, when it's accumulated like that, melts and gets heavy and bears down on the roof and its foundation. Accumulated snow also poses a danger to people, property and even plants and animals if shelves of packed snow slide down from the roof.

In order to prevent something like that from occurring, it's imperative to install what's known as a snow guard. Snow guards are a type of device used to hold snow and ice, keeping shelves of either from sliding down and falling onto people, property or plants and animals.

These devices are installed in multiple rows along a roof top, mainly to prevent snow and ice shelves from sliding down along the length of the roof. But, in most cases, buildings get snow guards installed in accordance with their own unique characteristics.

Many people may have questions about snow guards that are still relatively unanswered. Well, in this article, we're going to take some time to review frequently asked questions about snow guards.

Frequently Asked Questions ~ Snow Guards

Snow guards are a necessity in areas with snowy winters. They prevent snow and ice shelves from falling onto objects, people and animals below the roof. But, there are other reasons why snow guards are used on roofing systems.

Why do people need snow guards for their roofs?

There are plenty of reasons why buildings and homes need snow guards:

 They prevent gutter damage from sliding and/or falling snow and ice shelves.
 They prevent snow and ice from damaging the exterior part of a plumbing system.
 They help prevent piles of snow and ice from piling on entrance steps and other platforms around a building.
 They prevent damage to lower sloped roofs or lower roofs, such as those attached to a building with a higher roof.            They prevent damage to landscaping or other utilities systems placed around a building or home.

All in all, snow guards help prevent the prospect of property damage, human injury and, though rarely, harm to passing animals from taking place.

Can you tell me what materials are used to create snow guards?

Snow guards are made from many materials, though the most notable are plastic and metal. Plastic snow guards are made from a type of reinforced polycarbonate that's UV stabilized and essentially weatherproof.

Plastic snow guards came into popularity in the late 1970s after the first proprietary plastic snow guards hit the market. Plastic eventually became the preferred material of choice after people realized metal wasn't as resilient as it appeared in colder weather. Metal is known to become brittle, prone to breakage and significantly erode over time when continually exposed to colder conditions.

Plastic, besides resisting the characteristic erosion and brittleness of metal, can also be altered to match the appearance of the roofing system itself. Clear snow guards are often used to blend in the roof, the snow and the sky. Snow guards can also be colored to match the appearance of the roof.

What's the most important aspect of a snow guard system? Does the dimension, shape and/or mounting method matter?

The shape, dimension and the mounting method of snow guard systems do matter—let's learn why.

To start, snow guards need to fit the roof where they're installed. It's not really a good idea to install snow guards that don't fit the roof at all. In fact, they might cause more trouble than they need to.

The shape and height of a snow guard's face determines how much snow it'll be able to hold; it also determines whether it'll be effective at holding all of that snow and ice.

Also, the snow guard system typically needs to be mounted on the lowest portion of a roofing panel. That's because snow and ice shelves often slide downward; placing the guards there ensures that those particular shelves will be caught before they tumble to the ground.

But, you're best off talking to a professional about the best way to go about getting your snow guard system installed.

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