How Much Snow Is Too Much On A Flat Roof

The r value or resistance to heat flow for snow is about r 1 per inch.

How much snow is too much on a flat roof.

A flat roof can be constructed to address the needs of the particular building regardless of location. Most roof designs can handle snow loads of 20 40 lbs per square foot. How much is too much. How much snow can your roof support.

The snow settles on it evenly rather than being blown into large drifts which can cause a roof to fail. And whenever it snows the flat roof supports an additional insulating blanket. Of snow equals about 1 to 1 1 2 psf. 57 pounds a square foot.

The weight of snow depends on how much water it contains. How much snow a roof can hold depends on the type of snow roofline and material among other considerations. Fluffy fresh snow can weigh as little as three pounds per square foot compared with 21 pounds for wet heavy snow according to fema. Low pitched and flat roofs are most susceptible to collapses.

A cubic foot of water weighs about 62 pounds. This is the one question that you need to answer. Melting down a cubic foot of snow tells you how much water it holds and consequently how much the snow weighs. As you know there is a big difference between a blizzard hitting your town and a dusting of snow.

Roof collapse can happen to new and old buildings alike and can cause extensive damage to the building and contents. If that sounds a little involved the national research council of canada estimates that 1 in. So a risky roof is flat or slightly.