Flat Roofs and Snow
How Much Snow Can Flat Roofs Handle?
Are you interested in installing a flat roof? Do you have a home or commercial building where this type of roof is already in place? If you answered yes to either question, you need to learn as much as possible about maintenance and care. More importantly, if you live in an area that receives snow, you have to know what this will do to the roof during the winter months.
Many people believe that flat roofs should not be used in snowy environments, however, nothing could be further from the truth. A flat roof can be constructed to address the needs of the particular building, regardless of location.
How much is too much?
This is the one question that you need to answer. As you know, there is a big difference between a blizzard hitting your town and a dusting of snow. It goes without saying that the more snow that lands on your roof the heavier it is going to become. Without melting, due to higher temperatures, the weight of the snow can continue to increase with each passing day.
While it would be nice if there was a simple answer to this question, the fact of the matter is that it changes from one structure to the next. In other words, the flat roof that is used on a residential home may not be the same as one installed on a commercial building.
The best thing you can do is speak with the company that installed the roof, asking them for more information on how much of a load your roof can handle.
How to Deal with Damages and Repair
It is important to note that a flat roof can be damaged by snow just as easily as one with a pitch. There is not hard and fast rule saying that a flat roof will collapse under the pressure of heavy snow while a pitched roof would have been able to handle the load.
There are many types of damage that can occur, with the most common being leaks. In extreme conditions, it is possible for a roof to collapse entirely. However, this is not something you should be overly concerned with. This is extremely rare, due to the fact that those who install these roofs are well aware of what they need to do to protect against such trouble
Questions to ask
There are multiple questions to ask and answer when it comes to the subject of flat roofs and snow. A few of these include:
- How much snow do you get in your area during the winter season?
- What is the weight load, recommended by the installer, that the roof can handle?
- How will you know if damage has occurred and repairs are necessary?
These types of questions can go a long way in helping you better understand how a flat roof can stack up in a snowy environment.
Flat roofs can handle a lot of snow, even in parts of the country where winter weather can be extremely bad.
