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You should never have to shovel your roof; you should have a vented attic or enough insulation to avoid ice dams, and the structure should be strong enough to s
by alricb 11y ago
You should never have to shovel your roof; you should have a vented attic or enough insulation to avoid ice dams, and the structure should be strong enough to support the snow load.
- douche 11y agoThat would be a great ideal, but I've never seen it in practice. Probably with the truss-style roofs that are used commonly now, the snow weight is less of a problem than with the older rafter-style. I'm unclear what point ventilation or insulation in the attic would have to do with ice dams... In my experience, it's caused by snow that doesn't get removed, which then melts, seeps down to the roof, and refreezes, with the texture of the shingles providing a greater surface area to freeze against. All things being equal, it's nice to have a steel roof that will warm up on a sunny day and have all the snow slide off.
- alricb 11y agoSee: http://buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-046-dam-ice-dam http://buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-046-dam-ic... The snow melts because of heat coming from the inside the house. [1] So if you keep your roof cold through insulation and ventilation, you don't need to remove the snow (as long as the roof can handle it structurally) [1]: http://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/Portals/55/docs/CEERD-RV/CEERD-RR-H/BuildingTechnology/ResearchPapers/MP-02-5778,%20Guidelines%20for%20Ventilating%20Attics%20and%20Cathedral%20Ceilings%20to%20Avoid%20Icings%20at%20Their%20Eaves.pdf http://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/Portals/55/docs/CEERD-RV/CEER... [pdf]