Do I Need Snow Guards for My Standing Seam Metal Roof?

During winter, there are ticking time bombs that accumulate on our roofs in form of heaps of snow. Not only does it strain the roof causing snow dams when it compacts to form ice, it can cause damage and harm to property and people alike. If this happens on your roof during winter, yes you do need to get some snow defenders.

A snow guard is a barrier installed on roofs to hold snow. These safety barriers prevent ice and snow from sliding and falling off the roof, which might cause damage to property and cause injury to people. They release the snow in small amounts or as melted water to minimize harm on your property and people.

At New Holland Supply, we deal in a variety of building materials including metal roof snow guards, horse barn building materials, garage, and pole barn kits. We offer durable, attractive and cost-effective materials for all your building solutions.

How Metal Roof Snow Guards Work

When snow accumulates on a roof it can slide off the roof as an avalanche. The heat from below creates a layer of water under the load of compacted snow which becomes ice. This can cause it to slide down the roof causin, massive damage to your building. As a result a barrier is required to ensure this does not happen.

Metal roof snow guards prevent the snow from sliding off the roof. The snow either falls in small amounts or melts completely falling off the roof as water. Small amounts of snow have minimal effect on property.

They should be used on steep roofs with slick surfaces on metal, tile or slate roofing. These guards are mostly used in places that experience a lot of snowfall. These devices come in handy on sunny winter days as well as melting is rapid which can cause avalanches off your roof.

Snow guards should however not be used on shingled low pitch asphalt roofs. If used on them, they can cause snow dams. They should also not be used on roofs with snow dam issues until they are fixed. This is because additional ice hold can cause the roof to cave in.

Clamping guards are fixed permanently by drilling holes while adhesive ones are stuck on the roof. On standing seam metal roofs, both metal clamping guard and adhesive snow guard can be installed as they both serve the purpose efficiently. However, adhesive metal roof snow guards are great for your garage and agricultural style buildings. This is because clamping them to your roof means you need to drill holes into your roof. You can purchase the snow guard pole barn kits together with your horse barn building materials from New Holland Supply.

Types of Guards

• Clip style guards: they are also known as snow pads, snow tops among other names. These are attached on your roof to add friction for holding snow and ice on the roof. They are 1.5” to 3” tall and they are installed horizontally above the eave edge of a standing seam metal roof.
• Bar style guards: these are rectangular shaped bars made of aluminum or steel that are placed parallel to the eave. They are bolted to the roof with a clamping mechanism to attach permanently. They comprise of single bars joined together that are placed 12” from the edge of the eave. Multiple bars might be required to hold snow on steep roofs and higher snow loads.
• Fence style guards: these are continuous metal tubes assembled in twos to fours and aligned vertically to the edge of the eave of the roof. They are attached with clamping mechanisms bolted to the roof. For larger snow loads and steeper roofs, multiple rows of snow guards might be used to increase hold in the snow.

At New Holland Supply, our snow guards are cost effective and efficient to ensure that you get the best protection for your roof. We deal in two types of snow defenders; the Snow Defender 4500 and the Snow defender 6500. The Defender 4500 is used on standard metal roofs while the Defender 6500 is great for a standing seam metal roof. We can install them on new or older roofs.

Contact us for more information!