Reinforce Roof Against Heavy Snow

For example when rafters support the weight of the roof and the snow they push against the opposing rafters at the ridge board and push thrust outward at the supporting wall figure 1.

Reinforce roof against heavy snow. Reinforcing the connections between the rafters and the walls will help prevent your roof from collapsing. Why would you use the word roof span when you should be referring to rafter length. Snow increases the overall weight of your roof adding to the forces acting on your rafters. Hip roofs can offer extra living space with an addition of a dormer or a crow s nest.

All of that starts with the structure s design and ensuring your design team uses seven tactics to reinforce your building against heavy snow. The slant of the roof allows snow to easily slide off with no standing water. If you took in the snow load it would be less than that. With the arrow roof strengthening kit you ll increase the roof strength by up to 50 which will help your shelter withstand heavy snow accumulation.

A ss grade douglas fir 2 x 4 rafter has a rated span of 8 11. Reinforcing existing roof framing jsmrem you said 2 x 4 rafters and a roof span of 28 feet. They are excellent for both high wind and snowy areas. For high wind areas or strong storms a pitch of 4 12 6 12 18 5 26 5 angle is recommended.

Gutters that sag or hang off the side of the roof are at risk of being damaged during winter. Snow and ice can pack on pounds and weigh down the gutter trough. Take 2 6x4 as long as your longest stored lumber and cut 2 inch deep grooves in them as wide as your 2x6 is thick every foot or so. Ensure ample purlin spacing the appropriate amount of space between purlins depends on the amount of snow you expect.

Install these over your existing horizontal 2x6s 2 feet from the roof edge inside and paralel to the roof ends crosswise from your existing 2x6. If a snowstorm just dumped about 9 inches of heavy snow on your roof the equation to determine snow load is 9 x 1 25. That works out to be 11 25 pounds per square foot. Increasing the thickness of your rafters increases your rafters ability to withstand sagging.

The ceiling joists not only provide vertical support for the weight of the ceiling as a beam but they also resist the outward horizontal thrust of the rafters at the top of the wall.