Preventing An Avalanche From Your Roof

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Avalanche From Your Roof

When you live in a climate which sees a lot of snow each year, it can make for picturesque scenes, but it can also be a hazard. We all know that avalanches can occur on mountains when the snow gets too heavy, but they can happen on the roof of your home as well, although to a smaller scale. 

If you are worried about snow or ice falling from your roof and damaging property or hurting someone, there are things that you can do to stop it from happening. Adding a snow and tile guard to your roofing can help to prevent accidents, and the little investment you need to do this is worth it to keep you and your family safe.

The Science Behind Avalanches

The reason that snow sticks to surfaces and does not slide off is due to friction, and it is this friction that holds the snow on the roof of your home, no matter how steep the pitch. The frictional force is stronger than the gravitational force that pulls it to earth, and it is not until the weight of the snow surpasses the strength of the friction that the snow will slide off from your roof.

You can also find that once the weather starts to get warmer, this can penetrate your roof and slicken the surface, allowing the snow to slide off in large clumps, or even entirely in one piece. If a member of your family or your car is underneath when this happens, there can be severe injuries and damages due to the snow, so it is something that you will want to prevent.  

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Preventing Avalanches On Your Roof

There is a simple solution that you can use to prevent an avalanche from occurring on your roof, and it is not overly expensive either. You can add snow roof and tile guards with brackets to the outside of your roof which will help to prevent the snow from falling from the rooftop. The brackets are added to the roofline, and there are suitable ones no matter what materials your roof is made with. Then the snow guards are added, which are like small fences. Even though they are not large and are discreet when added to a roof, they can prevent the snow from falling off the roof in large clumps which can be potentially destructive and cause injuries. 

You Still Need To Be Vigilant

Even when you install snow and tile guards on your roof, you will still need to be cautious during winter. Whenever you have heavy winds or snowfall, you will want to check on your roof, and you may need to remove some of the snow off your roof if it gets too deep as it can cause damage to it. You can do this easily by using some ladders and climbing up to your roof with a snow shovel, although you will need to be careful in case the snow falls off and takes you with it.

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