Soldiering On
Staying Protected from Snowfall
by Marcus Dodson, Publisher
Just as sure as one plus one equals two, heavy snowfall plus synthetic roof shingles equals snow avalanches. The slick aspects of composite slate and shake tiles don’t allow snow to grab hold, so as it melts, snow slides off roofs, oftentimes as a rushing blanket. This can be dangerous to people and property below.
Roofers familiar with synthetic roofing products know it’s in their customers’ best interests to recommend the installation of snow guards during a reroofing project. Made of aluminum, copper, or steel, the resilient wedges are strategically installed on the roof to give the snowpack something to grab onto, so the snowpack does not avalanche off the roof all at once.
Soldier Row Pattern
There’s actually a science to determining where snow guards are placed on the roof. Providing free roof layouts and product lists for almost 15 years, Rocky Mountain Snow Guards experts highly recommend the effective soldier row pattern to encourage snow retention.
“When specifically placed 12 inches apart horizontally, snow guards are most effective in holding snow,” said Brian Cross with Rocky Mountain Snow Guards. “Plus, we’ve researched the vertical distance between the soldier rows. Depending on the pitch and snow load, it turns out those distances can be quite large, as long as the soldier rows have snow guards placed every 12 inches on center horizontally within the rows. This is because the close 12 inch spacing acts more like a barrier than the friction of a traditional spread pattern.”
Consistent Melt-Off
Across the state of Colorado, roofers such as Home Grown Roofing and Contracting, Roof Pro Inc., On Point Contracting, and Umbrella Roofing all rely on the soldier row pattern during their snow guard installations.
“When you hold the snow evenly throughout the roof there’s less opportunity for sections to slide down into pinch-points,” said Josh Yandle with Umbrella Roofing. “Then you have a much more consistent and even melt-off. This allows the gutters and heat cable to keep up with the melting as it warms up and reduces large ice accumulation on sections lower down the roof.”
From an installation standpoint, Yandle is a fan of the soldier row pattern. “The finished project is aesthetically pleasing to homeowners,” said Yandle. “The roof looks a lot less busy. With the right layouts the soldier row pattern can add to the finished product rather than distract from it. From bidding standpoint, it’s much easier for me to get accurate numbers on a layout rather than using averages. Plus, on the installation side, my guys move faster installing the soldier row pattern. They’re not having to constantly snap chalk lines and pause to check layout patterns. When you install one snow guard every foot, it’s a smoother, more instinctive installation rather than pausing every three feet by three rows or something like that. It becomes a fluid part of the install.”
Between its aesthetic appeal and the ease of installation, there is no reason why customers and contractors shouldn’t ask more about getting soldier rows of snow guards on their roofs if they live in high-snowfall areas. Of course, the most important thing that it brings to a roof is safety, and breaking up sheets of snow to help prevent roof avalanches has never been easier.
