Roof Slope For Snow Load

The sloped roof snow load p s shall be obtained by multiplying the flat roof snow load p f by the roof slope factor c s.

Roof slope for snow load.

If the snow weighs 10 pounds per cubic foot and there are 1 5 feet on the roof each square foot of the roof is getting 15 pounds of pressure. Building a roof with wood shakes works well in moist colder climates as they don t dry out from the snow. If you live in the us our snow load calculator compares the total weight on your roof with the permissible load calculated according to the standards issued by the american society of civil engineers regarding the minimum design loads for buildings and other structures asce7 16. To figure out the load on your roof take the depth of snow in feet and multiply it by the weight of a cubic foot of snow.

Snow load is the additional weight on a roof structure added by snow and ice buildup on the roof. Flat roofs are common with industrial buildings boasting wide roof spans and are also popular in dry climates for houses where there is no need for the roof to help disperse rain and snow. If your roof is 1 000 square feet the total snow load is 15 000 pounds of snow. Ground snow load value.

Underestimation of snow loads can result in premature failure high maintenance costs. If you live in a climate with cold winters and numerous snow storms a pitched roof will prevent the snow from remaining on the top of your home. Discount that actual snow loads may exceed them only that the risk of snow load induced failure is reduced to an acceptably low level. P s c s p f.

Even in these arid regions so called flat roofs are still installed with a slight pitch to keep water from pooling on top of the structure. When the roof slope is greater than 5 the roof is considered sloped. On multiple factors including. The atc has a snow load hazard tool that can help you identify when a snow load presents a hazard to the structure.

Snow loads are influenced by elevation general weather and moisture patterns slope direction exposure roof or trail bridge configuration and wind direction and severity. The steeper the pitch the better the snow will fall to the ground. Roof snow load is defined as the weight of snow on the roof surface used in design of the building structure ibc 2012. Snow loads acting on a sloping surface shall be assumed to act on the horizontal projection of that surface.

Calculating the snow load is crucial to determining if the structure can handle the additional weight of the snow. The sloped roof snow load is calculated using equation 7 4 1. Overestimation of snow loads can unnecessarily increase the cost of construction.