{"id":7384,"date":"2021-02-22T21:30:09","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T21:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imegcorp.com\/?p=7384"},"modified":"2022-01-13T14:22:29","modified_gmt":"2022-01-13T20:22:29","slug":"snow-load-is-your-roof-at-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imegcorp.com\/insights\/blog\/snow-load-is-your-roof-at-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Snow load: Is your roof at risk?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Snow drift from a higher roof<\/span><\/small><\/span><\/p>\n By Karl Pennings<\/span><\/p>\n Is your building experiencing higher snow loads than it was originally designed for? Ask yourself:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you answer yes to any of the above questions, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean your roof structure is deficient for the current code snow load provisions, but it does increase the possibility.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n While we\u2019re used to heavy snowfall in northern areas of the country and design new buildings accordingly, some older buildings and those with known deficiencies could be at risk for snow-related failure.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a structural engineer and member of the ASCE7 subcommittee on snow and rain loads, I see the necessity of codes that help us determine loads and design stronger buildings firsthand. To determine the snow load required in a building\u2019s design, a practicing engineer follows these three basic steps:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, most older building codes did not include drifting provisions. The current drift provisions that include roof length and ground snow load were not introduced until 1988. Because drifted snow was often unaccounted for in the design of older roofs, these buildings are most susceptible to roof damage due to snow loads.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n
\n Is my roof at risk?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \n
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