How Metal Roofs Handle Snow
A metal roof's handling of snow is one of its winter strengths, and understanding it helps a Ingalls homeowner. Here is how it works.
A Smooth, Shedding Surface
Metal roofs have a smooth, hard surface that snow tends to slide off rather than clinging to, so snow sheds more readily than it does on rougher materials. This shedding means snow does not accumulate as heavily on a metal roof. The smooth surface is the basis for metal's good snow performance. It encourages snow to slide off. Snow does not stick the way it might on other roofs. It sheds naturally.
Reduced Snow Accumulation
Because snow slides off, a metal roof tends to accumulate less snow than a roof that holds it, which reduces the weight of snow the roof bears. Less accumulated snow means less load on the roof structure during winter. This reduced accumulation is a practical benefit of metal's shedding. The roof carries less snow weight. It does not build up heavy snow loads. The shedding keeps accumulation down.
Helped by Slope and Sun
Snow shedding is aided by the roof's slope, with steeper roofs shedding more readily, and by metal's tendency to warm in the sun, which can help loosen snow. So a sloped metal roof in the sun sheds snow particularly well. These factors enhance metal's natural snow-shedding. Slope and sun assist the process. They help the snow slide off. The shedding is aided by these conditions.
A Winter Advantage
Overall, metal's snow-shedding is a winter advantage, keeping snow from piling up heavily and reducing load, which is valuable in snowy climates. While the shedding needs managing for safety, addressed by snow guards, it is largely a benefit. Metal's handling of snow is one of its winter strengths. It performs well in snowy conditions. The shedding is an asset. It is good in winter.
How It Handles Snow, in Short
Metal roofs have a smooth surface that sheds snow readily, reducing accumulation and snow load, aided by slope and the sun warming the metal. This snow-shedding is a winter advantage, valuable in snowy climates, though it needs managing for safety with snow guards.
One point worth making clear for Ingalls homeowners is that a metal roof's behavior in snow is one of its genuine winter strengths, though it comes with a single consideration that is easily managed. The strength is that metal sheds snow remarkably well. Its surface is smooth and hard, so rather than clinging and accumulating the way snow does on rougher roofing materials, snow tends to slide off a metal roof, a tendency that is helped along by the roof's slope, with steeper pitches shedding more readily, and by metal's habit of warming in the sun, which loosens the snow's grip. This snow-shedding brings several real benefits through a snowy winter. It reduces the amount of snow that accumulates on the roof and therefore the weight, the snow load, that the roof structure has to bear, which matters because heavy accumulated snow can place significant strain on a roof. It also helps reduce the conditions that lead to ice dams, those troublesome ridges of ice that form at a roof's edge when snow melts higher up, runs down, and refreezes at the colder eaves, because snow that has slid off cannot sit there going through the melt-and-refreeze cycle that feeds an ice dam. And it simply keeps the roof clearer through the winter. The single consideration that comes with all this shedding is safety, because snow can slide off a metal roof suddenly and in a large mass, which could be hazardous or damaging if it lands on a walkway, an entry, a parked vehicle, or landscaping below. That is exactly what snow guards are for, and they resolve the concern neatly by controlling where and how the snow sheds.
It also helps Ingalls homeowners to understand that getting the full benefit of a metal roof in winter, and protecting against the winter problems that can affect any roof, depends on a combination of the roof's own snow-shedding qualities and a properly built roof assembly. The snow-shedding is inherent to metal and is a real advantage, but ice dams in particular are worth understanding because they are driven by more than just the snow on the roof. An ice dam forms when the upper part of a roof is warm enough to melt the snow sitting on it while the eaves at the edge remain below freezing, so the meltwater runs down and refreezes into a ridge of ice at the edge, behind which water can pool and back up under the roof. The warmth that drives this melting usually comes from heat escaping out of the home into the attic and warming the underside of the roof, which is why proper attic insulation and ventilation are genuinely important for preventing ice dams on any roof, including metal, since they keep the attic and the roof deck cold so the snow does not melt unevenly in the first place. A metal roof helps by shedding snow so it does not sit and refreeze, but the insulation and ventilation address the root cause, and a quality installation can also include ice-and-water protection at vulnerable areas like the eaves as an added barrier. So the most effective winter protection combines metal's snow-shedding with a sound, well-insulated, well-ventilated attic and proper edge protection, and where the roof sheds snow onto areas that are used, snow guards to manage the shedding safely. A contractor experienced in metal roofing for winter climates addresses all of these together.
One point worth making clear for Ingalls homeowners is that a metal roof's behavior in snow is one of its genuine winter strengths, though it comes with a single consideration that is easily managed. The strength is that metal sheds snow remarkably well. Its surface is smooth and hard, so rather than clinging and accumulating the way snow does on rougher roofing materials, snow tends to slide off a metal roof, a tendency that is helped along by the roof's slope, with steeper pitches shedding more readily, and by metal's habit of warming in the sun, which loosens the snow's grip. This snow-shedding brings several real benefits through a snowy winter. It reduces the amount of snow that accumulates on the roof and therefore the weight, the snow load, that the roof structure has to bear, which matters because heavy accumulated snow can place significant strain on a roof. It also helps reduce the conditions that lead to ice dams, those troublesome ridges of ice that form at a roof's edge when snow melts higher up, runs down, and refreezes at the colder eaves, because snow that has slid off cannot sit there going through the melt-and-refreeze cycle that feeds an ice dam. And it simply keeps the roof clearer through the winter. The single consideration that comes with all this shedding is safety, because snow can slide off a metal roof suddenly and in a large mass, which could be hazardous or damaging if it lands on a walkway, an entry, a parked vehicle, or landscaping below. That is exactly what snow guards are for, and they resolve the concern neatly by controlling where and how the snow sheds.
Get a Roof That Handles Snow
Ingalls Metal Roofing installs metal roofing that sheds snow well across Ingalls and Madison County. Call (765) 676-3491 for a free consultation on a metal roof suited to your area's winters, with snow guards where needed.