Snow Guards On Edpm Roof

oldfrt

I've just registered here and need some input on a problem I've encountered for the first time.
I installed a fully adhered edpm system on a 3/12 pitch last year and the homeowner has informed me he would like a snow guard applied to the eaves because of damage from a snow/ice fall last winter
I live in the northeast where 1 to 4 ft of snow a year is pretty common,so my question is twofold.
Would the snow guards keep too much snow weight on the roof ,and has anyone had experience with any particular snow guards that would solve this problem?
I've been to the Alpine Snowguard site ,as recommended by my supplier and have gone over the specs for this type of application,but I would really like to hear from actual users of this or any other type of system.

Cole

Moved to Roofing!

__________________
Tulsa's Leader in Outdoor Living Construction | Facebook | Tulsa Pergola Builder | Tulsa Outdoor Kitchens

Ed the Roofer

I have only installed snow guards on standing seam and batten seam roof panel systems.

I would think that the engineering would take into account the potential live load under the most extreme situations, but that should be verified with a structural engineer, I presume.

Ed

oldfrt

I have never felt the need for snow guards on a rubber roof,but because I also installed a garden window two floors below,I fear the worse.
Last winter,when the snow/ice slid off the roof it damaged the bottom courses of vinyl siding.I consider this a stroke of luck,missing the garden window.
There is a gutter on the eaves at this location.into which I ran the edpm,and then fastened with term bar through the back of the gutter,reinforcing both the gutter/facia connection and assuring all run off went into,rather than behind the gutter due to capillary action of the rain over any sort of drip edge.
Because there is no way to visually inspect the rafter size for the proper snow load calculation,I figured it was sized properly for the worse potential conditions.The previous roof was double coverage mineral surface which kept most of the load on the roof.The house was built about 25 years ago.
So I'm guessing my concern for the over load is not as critical as the need to know the best system of snow guard to use.
My first inclination was to add something to the gutters ,so as not to penetrate the roof.but most snow guard instructions require installation above the overhang because of weight concerns.I hate putting any kind of fastener on top of any roof surface.
So before I start this project,I would like to hear from anyone who has actually used any type snow guard successfully or has an alternate remedy.

Thanks for any and all feedback,
Rainy day Forum Reader

Grumpy

There are adhesive snow guards which are used to install on metal roofs. I would think these would work on his roof without puncturing the membrane.

I'f you've got the penetrate the membrane, there are ways to make it water proof, for a few years anyways, but it ain't gonna be pretty!

Snow guards are going to be useless when you have between 1-4' of snow on a 3/12. The show will basically just sit there. They are more commonly used on very steep roofs where the snow can very easily fall off.

oldfrt

There are adhesive snow guards which are used to install on metal roofs. I would think these would work on his roof without puncturing the membrane.

Hi Grumpy.
I checked with my distributor and adhesive snow guards are a definite No No.
They would tend to pull the membrane away from the substrate and possibly tear the roof.
Penetration is the only solution here,but it is time consuming and risky.
It's not the amount of snow on the roof I'm concerned about at this time. With the heat loss at the eaves(even with a vented soffet)and warm days with cold nights ,the snow melts and forms an ice dam along the edge of the roof,once it warms up enough,the whole dam gets "greased"by the melting snow and slides over the edge.
It happened the first year after the new roof installation ,and almost took out the new garden window.
I may be able to convince the HO to go with heating cables,but that requires constant monitoring of when to turn them on or off.Because the roof isn't visible from anywhere on the ground this remedy seems fruitless.
Last night I convinced him to build a protective cover for his garden window which can be removed in the spring.I just won't have the time before winter to apply a snow guard.
In the long run something will have to be done as there is also a slider onto a deck under this roof area.I'd hate to see anyone get clocked by a 3' chunk of ice.
I'm guessing someone else has met this problem before and would like to hear any and all solutions.Maybe there's something else that can be done short of selling the house and moving to a warmer climate.

Ed the Roofer

How about attaching a rail made out of pressure treated lumber which would attach to the side fascias and extend the entire length.

Ed

oldfrt

I don't believe that would work in this situation for two reasons.
First it's a thirty foot span across the eaves and second ,the whole idea of snow guards on a low pitched roof is to keep the snow weight distributed across the complete run of the roof.Although I believe that the only part that slides off is the bottom two or three foot section that has frozen into an ice dam.Because of the low pitch the rest of the 'unfrozen 'snow should remain on the roof.
The problem with ice dams is that,with the right weather conditions,they will get larger and tend to 'climb ' up the roof.So the staggered pattern is designed to keep the weight from shifting to one location ,over-burdening the eaves.
This is the first time ,in thirty years of roofing,that I've encountered this problem.I guess the HO will have to bite the bullet on this one and put in a complete snow guard system or run a heating coil across the eaves and try to monitor any build up of ice before it gets too large.Unfortunately,it's too high up for a snow rake.
Trying to keep clients happy isn't easy when they don't want to spend the cash.I've already spent more time looking for a solution than it will probably take to do the job.It's a good thing I've had a couple of rainy days to try and keep the HO from calling everyday,looking for an easy fix.
I guess we could start another thread about why the smaller jobs always take the most time to complete and these HO's become "pests".

roofpro

Oldfrt, in my opinion the snow guards will do close to nothing for you, especially for the ice problem. If fixing the root cause of the heat loss from the attic is not possible, then I would suggest the heat cables. They are very low frequency/wattage, and they work very well for controlling ice dams. You would just plug them in when the problem becomes noticeable, and unplug when the ice is gone, not really that inconvenient. As for the garden window, one idea might be to install an "A" shaped sheet metal dam directly above the window, nailed to the roof and stripped in with EPDM cover strip, and this will send the snow to either side of the window, problem solved. Have done many of these, especially over entrance-ways on commercial buildings, where the public enters. Why the homeowner went with rubber over shingles is a mystery to me. No offense, but that must be ugly for a home. Shingles are cheap.