# How to stop snow from slipping of metal roof?



## Golden view

I've done a roof or two with this type of product. I'm not sure if others understand these panels are usually installed over sheathing and are not treated as structural (though they are rated for certain span/loads). Every third roof around fairbanks, AK (50psf snow load) is more or less the same panel roof, and they last very long, looking new after 20-30 years. At least one manufacturer offers identical 30 year and lifetime versions at slightly different prices. 

For snow hooks some use the little plastic brackets but generally matching metal is bent to form a 2x3 right triangle with roof plane, with two tabs to screw through, this is run continuously near the eves and about 1/3 of the way up for shallow roofs, and spaced more closely for steep roofs. Tapered shorter stitch screws are used to attached to the high ribs below, screwed at every location. No sealing between the two metals. I've been on so many roofs installing these but damned if I never took a photo.

All I have is an in action shot. Two rows where it's 5:12 and every 24" where it's 12:12

At any rate, they generally work well, and the shallower the pitch the better, as far as dealing with sliding snow. They are quite stout as they form a triangle, and I use them as a permanent ladder on 12:12 roofs.


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## davidgustaft

*Conclusion!*

I took your advice, and this winter everything worked great. 

Thanks to these people who gave me good advice:
jdeck, shanekw1, Golden View

And no thanks to Renegade for his ill-informed cynicism/pessimism and the others like him: tenon0774, griz, CompleteW&D, JWilliams...

I installed angle-iron type snow guards and they worked perfectly. I installed three rows of them (because I was scared by Renegade's fear-based comments that the snow would rip them out) ...I probably only really needed one or two rows. I'll try to post pictures if I can figure out how to do that. No problems at all this winter, despite getting a ton of snow. We had a heavy winter here in Minnesota (like most of the country). So thanks for your advice.


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## PoleBarnsNY

For those that don't like ugly azz, cobbed up, chitty looking snow blocks on their metal roof. There are hidden ice melting products available. Here is one of many alternatives that would work for the OP's context. 

http://summiticemelt.com/products/radiant-edge-lowslope/

For a more economical solution than paying for manufactured housing, we run snow melting cable inside metal roof eave trims. Works amazing.


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## Golden view

Those would be $432 to opperate for a month if you had 100' of eves in Fairbanks, Alaska. Half that on average elsewhere.

My customers have never thought the snow hooks looked bad, but on low slow, assuming you can even see them from the ground, you can get away with a single one right at the edge, and it looks like it's an integrated part of the roof.


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