With winter over, perhaps you are going to visit your log cabin to enjoy the fresh spring air? You know there’s going to be some maintainance needed, and you know there will be snow on the roof. Are all roofs the same Should you clean the snow off the roof? What are some methods to getting snow off the roof? Read below for the information to answer your questions!
For starters, not all roofs are the same. Roofs have different pitches, meaning they are angled at different ways. Some are flat while others have a steep slant. The steeper the slope, the easier it is for snow to slide off. So, if you have a roof with a steep angled roof, you are lucky and it is unlikely you will need to get the snow off the roof of your log cabin (more information about log cabins kits). Those who have flatter roofs, snow can become a problem that causes more significant issues.
The materials use for the roof need to be taken into consideration as well. Metal roofing is common material used, and it is the best type of roofing available for snowy areas. Snow slides off a metal roof with a greater pitch easier than a flatter roof. Cleaning a flat roof is easier than other materials also, as again the snow falls right off.
Asphalt, fiberglass, wood and plastic shingles are commonly used as well, but these make cleaning a touch more difficult. When buying the roofing materials, shingles are usually cheaper than metal roofing, are available in more colours and can give your log cabin a beautiful look. But, the downside is that snow won’t slide off itself and cleaning off the snow can cause issues if you are not careful.
To get the snow off your log cabin’s roof, there are a few things to consider first. One is that the snow and weather is likely to have made the area, especially the roof, slippery. Second, if you have shingles as your roofing, the cold makes shingles brittle. At this time, they break and crack easier, leading to water, insects and other damage causing things to enter your structure. The recommended way to clean your roof, especially if you have a metal roof, is a snow rake. The snow rake is a simple device that is a long pole with a flat piece of aluminum on the end, like a window cleaner. You can buy one of these, or if you are handy you can make on yourself. For shingles, use a snow rake that has a roller on the bottom, as this will protect your shingles from harm.
A snow blower can be used as well to clean the roof. The use of a snow blower may not be something you can do, or you might not have access to one. There are professionals around you can call to come over to get the snow off the roof for you, or you can visit a tool rental service and ask about what they can do for you.
With snow on the roof, think about if it has been a harsh or soft winter. Some winters you will have more snow on your roof that others. What matters is the weight of the snow on the roof. As you can imagine, the pressure of the weight on the roof can cause structural problems. Dry snow weighs less than wet snow. Wet snow you need to get off your roof as soon as you can. Imagine having to hold a heavy weight for months on end, yeah, you would have problems standing up as well.
The heavy snow can lead to ice dams, that can cause a lot of damage to your roof. Icicles may look pretty, but they are a sign that you have too much wet snow on your roof. Know how much snow is likely to fall each winter in your area and purchase the roofing based on that knowledge. Alternatively, pack or leave the roof cleaning equipment in your cabin.
Heavy snow on your roof can cause doors to have trouble opening and closing, the window framces are becoming distorted, cracks can start appearing and other similar things can happen. In the end, if you don’t do something about it, you could end up with a caved in roof. Not good at all for you or your log cabin.
Warmer weather might not be the saviour you think it is. When snow is heated up, it turns to water. The weather might not be hot enough yet, and the water turns to ice. Ice is a lot heavier than snow, and this can make the structure of your cabin unstable quickly. Older log cabins need more maintainance than newer cabins. Mature cabins can crack easier and have other issues already there that snow and ice exacerbates to a critical level. Keep this in mind if you are purchasing a used cabin, and check if there are any signs of damage that show signs of lack of maintainance or the possibilities of problems sooner rather than later.
So yes, if there is snow on your roof, get it off there to stop any significant damage to your log cabin. Snow and ice can cause the cabin to become unstable and unusable, can cause the roof to fall in and destroy your cabin. You don’t want that, you want your cabin to last so you can keep going back there year after year.
