Roof Snow Load Failures

How much snow is too much.

Roof snow load failures.

Abstract collapses of a number of roofs in europe during the winter 2005 2006 initiated discussions concerning reliability of the roofs exposed to snow loads. A roof not designed to the appropriate standards for its use location etc. Presented overview of extensive. Further if it was caused by an.

Our experienced forensic experts can help to determine. It doesn t take a blizzard to cause problems. From 1994 to 2013 winter storms resulted in about 27 billion in u s. Or if the building was poorly designed or constructed.

The roof or the entire structure can fail if the snow load exceeds the weight the building was designed to shoulder. Is more prone to failure. Every time a post frame building roof collapses it reflects poorly upon our industry. If the roof collapse was the result of.

Whether or not that failure was the result of an inadequate design. In my humble opinion these would include. If the standards for mississippi where the maximum expected snow load is much lower are used in error problems ranging from deflection to full collapse can occur. Together these two industries can lobby for changes ultimately making for better and safer buildings.

While it is impractical unaffordable or unfeasible to retrofit existing buildings to meet code loading requirements we can make changes to minimize or eliminate future failures due to snow. An imbalance of drifting snow can cause one part of a roof to give causing a domino effect. Snow load is the downward force on a building s roof by the weight of accumulated snow and ice. Insured catastrophe losses in 2013 dollars or more than 1 billion a year on average according to property claim services and the insurance information institute inc.

When prefabricated wood roof trusses fail truss manufacturers get blamed.