How To Protect Your Metal Building From Snow And Ice Accumulation

Winter is not too far behind, and this means potential snow accumulation on your building. This may not be your top priority considering the weather, but this is the time when you should prepare yourself and your premises to protect against snow and its consequences.

The most affected part of your building is the roofs. Here are two challenges of accumulation of snow on your roof-

Formation of ice dams

When you add insulation to your attic, the roof warms up, and the snow starts to melt. When it reaches the edges, it refreezes as the borders are not warm. The frozen edges do not allow the melted snow to slide down the roof, and the melted snow keeps collecting on your roof. These are called ice dams, and they can be very damaging to buildings.

Weight on roof

As soon as the light and fluffy snow solidify and turn into ice, its weight increases eight times. On average, a roof can withstand only up to four feet of snow. After which, it becomes stressed and can start leaking and cause ceiling stains and dampness in the walls. Excess weight can result in building damage or even collapse.

Steps To Protect Your Building From Snow

Step- 1: Inspect your building

The first step to protecting your building from snow is ascertaining the current situation. So, before the snow hits your roof, make sure to test your building for any cracks or crevices, hanging tree branches, and broken tiles in the walls and on the roof.

Step- 2: Use ice melt to melt snow

Many businesses make the mistake of using rock salt or chemical ice melt on the rooftop. Most wholesale ice melt manufacturers put chemicals and chloride compounds in their blends. The reality is, sodium chloride contains corrosive oxidizing agents. These agents help in melting the ice, but they corrode the metal parts of your building like shingles, nails, and other fittings. If used on metal machinery, these agents can damage your expensive machinery as well.

Therefore, you need a salt-free, chloride-free, acetate-free ice melt that is free from toxins. This will ensure that your building and machinery are safe.

One such ice melt is Safe Thaw. It is one of those rare wholesale ice melt manufacturers that is free from chloride. It has a modified crystalline amide core that is combined with a unique glycol admixture and traction ingredients. This patented dual-effect compound is non-conductive and non-corrosive. You can even store this ice melt in bulk. It has a long shelf life, and it does not damage your building or machinery.

Step- 3: Clear the slush

Although most of the melted ice drops down the slope of your roof, you may want to clear the slush from a flat-surface rooftop. Be sure to leave several inches of snow to avoid scraping the shingles and damaging the roof. Use roof fall harnesses and all the gears that can help you stay safe while doing it.  

In winters, you need to protect your building and machinery from winter damages. The goal is to ensure that there is as little snow and ice as possible on your building to avoid any long-term damages. 

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