Snow Fence Design Ideas

One drop of snow can ruin a gutter system of the house or a snow avalanche may cause damage to people and property. It is better for the snow to thaw on the roof rather than evacuating the whole roof by sliding and falling as an avalanche. Snow fences and snow guards are an important element that should be added to any house, particularly if it is situated in a demographic area which gets regular snowfall to prevent thawing or avalanching and damaging people and property.

But, there is a difference between these two. Snow fences stop the sliding snow from falling, whereas, snow guards provide traction, which actually protects the snow from sliding. Usually, they are recommended for metal roofs, and they not only stop the rooftop avalanches, but also maintain the roof and the roof lines from getting damaged. If the right fence is chosen, then it would last as long as the roof lasts. Two different products are available in the market- bolt down and clamp to seam snow fences. Bolt down snow fences are suitable for homes where a great deal of snow should be held to the roof and also for the roofs which are slippery in nature, while, clamp to seam are suitable for standing seam metal panel roofs. Based on the roofing system of one's home, one should choose the suitable fence to serve the purpose.

Some More Info on Bolt Down Snow Fences

Bolt down snow fences isn't one piece that can be installed. It consists of L-type snow brackets, aluminium tubing, couplers, caps, collars and ice stops. The L brackets differ in size and shape depending on the type of roofing- with a steeping pitch where the snowfall is heavy or for lighter applications where there isn't much snow fall and snow retention. The main feature of this kind of product is the inclusion of L brackets. These L brackets are mostly made up of aluminium and are rust-free. These are called "bolt down", as these brackets are bolted down on the roof using screws and there are proper provisions given in them to insert the tubing along them. At times, instead of screws other fasteners are used based on the material of the roof. The tubes are interconnected using couplers and caps are usually inserted at the ends to keep moisture and dirt accumulating inside the tubes. The installation process is quite easy as instruction manual is provided along with it. If one is not confident about the installation, then approach the manufacturer to help with the installation process.

Many people blame snow fences for ice damming, but this happens due to the poor installation of the fences along the attic portion of the roof. While installing, one should also keep in mind that the bolt down snow fences should be properly installed along the footprint of the building.

A good vinyl snow fence will be designed to control snow that is blowing and drifting. The right snow fence should be very heavy duty and should be able to withstand winds up to 100 mph and should be able to trap at least 2 to 4 tons of snow per linear foot.

Most snow fences can be bought in orange and green and is usually forty-eight to one-hundred feet long.

How To Find Snow Fences

It's safe to say that you're probably not going to be able to find snow fences at your local shopping mall and you probably won't be able to find it at your local home improvement store either (however you may want to call just in case). You can however, find it online. There are many manufacturers and retailers of vinyl snow fences on the internet and if you do a search on your favorite search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask) you will be able to find them.

So how do you know whether or not these manufacturers or retailers are legitimate? There are a few things you can look for that are a pretty solid indication of whether or not they are legitimate. First if the company is accredited by the BBB then this is a very good sign that they are legitimate. Secondly check to see how long they have been in business.