With the onset of winter, building owners face problems such as snow removal, and not only yards and paths, but also the roofs of buildings have to be cleaned. How should the roof be cleaned of snow and ice, and is this work really necessary?
Winter is not only frost and cold, but also precipitation in the form of snow, which turns into ice during the thaw. Of course, the house, the roof of which is covered with a hat of snow, looks quite picturesque, but in reality there is nothing good in such “beauty”.
First, the snow mass puts pressure on the roof.If precipitation occurs frequently, then such pressure can be very significant, and this can lead to premature wear of roof structures and even their destruction.
Secondly, snow and ice are destructive to roofing, leading to leaks. In addition, frozen water can destroy the drainage system, and in the spring it will be necessary to carry out serious repairs to the roof structures.
The third reason for the need to remove snow from roofs is the constant risk of a snow mass or a collapse of a block of ice. In this case, people passing near the house may suffer.
True, subject to the installation of structures such as snow guards for soft roofs there will be no threat.
Also, such a collapse can cause considerable material damage, for example, if an icicle falls on a parked car.
Thus, cleaning the roof of snow and icicles is a necessary event.
And if public utilities are required to monitor the condition of the roofs of public buildings and multi-storey buildings, then the owners of cottages and other structures that are in private ownership must solve the problem on their own in this regard, heating your roof - a good option.
How can the roof of a building be cleaned?
Many homeowners believe that removing snow from the roof is not difficult, so they decide to do this work themselves or entrust it to a random person. In fact, this approach can have serious consequences.
Unprofessional roof cleaning techniques can lead to:
- Threat to the life of the person performing the work;
- Threat to people's lives and the risk of damage to property located near the house;
- Damage to roofing and weir elements.
Advice to homeowners! It should be recognized that roof cleaning work is classified as dangerous. After all, the slippery surface of the slopes of the roof cannot be called a reliable support for the feet of a working person. Performers of such work must have the appropriate skills and equipment used in industrial mountaineering.
In addition, the layman simply does not have the tool that should be used to safely clean the roof. Using a conventional shovel will cause the coating to be damaged, and costly repairs will have to be carried out in the spring.
For this reason, roof cleaning work should be entrusted to professionally engaged in these companies. Today, two cleaning methods are used - mechanical and technical. Let's consider them in more detail.
Mechanical roof cleaning method
As a rule, mechanical cleaning is carried out using the methods of industrial mountaineering. To do this, it is necessary to designate the attachment points on the roof.
Most often, air ducts play this role, but this is far from always possible. Therefore, if it is supposed to carry out regular maintenance of the roof, it is practiced to install a stationary cable located along the ridge.
Professionals use special tools for mechanical cleaning, which are selected depending on the type of roofing.
For example, if the roof is covered with metal tiles that are popular today, special snow pushers are used, which are designed to match the profile of the coating.
For other types of roofing, shovels with a rubberized or wooden blade are used, and special blunt hammers are used to chip off frozen blocks of ice.
Technical method of cleaning the roof
This technique involves the use of modern technologies for cleaning roofs. One of the ways is to install "roof without icicles" systems.
Icicles form in large numbers on the roof if the drainage system on it is faulty or it is clogged with ice.
But even if the drainage system works properly, it is not always possible to avoid the formation of ice, since the roof still evaporates some heat, which contributes to the melting of snow. The resulting water does not have time to escape the roof, freezing and turning into icicles.
To prevent the formation of frost, a roof anti-icing system is used. The basis of such modern systems is heating electric cables.
They are laid along the edge of the roof, as well as in the gutter and roof gutters. In a word, cables are installed where frost usually forms.
Cables that are used for installation on the roof must meet a number of requirements. Among them:
- High mechanical strength of the cable itself and its sheath;
- Resistance to various atmospheric influences;
- Resistance to UV radiation.
- High degree of insulation and the presence of a metal braid.
In addition to heating cables, the anti-icing system includes supply cables (“cold”), junction boxes and control systems.
As a rule, these systems are equipped with automation, so they include sensors that measure temperature and humidity.
The fact is that the operation of this system is necessary during thaws, and when it is cold outside, it turns off.
After all, at a temperature of minus 15 degrees and below:
- Precipitation rarely occurs;
- Snow does not melt naturally, therefore, ice does not form;
- The system consumes a large amount of energy, while not providing a useful effect.
Anti-icing systems use two types of cables:
- resistive;
- Self-adjusting.
The first option is a cable that has a constant resistance along its entire length. Similar equipment is used for the installation of underfloor heating, however, there are special strength requirements for roofing cable.
This type of equipment has some disadvantages. One of the main ones is that the cable section has a certain length, so installation on the roof can be difficult.
The second disadvantage of this type of cable is that different sections of the network may be in different conditions on the roof. For example, one section of the system lies under the snow, and the second is covered with fallen leaves. Since they will heat up in the same way, the second section of the system will overheat in vain, wasting energy inefficiently.
Therefore, today self-regulating cables are more in demand, which are able to change the amount of heat generated in each section, depending on the actual losses.
In addition, self-regulating cables can be of very different lengths, cutting the necessary lengths can be done directly on the roof during installation of the system.
The only downside to these cables is their price. They are almost six times more expensive than resistive ones. True, with proper design of the system, it will be possible to save on distribution cables, and during operation, “samregs” use much less energy. So the initial investment will pay off soon enough.
Other options for protecting the roof from ice formation
In addition to installing heating cables, other options are used to provide anti-icing for the roof. For example, applying hydrophobic compositions to roofing.
Such a solution is not able to prevent the formation of ice, but the coating contributes to the fact that the ice quickly disappears without forming lumps and icicles. Such compositions can be applied to metal or concrete by hand using a brush or sprayer.
Such work must be carried out even in the warm season, since the hardening of the compositions is possible only at temperatures above plus five degrees. The application of the composition can significantly reduce the adhesion of ice to the roof surface.
In addition, these coatings are:
- Environmentally friendly;
- Strong and elastic;
- Increasing the waterproofing properties of the roof;
- Resistant to UV radiation and precipitation.
conclusions
As practice shows, none of the listed cleaning methods is a panacea suitable for every case. When choosing a cleaning method, many nuances should be taken into account, ranging from the typical features of the roof to the financial capabilities of the owner of the house.
Therefore, in order to select the best option roofs without icicles need to seek expert advice.Only in the case of an individual approach, it is possible to solve the problem of the formation of icicles and the descent of snow layers as quickly and efficiently as possible.
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