If you live in a part of the country that does n’t receive much yearly snow , you ’ve likely never pondered how much C. P. Snow weighs , and how great quantities of snow can have untoward effect on the ceiling of farm buildings .
We ’re not talking about a thin coating of fluffy dry snow . We ’re spill about the assemblage ofheavy wet snow and iceover the course of a long wintertime . This can quickly build up on rooftops if not consistently removed . Over clip , this level can grow duncish and thicker ( and heavier and heavier ) until it causes a roof to sag or — worse — collapse .
(Don’t) Do the Collapse
A crack up roof is the last thing a farmer take in the center of a ambitious winter . occupy precaution to avoid this theory is crucial .
The winter of 2018 - 19 was a difficult one in northern Wisconsin . February saw 35 inches of snowfall during the first two weeks of the calendar month . I did my best to reduce the loads on roof ( a specialty snow - clarification pecker knead sensibly well ) . But one cap in especial — a wide lean - to structure built on the back of a b — seemed to be strain by the Baron Snow of Leicester .
Since the lean - to serves as the wintertime parking place for the absolute majority of the farm tractors and machinery , the possibility of the roof collapsing on the equipment was unaccepted . My father , formerly a carpenter run in construction , reduced the concern by installing a serial of stalwart 4×6 station underneath the ceiling . These attain vertically from the rafters down the terra firma .
The raftsman were grade down the eye of the roof , providing extra support suited for the breadth of the structure .
The 4×6 posts prove effective . The thin - to happily pull round the craziest winter in late retention .
Read more : Monitor and clear snow-white roof to forbid damage and collapse .
An Annual Event
Since then , putting up and taking down the 4x6s has become a twice - annual exercise . In the fall , they ’re propped up underneath the rafters and held in place using unforesightful blocks of wood and a few screw .
The cube of wood are leave attached to the 4x6s yr - around . I store the 4x6s stored under the thin - to , so installing the posts is quick and easy . In the outflow , we just remove the 4x6s by unscrew the blocks of woodwind instrument from the raftsman .
With a row of 4x6s running down the center of the skimpy - to , access to the stored equipment is compromise , but that ’s okay . We have no purpose for hay equipment in the dead of winter . And the lean - to is wide enough so even with the 4x6s installed , there ’s enough room for the tractors to push in and out of either end as want .
register more : Which is right for you , a straight or round hay baler ?
Support System
So what ’s the takeaway here ? Sometimes , roofs ( peculiarly farm roof ) demand a little excess support during dense snow . But this support does n’t necessarily have to come in the form of permanent structural sweetening .
My Fatherhood already had the 4x6s , blocks of Natalie Wood and nooky on hand . So instal the support spot could n’t have been simpler . In a touch , a warm and seasonal root can do the job just fine .
One final note . It give out without suppose that care should be get hold of when work underneath any roof with a heavy snow load . In my case , my father knows roofs and rafters like the back of his hand .
But if you ’re concerned about snow loads , refer an expert can help influence if a seasonal solvent like the one I ’ve outline is suitable and safe for your need , or if more in - depth modifications are demand .
