MaintenX Provides Businesses Tips for Managing Winter Snow
TAMPA, Fla. (PRWEB) January 22, 2018 -- A snow-filled winter is great for making snowmen and having snowball fights but can be tough on your roof. Since snow and ice can collect on your roof and add significant weight, it’s important to understand when you have cause for alarm. MaintenX International wants businesses and homes to be prepared should a major snowfall occur.
“Most residential roofs are built to withstand the weight of a snowfall,” said Bill Schaphorst, MaintenX’s VP of Business Development. “But if your roof is damaged, decayed, or you’ve experienced a particularly heavy snowfall, it’s smart to play it safe.”
For more than 35 years, MaintenX International has been providing businesses with snow removal services. Here are some tips to help be sure your building will stay safe in the snow:
1. Do the Math: The equation is simple: Roof Square Footage x 20 pounds = Maximum Snow Weight. Most homes, no matter the location, are built to withstand 20 pounds per square foot of roof, so multiplying your roof’s square footage by 20 should give you the maximum weight it can support. (However, some roofs in snow-prone locations are built to sustain more weight, and thus more snow).
Snow weight is a little trickier to calculate, as the weight changes as the snow becomes packed down. Typically, 12 inches of fresh snow, four inches of packed snow, and one inch of ice will each weigh 5 pounds per square foot.
2. Estimate your Risk: Snow is more likely to fall or melt off of roofs with greater slopes, creating less of a chance for a great amount of snow to accumulate. You may be at more risk of roof collapse if you have a low-slope or flat roof, like the roofs typically found over a porch or lanai.
3. Check your Doors: If you’re becoming concerned about the snow load on your roof, an easy tip is to check your highest-floor, interior doors for sticking. If the door is sticking in its frame, it is a good sign there is enough weight on the roof to distort the doorframe. New cracks in drywall or plaster around doorframes are also a signal of too much weight on the roof. If your doors are sticking or you notice new cracks, it’s time to take action to remove the snow from the roof.
4. Call a Snow Pro: It’s wise to call in a professional to remove the snow from your roof. With slippery ice and snow, it is dangerous to get on the roof without proper equipment. A snow removal technician, like the ones at MaintenX, will have specialized gear such as anchored safety harnesses, extension ladders, and snow-removal tools to properly and safely do the job.
For more information about MaintenX, visit http://www.maintenx.com.
ABOUT MAINTENX INTERNATIONAL:
MaintenX International is a fully licensed, facilities repair company. As one of the largest national self-performing facility maintenance and repair companies in the U.S., MaintenX has created a wide network of knowledgeable and professional technicians throughout the country. With their team of well-trained technicians, MaintenX self-performs and manages facility maintenance for their clients. In the event there is not a MaintenX technician in an area, the company has established a network of preferred vendor partners throughout the country for continued superior service for their clients. For more than 35 years, MaintenX has been expertly serving multi-location retail stores, restaurant chains and Fortune 500 companies nationwide.
Bill Schaphorst, MaintenX International, http://maintenx.com, +1 (813) 297-9348, [email protected]
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