Winter showed up early on the Wasatch this year. Remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel ran into a cold Pacific low on October 13–14 and gave Utah its first real mountain snow of the season. Snowbird reported about 18 inches and Alta about 16, and Deer Valley picked up around 6. A second system this week brought heavy rain to southern Utah, and forecasters expected snow levels to drop to about 8,000 feet by Friday. Colorado's central mountains got 6 to 12 inches in the same mid-October storm.

Most of that early snow will melt. When it does, it's a good time to check your roof before winter really sets in. If snow and ice slide off your roof onto a doorway, a deck, a gutter or a parked car, now is the time to fix that. A December storm is the wrong time to find out.

Why the first storms matter

An early storm rarely builds enough snow on a roof to cause trouble. What it does is start the clock. Once storms arrive every week or two, there are fewer dry, clear days for safe roof work, and roofing crews' schedules fill up quickly. The warm, dry spells between storms are your best installation windows. In Colorado, the mid-October snow was followed by a warm, dry weekend. Use those days to get ready.

Sliding snow is the main hazard a snow retention system prevents. Snow on a sloped roof, and especially on a metal roof, can let go all at once and fall as a heavy sheet of snow and ice. Roof avalanches like this tear off gutters, crush vents and lower roofs, damage landscaping and vehicles, and can seriously injure anyone underneath.

Your last-call snow guard checklist

1. Know your roof type. Snow guards are not one-size-fits-all. A standing seam metal roof needs a different attachment than asphalt shingle, slate, tile or single-ply membrane. You can browse our systems by roof type: standing seam metal, asphalt shingle, through-fastened metal, natural and synthetic slate, wood shake, corrugated metal, single-ply membrane, concrete and clay tile and metal shingle.
2. Check your pitch. Snow slides more readily off steeper and slicker roofs. Pitch also changes how much retention you need and where it should go.
3. Map the danger zones. Walk around the building and note everything below a roof edge: entry doors, walkways, decks, driveways and parking, lower roofs, gas meters, HVAC units, vents, chimneys, skylights and solar panels.
4. Get a layout, not a guess. How many guards you need and how far apart they go depends on your local snow load, roof pitch, the length of the roof run and, on metal roofs, the panel profile. Too few guards, or guards in the wrong place, can fail under exactly the load they were meant to hold. That's why we create a custom layout for every project.
5. Book your installer now. Roofers in snow country get busy fast after the first storms. Getting on the schedule now helps the work get done during a dry, safe window.
6. Order early. Our snow guards, snow fences and brackets are manufactured, powder-coated and assembled in-house in Orem, Utah. Ordering ahead gives you time to match colors and have the parts on site when your installer is ready.

Can snow guards be installed after it snows?

Often, yes. It's just harder, and the right approach depends on your roof. Keep these points in mind:

• The roof must be clear, dry and safe to walk. No one should install hardware on a snow-covered or icy roof. Wait for a clear stretch of weather.
• Cold affects some attachment methods. Adhesives and sealants have minimum application temperatures, so always follow the product's installation instructions. Mechanical clamp-on systems for standing seam roofs don't depend on curing, which makes them easier to install later in the season.
• Shingles get brittle in the cold. On asphalt shingle roofs, installers have to take extra care lifting shingles to set guards and fasteners.
• Retrofitting is common. Many of our projects add snow retention to an existing roof after the owners see what last winter's snow did. You don't need a new roof to add protection.

If you're not sure whether your roof can still be done this season, ask us. We'll help you work through it.

For contractors, architects and commercial owners

On commercial and multifamily projects, snow retention should go in the spec before the roof goes on. Putting it in the bid up front prevents late substitutions and change orders. It also gets the system engineered to the actual snow load and roof geometry. We offer heavy-duty and commercial systems and can provide project-specific layouts to support your submittals.

Don't wait for the big one

This month's storms were a preview. Snow guards installed now will hold the snow on your roof all winter. Without them, you're left hoping the snow comes down slowly, and it usually doesn't.

Ready to get started? Contact us for a custom snow retention layout, call us at (801) 854-5167, or learn how our layout and design process works. Ice Control Engineering is a family-owned business, and every product we make is built in the USA.