Flat Roof Snow Load Calculator

The smallest pitch of a roof is 0 5 12.

Flat roof snow load calculator.

Measure the horizontal distance from eaves to the ridge the point where the roof is tallest and record the result labelled as run. Span calculator for wood joists and rafters also available for the android os. A completely flat roof is a poor design as water and snow will collect on it eventually leading to your roof collapsing in from the weight of it all. Determine the transient load of the roof.

This is highly regional as weights of snow for example range from 10 to 300 pounds per square foot based on moisture and volume of the snow. Obtain the recorded snow load the maximum load expected to accumulate on the ground for your area. You need to use a snow load formula for flat roofs. Snow load is the additional weight on a roof structure added by snow and ice buildup on the roof.

If you have any concerns as you are determining your flat roof snow load consult with a structural engineer or roofing specialist. A common choice for flat roofing material is epdm rubber as it is highly durable waterproof and can be made from recycled materials. The atc has a snow load hazard tool that can help you identify when a snow load presents a hazard to the. If you live in the us our snow load calculator compares the total weight on your roof with the permissible load calculated according to the standards issued by the american society of civil engineers regarding the minimum design loads for buildings and other structures asce7 16.

How to calculate snow load. Online snow load calculator for buildings with flat or low slope roofs for balanced snow drift and rain on snow surcharge loadings calculator asce 7 05 for structural engineers construction professionals and building planners. Roof snow load calculation. If your roof is flat it is more likely to have snow load problems than if it is pitched.

First figure out how deep the snow is piled up there. Calculating the snow load is crucial to determining if the structure can handle the additional weight of the snow. This is all of the natural stresses imposed upon a roof such as snow loads rain loads and wind loads. If your structure has a sloped or flat roof you still need to calculate the flat roof snow load.

For ground snow loads greater than 20 pounds per square foot the roof load is equal to 70 of the product of the exposure thermal and importance factors the ground snow load and 20 pounds. Live load psf dead load psf span calculator for wood joists and rafters available for the iphone. The easiest way is to push a yardstick into the snow on the roof selecting an area that looks typical of the overall snow depth. This is the snow load calculated in the previous section.