Many homeowners prefer soft roofing to other materials. And for a reason. Easy installation, durability, beauty and a wide selection of colors and shapes are just a few of the advantages of bituminous shingles.

This modern material, which can easily give the house a solid appearance. And if you wish, you can install the roof yourself - its construction is not too complicated.

Material characteristics

Bituminous shingles are very elastic, making them ideal for roofs with complex shape. Often its use is the only way to achieve a good visual effect.

Important ! Minimum slope roof tiles must be at least 12°

The tiles have good decorative properties, so they easily fit into the exterior of the house. The shingle plates are small in size - only 30-35 cm wide and 100 cm long; installation requires only nails and glue, so it is very easy to work with. The shape can be different, the most common types are:

• Honeycombs.
• Rectangular.
• Semicircular.
• Shingles.

More often bitumen shingles imitates classic coatings made of natural materials, For example, ceramic tiles or wooden shingles. And this is an extra plus for its decorative qualities.

In terms of cost, tiles are in the middle price category Therefore, at a fairly reasonable cost, you can get a beautiful and durable roof.

Bituminous shingles are a multilayer material 3-5 cm thick. Its structure includes several layers:

• Top layer - decorative mineral chips different colors. Protects sheets from the sun, does not crumble, does not fade.
• A layer of modified bitumen. Gives tiles elasticity and serves as a waterproofing agent.
• Fiberglass. Serves as reinforcement and gives tensile strength.
• A layer of modified bitumen.
• Bottom self-adhesive layer covered with film. In some types, sand may be used.

Important ! In cheap types of tiles, cellulose can be used instead of fiberglass.

Materials used for installing soft roofing

The following materials are used for installation:

• Bituminous shingles.
• End (pediment) strip, abutment strips.
• Bitumen glue.
• Special nails with galvanized coating.
• Lining carpet for valleys.
• Ordinary underlay carpet.
• Ventilation outlets.
• Ventilated ridge.
• Snow guards.

Material consumption:

Glue is used in places where there are overlaps, as well as for sealing joints. Its average consumption for gluing joints is 100 g/m.p. For valley sizing - 400 g/m.p.

Nail consumption - 1 kg/10 sq.m. Consumption increases with increasing slope angle.

Ventilation outlets and snow retainers are calculated depending on the model.

Requirements for roofing

Like any other material, bitumen shingles have their own installation characteristics:

• Optimal temperature for roofing works+5 С о — +25 С о. If the temperature is above +35 C, work is not recommended.
• In hot weather, you should not walk directly on the roof. For this, special manholes are used.
• It is necessary to provide a ventilation device for the roof, otherwise condensation will form between the tiles and the insulation.
• The roof angle must be more than 12 degrees.
• If the roof slope is more than 30 degrees, there is no need to cover the entire plane of the roof with a lining layer. Still, many experts recommend doing this.

Roofing device

Soft roofing is not particularly complex. Typically, its device includes the following elements:

• Vapor barrier.
• Rafter system.
• Insulation layer.
• Waterproofing.
• Counter beam for ventilation ducts.
• Sparse lathing.
• Solid base.
• Underlay carpet.
• Soft tiles.

The main components of a soft roof

In fact, these are all junction points. These include:

• Cornices.
• Pediments.
• Endovy.
• Fractures.
• Adjunctions.
• Skates.
• Ribs.

All these nodes, and especially valleys and abutments, are places with an increased risk of leaks. Therefore, it is important to install them with special care.

What to pay attention to

• The shingles on the ribs are installed from the bottom up.
• Trimming of shingles when approaching the valley should be done on a backer.
• The valley carpet is fixed with nails to the base at a distance of at least 300 mm to the valley axis.
• The cornice strip is mounted on the underlay carpet.
• All roofing elements are installed from bottom to top.
• At the ridge, the shingles are laid in the direction of the prevailing winds.
• Glue is used to seal joints and overlaps. The sizing width is 10 cm, the layer thickness is 1 mm.
• The right thing is important relative position roofing elements.
• In places where seams are sealed, mastic is sprinkled with powder to protect from the sun.
• At temperatures below +5 o C, the glue must be heated.

Lathing

The base for a soft roof must be solid. OSB, tongue and groove boards or plywood are best suited for these purposes.

Important ! When using sheet materials for sheathing, the pitch of the rafters must be a multiple of the sheet size.

When installing the sheathing, it is necessary to leave a small gap of 3-5 mm between the boards or sheets. Otherwise, the tree may become deformed as it expands. The sheathing is attached to the rafters with screws or nails. In this case, it is desirable that the pitch of the rafters does not exceed 1 meter, otherwise you will have to use thick materials for the sheathing, which will increase the cost of the roof.

Before starting installation, it is advisable to process everything wooden surfaces antiseptic - this will extend the life of the roof.

Lining layer

It is necessary to put a bedding layer on the sheathing. Usually this is a special lining carpet. The technology for laying it depends on the slope of the roof.

If the slope is less than 18°, the underlay is laid over the entire roof area with an overlap of strips of at least 15 cm. The underlay is nailed to the sheathing with galvanized nails, and glue is used to seal the overlaps. A special valley carpet is laid on valleys, ribs, as well as at junction points.

In the case of a greater slope, the substrate is glued along the perimeter of the roof (strip width is at least 40 cm), as well as on the ribs and valleys.

The cornice strip is attached before installing the lining layer.

Snow guards for roofing

To protect against avalanche-like falling snow, the roof structure must include protective elements. Bituminous shingles have a rough surface that traps snow. But for winters with heavy snowfalls, this will not be enough, so it is necessary to use snow retainers. Thanks to their use, the snow remains on the roof and melts evenly.

• Tubular. Pipe barriers are installed along the perimeter of the roof. They are attached to the sheathing. The pipes themselves are arranged in two rows, parallel to the base.
• Lattice snow guards. Instead of pipes, a grid is used. Otherwise they are similar to tubular ones.
• Corner ones. Made from metal strip. They have the shape of a triangle. Usually mounted in three rows. Attaches directly to the roof. Glue is used to seal the seams.
• Hooks. They have the shape of a hook and are placed on the roof in several rows. These snow stops have little ability to retain snow, so a large number of them are required.

For tiles, corner snow retainers are most often used - they are easy to install and are usually enough to hold back snow. It is advisable not to neglect their installation, as this can lead to unpleasant consequences.

Installation soft roof is rightfully considered one of the simplest roofing materials. But, despite the ease, it is important to adhere certain rules, use nails, adhesive and backing recommended by the manufacturer for installing shingles, and pay special attention to difficult areas. In this case, the bitumen shingles will last a long time and reliably.

Video tutorial about installing a soft roof:

A snow guard is the most commonly installed safety element on the roof. Its purpose is to prevent avalanches of snow and ice from the roof. The snow retainer protects the life and health of people, drainage system, slopes located below, as well as other property under the eaves (car, fence, trees, etc.).

At UNIKMA you can buy snow guard kits and additional supports for all models. This way you can complete the snow retention system in accordance with the calculated loads for your roof (). You can also buy tubes, nets and gratings from us if you need to repair damaged snow guards.

Kits, additional supports and tubes/mesh/grids are combined into kits. This makes it easier to find components for your snow retention system. You can enter the sets from the set card.

What do you need to know when choosing a snow retention system?

1. It is advisable to install a snow retainer during roof construction. In this case, roofers will prepare the roof in the best possible way, securely fasten snow guards, the cost of work will be minimal, that is, maximum quality will be obtained at a minimum cost.

2. Installing snow guards after roof construction is possible in most cases, but not always. Each case requires the involvement of an experienced roofer to assess the possibility and select a model that takes into account the type of material and features of your roof.

3. Snow guards should be installed on the roof only based on the results of load calculations. Type taken into account roofing, slope angle, roof geometry, presence of pipes and skylights, snow load, load-bearing capacity of snow retainer supports. The result of the calculation will determine the installation step of the supports and the number of rows of snow retainers on each slope.

4. Tubular and grid snow retainers must be installed in a row with the tubes/grids connected to each other. If a different solution is applied, it must be taken into account in the calculation.

5. UNIKMA is a center of competence for snow retention systems for pitched roofs. We have experience in installing snow guards since 1999 for new construction, repair and reconstruction of roofs, we have been observing the behavior of snow on different types of roofs for many years, we have developed and use a special stand to study the bearing capacity of snow guard supports, we have developed own methodology calculating the pitch of supports and the number of rows of snow retainers, we conduct seminars for builders and roofers on the calculation and installation of snow retention systems, we recommend specialists for the installation of snow retainers.

Do you want to be sure that your roof is safe? Call and come to our offices. We will give advice, carry out calculations, form an order, and help you find a builder to build a roof or install snow guards.

Selecting a snow guard is a rather complex process in which many factors need to be taken into account:

• V different models the thickness of the steel supports and the cross-section of the tubes differ, which directly affects bearing capacity snow retainer;
• the required number of rows of snow retention and/or the installation pitch of the supports depends on the load-bearing capacity of the snow retainer;
• the selection should take into account the coefficient of friction of the roof covering and the snow/ice mass, the length of the slopes and the angle of the roof.

We recommend proceeding in the following order:
: Determine the load-bearing capacity of the selected snow guard model;
: Determine the number of supports, the number of rows and the maximum distance between them, using or ON-LINE calculator.

Difficult? Maybe.

Selecting a snow guard is the work of an engineer whose task is to find optimal solution taking into account the nuances and characteristics of materials and systems. Simplification in this work leads to averaging, and averaging leads to one of two results: either we pay for excess strength, or we get insufficient strength

In our experience, in most cases in private construction, the length of the slopes and their angle of inclination make it possible to obtain sufficient strength when installing only one row of snow guards. Our tables help you verify this or understand that this is not the case in your case and determine required quantity rows of snow retainers or the installation step of supports.

Step 1. Determining the load-bearing capacity of the snow retainer

So, you need to start with the load-bearing capacity of the snow retainer. What do UNIKMA specialists mean by “bearing capacity of a snow retainer” and how is it determined?

The load-bearing capacity of any model of snow retainer is checked on a test bench developed by UNIKMA. The stand can simulate two types of loads acting on the snow retainer: along the slope and perpendicular to the slope.

During the test we check three elements:

• working together supports
• roofing material
• structural elements

The test ends with recording the load value at which one of the events occurs: bending of the support, pulling out or breaking of standard capercaillie, deformation of the seam or breakage of the tile.

Based on the results, we draw a conclusion about the bearing capacity of the support “in the system.” In short, we call this parameter “bearing capacity of the support.”

Manufacturers very rarely indicate the load-bearing capacity of a snow retainer. Our engineers determined it empirically. In the table below you will find the load-bearing capacity of the most popular models of snow guards.
An asterisk (*) marks models that we did not test on the stand and for which we give a value based on expert assessment our engineers.

For each roofing covering, we introduced four perception classes snow load(cm. ).
For metal tiles, seam roofing, composite tiles And corrugated sheets these classes correspond to a load of 300, 250, 200 or 150 kg per support, taking into account the method of fastening and the impact on roofing material.
For piece tiles loads should be less to reduce the likelihood of splitting the tiles under the snow retainer support; loads below: 250, 200, 150 or 100 kg per 1 support, taking into account the method of fastening and the impact on the roofing material.

Snow guards for metal tiles
Model	Type and kit
	Tubular	300*
	Tubular	300	from 2425 RUR/pcs.
	Tubular	300	from 2128 RUR/pcs.
	Tubular	150	from 921 rub./pcs.
	Tubular	150	from 1561 RUR/pcs.

Snow guards for standing seam roofing The load-bearing capacity of the snow retainer is in the range of 300-150 kg per 1 support [Collapse...]
Model	Type and kit	Support bearing capacity (kg/piece)	Price for invoice amount from 30 thousand rubles.
ORIMA LE.2	Tubular	300	5635 RUR/pcs.
For seam roofing	Tubular	300	RUR 3,068/pcs.
ORIMA CU LE.2 (copper)	Tubular	250*

Snow guards for piece tiles The load-bearing capacity of the snow retainer is in the range of 250-100 kg per 1 support [Collapse...]
Model	Type and kit	Support bearing capacity (kg/piece)	Price for invoice amount from 30 thousand rubles.
	Tubular	250
	Tubular	250	RUR 3,008/pcs.
ORIMA CU LE.8/5 (copper)	Tubular	250*

Snow guards for composite tiles The load-bearing capacity of the snow retainer is in the range of 300-150 kg per 1 support [Collapse...]
Model	Type and kit	Support bearing capacity (kg/piece)	Price for invoice amount from 30 thousand rubles.
	Tubular	250	from 5881 rub./pcs.
	Tubular	150	from 2474 RUR/pcs.

Snow guards for corrugated sheets. All models of snow guards for corrugated sheets are applicable. There are also several specialized models. The load-bearing capacity of the snow retainer is in the range of 300-150 kg per 1 support [Collapse...]
Model	Type and kit	Support bearing capacity (kg/piece)	Price for invoice amount from 30 thousand rubles.
ORIMA LE.6	Tubular	250*	from 5622 rub./pcs.

Step 2. Determining the number of supports, the number of rows and the distance between the rows of snow guards

Knowing the load-bearing capacity of the snow retainer supports, the type of roofing and the length of the slope, you can determine the number of supports (step between supports) and the number of rows (step between rows).

The easiest way is to use tables that can easily be found on the Internet. These tables came to us from Scandinavia along with the Swedish standard (sometimes in Finnish translation). These tables do not take into account “support class,” support spacing, or type of roofing material.

Until we learned to define permissible load on the support, taking into account the method of fastening and didn’t learn to take the material into account, we also used average tables. Now we have a more convenient and accurate tool. We hope that with its help you will be able to choose a reliable snow retainer for your roof.

Tables for selecting the installation pitch of rows of snow guards

If you need a more accurate calculation, you can use our ON-LINE calculator.

The calculator fully complies with the UNIKMA standard for calculating the loads that the snow guard must withstand. In the calculator you can specify the slope angle and length of the slope, the distance from the eaves to the first row of snow guards, the pitch between supports, the permissible load (from 100 to 300 kg per support), the type of roof and the region in which you are building a house.

On our website you can find snow retainer kits for any roof covering, additional supports and tubes/grids. We are also ready to find an experienced roofer to install a snow guard on your roof.

Still have questions? Contact us!

Installing a snow retention system on a new or reconstructed roof for a private customer is much simpler and cheaper than installing snow retention systems on a finished roof. In the case of a new roof, the builder knows how it is planned to build the roof, will make load calculations, and select optimal system snow retention for your home and roofing, will best prepare the roof structure.

If you plan to install snow guards on a finished roof, you need to consider several nuances:

Firstly, it will not be possible to install any type of snow guard. For example, for a roof made of flexible tiles It will not be possible to install brackets since they are only installed with the shingles. In this case, the solution may be to use tubular snow retainers, but their installation also has its own peculiarities - the supports need to be attached not to the OSB, but to the step lathing. Finding it under the roofing layer can be difficult.

Secondly, the requirements for the qualifications of roofers are increasing. We have already talked about calculating loads and determining the number of rows and supports. Here to these mandatory conditions the ability to assess the reliability of a design is added existing roof and find right places for attaching supports.

Thirdly, accounting for installation time. Don't put off installation until October/November. At this time, builders are trying to complete the construction of houses, the construction of which began in this year, and roofers have their work cut out for them - they'll be looking to make the most of good weather days. At this time, it is difficult for them to be distracted by small amounts of work that require moving crews and installing/removing scaffolding.
The ideal time to install snow retention systems is spring. At this time, roofers have more free time and at the same time they can carry out a full inspection and maintenance of the roof.

The cost of installing a snow retention system on a finished roof of a house starts from 20 thousand rubles. You can find roofers to install safety elements yourself or on our website:

Select a roofer from the list using the link. You call and negotiate with the builders yourself.
Send a request to all roofers involved in installing snow guards on finished roofs. No more than three builders will contact you within 24 hours. In this case, roofers will call you. A specially designated UNIKMA employee monitors all applications and will help if difficulties arise.

Our builder selection service has been operating for over 10 years. All this time, our goal has been and remains the desire to help our clients buy good material and install it correctly on their home.

Snow retention systems are the only reliable protection against “snow avalanches” during the thaw period. Only they will help protect people and property from the sudden fall of several hundred kilograms of snow and ice.

Snow guards are products made from steel flat-oval pipes attached to the roof using brackets. Thanks to a well-thought-out design, during the thaw period, water flows freely, and unmelted snow mass is retained.

Advantages of snow guards for Borge flexible tiles:

1. Durability. NWTs are made from durable steel pipes first class galvanizing and painted with weather-resistant paint. Thanks to this, the metal is reliably protected from corrosion, which significantly increases the service life of snow guards.
2. Efficiency. NWT Borge handles the load better and better protects the drainage system from damage compared to slatted snow retainers. In most cases, one row is sufficient and this will provide reliable protection from a sudden melting of snow. In some cases, 2 or more rows may be required. To calculate the number of snow retainers, use the instructions or contact a specialist.
3. Roof safety. The Borge soft roof snow retainer is designed in such a way that the integrity of the roofing material is not compromised during installation. This way you get reliable protection and maintain the warranty on your shingles.
4. Availability. The cost of NWT is tens and hundreds of times lower than the potential damage to property and human health from a “snow avalanche.” And thanks to their long service life, you won’t have to replace them for decades.

Constructor Julia, thank you, now the principle of calculation is clear. However, I do not trust this formula. It seems very likely that the original source you are referring to (I read it carefully) took this formula out of the context of the methodology for metal roofing, and with a typo.

Look what happens.

1) As the angle of inclination increases, the sine tends to 1, and the horizontal projection of the roof, on the contrary, tends to zero. Thus, starting from an angle of 45 degrees, the pressure force according to the formula begins to decrease, which contradicts common sense. According to the physics of the case, b should be the length of the slope, and not its horizontal projection. In your example, you seem to think so.

2) The formula does not differentiate between different types roofing covering. For a roof that does not have friction with snow, µi should be equal to 1. The fact that it is equal to 0.8 in the formula (close to unity) most likely indicates that this primary source is talking about a metal coating.

But this is all theory, but in practice what do they do? In particular, with the choice of the type of snow retainer for a soft roof?

I also noticed that suppliers of snow stoppers write about what they do. Some say that stoppers are not needed when the roof is sloped more than 60 degrees, since snow does not stay on it, others suggest installing snow stoppers on soft tiles in three rows from this angle. And no one has found the maximum load that the stopper can withstand. Maybe, of course, I didn’t look well.

I would be very grateful to those who can help clarify this confusing issue for me.

The primary source to which I refer is the German DIN (European Norms). This formula valid for all roofing material manufacturers. Since I deal with European materials, my source is German technical books and manufacturers' websites. You can look at the manufacturer’s website, which produces only snow retention and safety systems.
1) The value of b is the length of the slope (IN HORIZONTAL PROJECTION). And of course, as the angle of inclination increases, the pressure force decreases.
2) value µi The average is taken regardless of the type of coating. The load will be the same for all roofing coverings. The difference in snow melting during a snowy winter will no longer matter! (see photo). The photo shows the Moscow region and it is difficult to understand what roofing material is used. With large volumes of snow, the coating does not help.
Stoppers as the main element of snow retention are a big question for me, if you decide to install them, look at the link to see how the European manufacturer makes the calculation (link above). Good luck!

Contents of the article

Each roof must be equipped with security systems, which can be divided into three groups. The first includes devices that ensure the safety of people on the roof and take the form of various fences, lattice or parapets.

The second group includes equipment installed on the roof, which prevents the avalanche-like descent of accumulated snow in winter or ice during thaws in the form of snow retainers for soft roofs and roofs made of other materials.

The third group includes devices that allow people to quickly evacuate through the roof during emergency situations(fires, floods, etc.)

Designs such as snow retainers are designed to provide:

• safety of people passing under the eaves;
• integrity of the balconies of the upper floors;
• the safety of the roofing itself and objects located in the area where snow masses fall from the roof;
• integrity of the suspended drainage system.

If in Russia the importance of snow retainers has not yet been fully appreciated, then in Europe this has been done for a long time. An example of this is the following fact: insurance companies will not enter into an agreement with the owner of a building whose roof is not equipped with snow guards.

The absence of snow retainers on the roof can only occur if the roof slope is small and soft tiles are used as the roof covering. which has a rough surface b, preventing snow from melting. Rough surface soft tiles is formed by gluing mineral granules into the bitumen layer of the tile.

In all other cases, the need for snow guards on the roof is obvious. These designs do not in any way spoil exterior design roof, and in other cases they are its additional decoration, when the snow guard grates are made in an artistic style.

Snow guards on a soft roof may have different designs and can be installed in a variety of ways.

But in any case, the devices of the first row should not be located at the very edge eaves overhang, and where the main wall seems to pass through the roof, if you continue it visually.

In addition to the fact that snow retainers ensure the safety of people and their property under eaves overhangs, they can also be additional way fastening suspended scaffolding or scaffolding when carrying out any repair work on the roof or walls of a building. But this is only if the fastening of the snow retention devices is completely reliable and can withstand the corresponding loads.

Features of organizing snow retention on a soft roof

Any roof is not completely covered with snow. There are places where there is snow in winter period almost never happens. Therefore, in such places, the installation of snow retainers is not necessary; they are installed at large intervals or in the form of low corners, which can easily hold a small layer of snow or ice.

On small roof slopes, no more than 3 meters long, it is possible to install one row of snow guards. If the slope is longer, two rows are installed, with the first row located near the eaves overhang, and the second row approximately in the middle of the slope.

As for soft roofs, they are generally installed with a slope not exceeding 15 degrees, so an avalanche of snow masses on such a roof is unlikely. This means that snow guards with increased strength not required here.

If on roofs covered piece materials in the form of metal tiles, corrugated sheets or slate; a device is required in places where snow guards are installed continuous sheathing, then the soft roof is initially laid on a continuous flooring and no additional actions are required to strengthen it.

Installations for snow retention are required above skylights, if the latter are not equipped with roof canopies.

On flat roofs such as verandas, canopies over entrance doors and other canopies, snow retainers are installed in the middle of the slope so that half the mass of accumulated snow can come off the roof on its own and not deform the roof itself flat roof the entire weight of the snow.

Types of snow guards

The design of snow guards can be:

• lattice;
• tubular;
• lamellar;
• corner;
• point.

A snow catcher for soft roofing in the form of a lattice is usually installed on roofs multi-storey buildings or on low-rise buildings, but with a large slope of slopes, since such snow retainers can simultaneously serve as fencing bars.

Plate devices are mounted on roofs with slopes of less than 30 degrees.

In regions where there is little snowfall, it is possible to install point snow retainers, which are triangular structures made of metal.

Tubular snow guards can be installed on all types of roofs with any roof covering.

Installing corner-type snow guards on a soft roof will be the most the best option, since they are inexpensive and work well if there is not too much snow.