Proper Roof Pitch For Snow

The higher the roof pitch the more often the snow slides off.

Proper roof pitch for snow.

For example if you used a 24 inch level and your measurement was 12 inches the pitch in your roof is 6 in 12. The primary reason roof pitch exists in the first place is to redirect water. With regards to the pitch the building standard code bs 5534 recommends a minimum pitch of 200 for slate roofs. Pitch is a measure of the steepness of a roof.

The pitch of the roof is determined by the vertical rise in inches for every horizontal twelve inch length. If the design necessitates a roof slope that drains onto a traffic area snow retention devices should be provided to hold the snow in place. You can also estimate a roof pitch by eyeballing it from the ground from the gable side with a level and ruler. So in general the shallower pitch can be more dangerous with bigger slides.

The roof pitch would be described as a 6 12 pitch. Begin by measuring 12 inches on your level and marking it with a pencil. It is an essential element to ensure water drains properly off of your roof. Any pitch higher than 9 12 is considered a steep pitch.

Once in the attic hold your level against the bottom of a roof rafter ensuring that all bubbles are resting in the center. But since there is still a wide variety of slate roofing systems there are occasions when the minimum pitch can go down to as low as 15 0 depending on the uniqueness of the roof. You can safely measure the roof pitch from inside your attic with a level that is either 18 or 24 inches a tape measure and a pencil.