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How much does ice and snow affect your commercial roof?

24 Dec 2015 | Under Roofing | Posted by Jon Cook | 0 Comments

Winter is officially here!

December 22nd kickstarted the first day of winter, the winter solstice, and that means a flip of the calendar can turn the holiday season into a winter wonderland of snow and ice. Brrr! While you hunker down for a long winter’s nap, you may want to consider how much snow and ice might be weighing down your business roof.

On average, a cubic foot of light, fluffy snow can weigh as much as 5.2 lb. or more. A wet, heavy snow can weigh well over 12 pounds. (Source) You may think, “It’s the Lou! How much snow do we really get every year?” St. Louis averages 14 days of snowfall every year with 4.7-5 days of snow in January on average. (Source) With the average commercial roof scaling in at 10,000 sq. ft., four inches of partially wet snow on your roof can quickly add up to over 28,330 lb. of weight!

Now, let’s talk about ice. A square foot of ice one-inch thick weighs approximately five pounds. (Nations Roof) If your 10,000 sq. ft. commercial roof collects only 1/4″ of ice during the next storm, the ice load will still weigh in at a hefty 12,500 lb. That’s the equivalent of parking two Dodge Ram 3500 duallys on your roof overnight and hoping the sunshine will melt the Rams away.

Your roof is under a lot of weight! A minor tear in your roofing surface can allow water and moisture to invade the crucial support structure under your roof deck. This can cause major problems, even roof collapses, if the damage is unchecked. A thorough commercial roof maintenance program (RMP) will give you the insight and action steps needed to keep your roof safe and strong this winter.

The sky’s not falling, but your roof may be. Connect with a member of our R&A Contracting team to schedule your free, no obligation roof inspection today. Hopefully your roof is up for the task of holding the ice and snow at bay. If not, you’ll be glad you called R&A Contracting.

I’d be an idiot if I did not take this opportunity to communicate to you how much we appreciate the way in which you conduct business and take care of our facility. In my experience you, and your team, are at the top of the list of all the roofing companies I’ve dealt with over the years. Thank you!
Jim Lowry - Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier

Eric and crew were really nice to have around. They were courteous, careful and caused little if any disruption. Their work looks good too! To be honest… a good experience with a product that I initially had misgivings about. I’m a convert because of Bubba, Sam and Eric. Thank you.
Jim Lowry - Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier

“I want to thank the crew at R&A for a job well done on our very leaky roof at the shop. It is certainly nice to have the drips and rivers gone from the shop when it is raining. I also wanted you to know how much we appreciated that the guys were able to stay out of our way and allowed us to do business as usual without any problems or interruptions. The roof looks great and the clean-up after the job made it so we couldn’t even tell you’d been here. Thanks for doing what you do so well!”
Jay Moore, President of Safe Way Tire and Auto Center

“My wife and I were on vacation when water pipes burst in our house. We got a hold of Craig and the R&A crew was able to start evacuating the water immediately. The best part was that they were able to start work before we even returned home. It was a very fast turnaround considering the extensive amount of water damage.”
Will from Dardenne Prairie, MO

“Craig and Mike came out in a timely fashion when we needed the work done. They did a reliable and quality job.”
Jerry from SLR Properties

“Craig helped us out tremendously with the insurance process. Timely and very professional.”
Lindell from Greater Missouri Builders (GMB)

“We purchased a house and there was some damage to the roof. Very impressed with the thoroughness of Mike’s inspection. Very comfortable with their explanation of what needed to be fixed. Most impressive was the way they protected our landscaping. Really liked the way they treated me as a valued customer, even though it was only a small project.”
Ross from Troy, MO

“I use R&A Contracting when my commercial roofs receive storm damage. They work on our behalf through every step of the insurance claim process. They perform all of the work and complete the insurance process, making our roofs better than they were before the storm.”
Director of Facilities for a large Property Management Company

“The team at R & A Contracting responded immediately when notified of our water disaster. They removed water-damaged materials and property quickly and restored our home even before the final settlement from our insurance company. They minimized how long our family had to live in a hotel and got us back to normal as fast as possible.”
Will from O'Fallon, MO