Proper Roof Pitch For Snow

A flat roof would have a 2 12 pitch while the average roof pitch would be between 4 12 and 9 12.

Proper roof pitch for snow.

It is an essential element to ensure water drains properly off of your roof. The pitch of the roof is determined by the vertical rise in inches for every horizontal twelve inch length. Any pitch higher than 9 12 is considered a steep pitch. So in general the shallower pitch can be more dangerous with bigger slides.

Pitch is a measure of the steepness of a roof. With regards to the pitch the building standard code bs 5534 recommends a minimum pitch of 200 for slate roofs. You can also estimate a roof pitch by eyeballing it from the ground from the gable side with a level and ruler. The roof pitch would be described as a 6 12 pitch.

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. The higher the roof pitch the more often the snow slides off. Once in the attic hold your level against the bottom of a roof rafter ensuring that all bubbles are resting in the center. Divide the results by the number of 12 inch segments in your level.

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. 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. For example if you used a 24 inch level and your measurement was 12 inches the pitch in your roof is 6 in 12.