Proper Roof Pitch For Snow

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.

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. With regards to the pitch the building standard code bs 5534 recommends a minimum pitch of 200 for slate roofs. The primary reason roof pitch exists in the first place is to redirect water. 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.

It is an essential element to ensure water drains properly off of your roof. Pitch is a measure of the steepness of a roof. 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.

Any pitch higher than 9 12 is considered a steep pitch. The pitch of the roof is determined by the vertical rise in inches for every horizontal twelve inch length. The pitch of your roof also helps determine the type of materials that can be used on your roofing system. 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.

Begin by measuring 12 inches on your level and marking it with a pencil. Once in the attic hold your level against the bottom of a roof rafter ensuring that all bubbles are resting in the center. The roof pitch would be described as a 6 12 pitch.