Protect Your Home From Heavy Snow Fall With Snow Retention Systems

By Anna Lockhart.  

It is crucial for homeowners to understand the importance of protecting their property and themselves from harm during the snowy seasons. Mindy Dahlquist shares why snow retention systems are a must for colder climates.  

In an episode of Roofing Road Trips, host Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with Mindy Dahlquist, business development manager for TRA Snow & Sun, to discuss the importance of snow retention systems and how they can be adapted for any roof type.  

Since 1996, TRA Snow & Sun has been a dedicated provider of roofing materials. Over time, after realizing the extent of damage snow can do to a home or its residents, brand owner, Terry Anderson, sought a viable solution to prevent snow damage. The solution was a system of snow brackets, fences and other roofing systems that he designed to prevent snow damage. Since then, TRA Snow & Sun has been a manufacturer and provider of quality snow retention systems that protect homeowners, their homes and loved ones.  

When considering a snow retention system, there is a choice between brackets and fences. Each is designed differently and has different characteristics. Homeowners must decide which option is best for their home depending on their needs. Mindy breaks it down, “Brackets are created to penetrate about 3” deep into the snowpack as that snow is falling and then creates more of a blanketed effect. So, they are not designed to stop that snow once it's moving. So, putting just a row of brackets along the eave is not going to be beneficial.”  

She continued, “They are designed usually to go over the entirety of the roof in a staggered pattern. Your spacing and quantity would differ depending on the specific project, but what happens there is it holds that snow in place and allows it to freeze into one blanketed mass.” 

Fences have different characteristics and come in two types: deck mount fences and clamp on fences. Mindy explained the uses of fences and the types available, “Clamp on fences are going to clamp but not penetrate the standing seam metal roofs where deck mount fences can go on any type of roofing application, and they will go directly into structure or the deck. With fences, the snow is going to slide into those fences and then just freeze in place. So, it is more of a barrier instead of stopping it from moving ever.” 

Mindy emphasized that the purpose of snow retention systems isn’t to segment up the snow fall in slices, but rather, these systems are made to hold the snow in a secure and safe way so that it can naturally melt away with time.  

Listen to the Roofing Road Trips episode to learn more about the importance of snow retention systems and TRA Snow & Sun.