Snow Guards for Metal Roofs in Anchorage & the Mat-Su Valley
A metal roof can drop a whole slope of snow at once. Snow guards hold it where a slide would hit a door, a deck, a meter, or a person.
Snow guards are pads, brackets, or bars clamped or fastened to a metal roof to hold snow in place. Standing seam lets go of snow all at once, and a full slope coming off a second story can hurt someone, bury an entry or a meter, crush a deck or a car, and tear the gutters off. Guards keep the snow on the roof, across the whole eave of any slope above those places.
Where do snow guards go on a metal roof?
On any slope where a slide would land on something you care about, and then across its full width, not a short run over the door. Snow beside a short run still slides and tears the guards off. That snow is heavier than it looks: by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety rule of thumb, 3 to 5 inches of old, packed snow weighs about 5 pounds per square foot, and a slide brings the whole slope’s worth down at once.
- Entries and walkways, including the path to the car and the side door nobody thinks about until January.
- Decks and driveways, where a slide can take out a railing or a windshield.
- Gutters, which sliding snow tears off, especially under standing seam. Seamless gutters go on with the roof, so drip edge and flashing tie in.
- Lower roofs, where snow off the upper slope lands hard on a porch, a garage, or an addition.
- Meters and vents on the wall below, which a slide can bury.
Types of snow guards for metal roofs
Which type goes on depends on the roof.
- Pad-style guards, small individual guards spread across the roof in a pattern, so the snow is held in many places instead of one line.
- Bar or fence systems, a continuous rail across the slope that holds the snow behind it.
- Clamp-on guards for standing seam, which grip the seams, so nothing pierces the panel. Standing seam →
- Fastened brackets for stone-coated steel and other metal roofs, fastened through the roofing and sealed.
How many snow guards does a metal roof need?
Enough to hold the load, and that’s a calculation, not a guess. The layout comes from the pitch of the roof, the length of the panels, and the snow load the roof has to carry. A long, steep run of roof pushes harder on every guard.
Too few guards fail. They tear off under the load, the snow comes down anyway, and fastened guards leave holes in the roof behind them. We repair those too. Metal roof repair →
Standing seam
Snow lets go fast and in big slides. Guards clamp to the seams without piercing the panel. Expect more of them, laid out across the slope above anything that matters.
Stone-coated steel
The textured surface holds snow, so slides are smaller and the roof needs fewer guards. Fewer isn’t none: a slope above doors, decks, or walkways still gets them, full width. Metal shingles →
Snow landing in the wrong place?
Text a photo of the roof and where it lands, and we’ll tell you what we see.
Adding snow guards to an existing metal roof
You don’t need a new roof to get guards. On standing seam, clamp-on guards go on without a single hole in the panels. On other metal roofs, brackets are fastened through the roofing and sealed, and that’s where it matters who’s doing it. We lay out the guards the same way we would on a new roof, and if the roof needs repair first, we tell you.
Snow guards and ice dams in an Alaska winter
Guards work by holding snow on the roof, and snow held over the eaves is where ice dams start if the attic is leaking heat. Warm air melts snow higher up, the water runs down under the held snow, and it refreezes at the cold eave. Balanced ventilation and air sealing keep the deck cold, so held snow stays snow. Attic ventilation →
Guards also mean the weight stays up there. After a big storm or rain on snow, a roof can need clearing. We use plastic tools and leave a thin layer so nothing touches the roofing. Roof snow removal →
We lay out and install snow guards in Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla, Palmer, and Big Lake, and down to Girdwood.
What snow guards cost
It depends on how many the layout calls for, the type (clamp-on or fastened, pads or bars), the pitch and height of the roof, and whether we’re adding them to an existing roof or putting them on with a new one. On a new metal roof, guards are a line on the replacement estimate. On an existing roof, we price them after the inspection, in writing.
Every job starts with a free inspection.
Photo report and a written price within 24 hours, and no pressure after it.
Snow guard questions
The questions we get most often about snow guards in Anchorage and the Valley. Don’t see yours? Text us and a roofer answers.
Text my rooferIf anything under the eaves could be hurt by a slide, yes. Standing seam lets go of snow all at once, so any slope above entries, walkways, decks, driveways, gutters, meters, or lower roofs gets guards across its full width. A slope over open ground with nothing below may not need them, and we’ll tell you if yours doesn’t.
It depends on the roof, so we calculate it instead of using a rule of thumb. The spacing and the number of rows come from the pitch, the panel length, and the snow load. A long, steep standing seam slope needs more holding than a short, shallow one, and stone-coated steel needs fewer guards overall.
Clamp-on guards on standing seam don’t pierce the panel, so there’s nothing to leak. Fastened guards on other metal roofs go through the roofing, and the fastener and the seal are what keep water out. Guards that tear off under too much load leave holes behind, which is one more reason the layout matters.
Too few guards for the load will do it: the snow overpowers them and takes them along. When fastened guards tear off, they leave holes in the roof, so get those sealed before the next melt. We repair the roof, then redo the layout from the pitch, panel length, and snow load.
Sometimes. Guards hold snow on the roof, which is the point, but the weight stays up there too. After a big storm or rain on snow, call us to clear it. If doors stick, new drywall cracks appear, or you hear creaks and pops, get everyone out of the building, then call. Don’t climb up yourself, and stay out from under a metal roof.
Yes, just fewer of them. The textured surface holds snow more like a shingle roof, so it comes off in smaller slides than standing seam. Smaller slides still land hard off a second story, so a slope above doors, decks, or walkways still gets guards across its full width, fastened through the roofing and sealed.
Let’s figure out where your snow should stay
Text a photo or book an inspection. You get a photo report and a written price within 24 hours, and no pressure after it.