Snow Guards Installation

Pad-style guards are small triangular or rectangular brackets — typically 2-4 inches wide — installed in a staggered pattern across the roof. Each pad creates a local point of resistance that holds snow in place. Right for moderate snow loads, smaller roof areas, and where appearance matters (less visible than pipe systems).

Pipe-style guards are continuous horizontal bars (typically 1-2 inches diameter) spanning the roof in 1-3 rows, supported by brackets at panel seams or fastened to the deck. Right for heavy snow loads, large roof areas, and where the snow needs to be held in a single contained zone rather than allowed to flow gradually.

Combination systems use pipe-style at the eaves (where snow needs the most retention) with pad-style upslope to break up smaller drifts before they reach the pipe system. Common spec on commercial metal roofs over loading docks and entries.

Color matching matters less than spacing and quantity, but most quality snow guard systems are available in standard metal roof colors (Galvalume, Charcoal, Forest Green, Colonial Red, etc.) so they blend with the roof rather than stick out as silver brackets.

Snow load is measured in pounds per square foot. NJ ground snow loads run from 25 psf in South Jersey to 35-40 psf in northwest counties (per the 2021 IBC ground snow load map). Roof loads are typically 70% of ground load due to drift and exposure factors.

Snow guard manufacturers (Sno-Stoppers, RoofGuard, S-5!, Berger Building Products) publish snow-retention tables that show how many guards per square foot are required for a given pitch, panel width, snow load, and bond strength.

We design every snow guard layout per the manufacturer's published tables, not by guess. A 9-pitch metal roof in Sussex County (35 psf ground load) typically requires snow guards in 2-3 rows with specific lateral spacing. Underspeccing the layout means the snow slides anyway; overspeccing wastes material.

Critical zones get more guards. Over entries, walkways, HVAC equipment, gas meters, and parked-vehicle zones, we double the manufacturer-recommended density to provide an extra safety margin. Better to overspec where people walk than under spec.

Over building entries and exits. Required by good practice on any metal or slate roof with an entrance below the eave. Some NJ municipalities (particularly in Sussex and Warren) write this into their building code via local amendments.

Over walkways and accessible roof areas. Sidewalks, garden paths, deck areas — anywhere people walk.

Over HVAC compressors and equipment. AC compressors get destroyed by a single major snow shed event. Generators, propane tanks, and gas meters similarly vulnerable.

Over driveways and parking. Cars are expensive; snow shed events are predictable. Snow guards over parking zones are cheap insurance.

Over adjacent property. Where your roof overhangs or sheds toward a neighbor's property, snow guards prevent liability. Particularly important on close-spaced urban North Jersey housing.

Around solar PV arrays. Snow shed across an active PV installation can damage panels and snap wiring. Required by most solar installers' warranties on metal roofs over Cape May, Atlantic, and shore northern counties.

Standing-seam metal: clamped to the seam, not penetrating the panel. S-5! and similar clamp-on systems use a hex-headed setscrew that bites into the seam without piercing the metal — preserves the watertight integrity of the roof.

Through-fastened metal (exposed-fastener panels): bolted through the panel into purlins or sheathing, with sealing washers and butyl gaskets to maintain watertightness.

Slate roof: brackets fastened through the slate into solid sheathing with copper or stainless steel hangers. Requires careful placement to avoid cracking the slate above and below.

Asphalt shingle: less common — shingle roofs typically don't have the slick surface that causes mass snow shed. When specified, pad-style guards are nailed through the shingle into solid sheathing with sealing washers.

Shore installations get stainless steel hardware regardless of roof type. Galvanized fails in 5-7 years in salt air. Same for the brackets themselves — stainless or copper preferred.