The rake would be used to remove some of the mounds of snow that are piling up on the roofs of homes and out buildings across Grey Bruce.
Brian Green is the Chief Building official in Owen Sound and says that the roofs of modern buildings are designed to stand up to quite heavy snow loads, up to 50 pounds per square foot in most cases.
However he says when its heavy wet snow then the pressure on the roof can increase and its probably a good idea to remove some of that snow.
With rain in the forecast, that snow load is going to get even heavier.
Green says the weakest part of the roof is in the middle between the eaves so it doesn’t hurt to clean off that section.
He says if you are going to try to clean the roof yourself, safety should be a top priority and people should ensure then are not in danger of falling off.
Green says if you hire someone to clean off the roof, make sure they are insured in case of an accidental fall or if they damage the shingles during the cleaning process.
