Step-by-Step Instructions to Retrofit Snow Guard Installation

Customers change their minds. If you’re a roofer, you’ve probably been in this situation. You installed a new synthetic shake roof in August and your customer loved it. You encouraged them to have snow guards installed, but they declined. Then came winter … and the snow.

Next you find yourself getting a call from the homeowner saying they made a mistake … can you come in and retrofit snow guards now before next year’s snow storms? The answer is YES!

Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, Inc., manufacturers of snow guards used on many DaVinci Roofscapes roofing projects, offers these installation tips for retrofitting SnowTrapper ST 11 snow guards into DaVinci roofing tiles:

SnowguardsStep #1 – Contact the snow guard manufacturer to work with them to gain a recommended layout and pattern for the specific roofing project you’re working on. This will be based on several factors including the pitch of the roof, the geographic location and specific areas of the property that the homeowner wishes to protect from snow avalanches.

Step #2 – Follow the layout pattern closely when retrofitting the snow guards.

Step #3 – When installing the snow guards in a DaVinci shake or slate roof, there should be at least six inches of spacing between the snow guard pad face itself and the butt of the course above.

Step #4 – Mark the location of each snow guard and then apply an appropriate sealant, like one part urethane sealant or thermoplastic sealant.

Step #5 – Slide the snow guard up and under the course above and press it into place over the sealant.

Step #6 – Attach the snow guard with two fasteners into the strap in an offset pattern approximately 1.5 inches above the pad face, spaced 1 inch apart. Rocky Mountain Snow Guards recommends the Woodbinder Eclipse 10 x 2.5 for this step.

It’s important not to “bend back” the DaVinci roofing tiles when you retrofit snow guards.

For more specifics and information on snow guards for all DaVinci profiles, see Q & A Guide to Snow Guards.