Metal Roof and Chimney Problem

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pete97

Member
Hearth Supporter
Aug 29, 2006
125
Pittsburgh Pa
Here is a pic of my current setup at camp. There is no problems with the draft due to height. My problem is I got a call this morning from the neighbor who stated the heavy snow pack on the roof let loose with the warmer weather and wiped out the chimney. Apparently it pulled the pipe right up out of the roof and now there is just the rubber boot left. Any suggestions on keeping this from happening again? The roof is metal and a 12/12 pitch. Camp is over 2hrs away and I hope too much water isn't coming in !! Pete
 

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ive seen on chimneys that have steep pitches like that have like two metal long straps that go from the pipe to the roof to hold it up.
 
Build a simple "snow fence" or quasi-cricket or something to mount above the pipe to deflect or hold back snow. Very simple to do and screw it into place. My roof has snow fence [or snow rail or whatever] on the edges to keep snow from coming off and wrecking the gutters. It is a simple bar that screws into the standing seams [raised seams]. Snow fence might be the wrong term, don't remember what the co. called it when I ordered it with my roofing panels. Mine is roughly in the shape of angle iron and is maybe three inches on a side. If you get very heavy [deep] snow loads, might need something larger, shaped in a "V" to direct the sliding snow to each side of the pipe.

You would attach this thing you make to the raised seams with sheet metal screws, etc., and that leaves a space beneath it, which is ok and which means no holes drilled into the panels. You want rain to be able to run under it.
 
I'm not an engineer, but I would think some sort of dam placed above the stack to route the snow to either side would help. That way when the snow lets go and slides down the roof, it would split to either side of the stack. I think you've seen these on roofs to route water away from areas below the roof line. Not sure it would work, but just an idea. I hope there's not too much damage!
 
Thanks, The V is what I was thinking of doing to divert the snow to either side.
 
Hey pete there is a company that sells a product called a vent saver and it looks to be a good strong product and I 'am planning on getting one myself you can see this product at www.snoblox.com. I believe they are around sixty bucks a small investment for a costly repair and doing without heat.
 
How much snow was on the roof when it slid? My first thought would to use snow jacks like ridgerunner posted, but I've haven't seen them used on that steep of a metal roof to know if they'de work. My second thought would be to do like mentioned above and build yourself some kind of ^ above the chimney out of sheet metal. Mind you it will have to be pretty sturdy. I would also recommend a roof guy kit.
 
Easy to install..
 

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I get over 30' of snow every winter sometimes 5' in one night. I have a 12/12 pitch. Get the chimney supports for sure and if you have deep snow then make a big cricket. The cricket has to be big enough to divert all the snow that can come down. My current cricket is a v wedge that I made from 2 pieces of 3/4 ply. One piece would not give me a large enough cricket. I then covered it with tin flashing and mounted it within 3" of the pipe.
Since your dealing with a small roof I would go with a cricket you can cut from a single sheet of ply. Do not forget the flashing as this makes the snow slide. Be sure to mount the cricket very close to chimney to fully protect it. There is no fire hazard as the cricket is kept the safe distance from chimney and is on top of the metal roof. I mounted blocks on the roof first for the cricket to slide on top of then screwed the whole thing down with large stainless screws.
 
Oh crap, I got a metal roof this summer. But my chimney is right up near the ridgeline, so I'm cautiously optimistic.

Good luck with your'n.
 
Thanks for the info. I am going to brace it and then make something for behind it to divert the snow. Pete
 
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