I’ve got to hand it to Emri W. Clark of Nashua, New Hampshire. His snow guard invention, patent # 625,144, awarded in 1899, is probably the single most knocked-off pad-style snow guard design that I’ve seen – and for a few very good reasons. First, I can’t help but to speculate that Emri himself must’ve Keep reading . . .
Month: May 2019
Snow Guard Designs of the 90’s….1890’s That Is.
In my last blog, we looked into the evolution of snow guards through the history of roofing. This time, we’re taking a giant leap backwards, into the 90’s….The 1890’s! Below is a patent for snow guards that were made in the late 1800’s, a pipe-style system made and sold as Dugan’s Patent Snow-Guards. The date Keep reading . . .
130 Years of Roofing History Drives Snow Guard Evolution
From the industrial revolution of the 1890’s until roughly the mid 1940’s, slate, tile and metal roofing was commonplace among roofing installers and builders. The craftsmen of the era understood the materials, how to work with them, handle them, maintain and repair them and they understood that snow and ice would slide off suddenly (and Keep reading . . .
Managing Snow and Ice on Solar Panel Arrays
Last week, we covered Snow Guards for Solar Panels, and since that post, several questions and comments have come up regarding the pros and cons of managing snow and ice on solar panel arrays. Avalanching Snow on Solar Panels I’ve always been a strong advocate for not using snow retention devices unless they’re needed. If Keep reading . . .
Snow Guards for Solar Panels
As you’re aware, I’ve retired from the world of solar panel racking. As you may not be aware, Alpine SnowGuards manufactures the only snow retention system for solar arrays. Yes, we make a product that keeps snow and ice from sliding off the roof from solar panels in the form of a sudden avalanche. Why, Keep reading . . .
PP115 Snow Guard Featured on This Old House & Other Notable Projects
We would like to thank This Old House producers for the much-needed discussion about the importance of snow guards. Tommy and Kevin of This Old House installed our PP115 system quickly and easily on a Brookline, MA residential project last weekend. It’s our understanding This Old House does not mention product manufacturers on air to Keep reading . . .
Snow Management System Design Elements
I want to start off by saying that I am really enjoying writing these blogs! What a great opportunity to share acquired knowledge and re-connect with the industry. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your questions. Two weekends ago, my wife and business partner, Sandy and I visited a ranch in Montana where Keep reading . . .
How Do Snow Guards Work? (Part 2: Pipe-Style)
In part one of this two-part blog series, we talked about snow guards and customer expectations. We specifically referred to reference installation and use of pad-style snow guards to answer the question, “How do Snow Guards Work?” This time let’s shift the focus to pipe-style snow guards. Pipe-Style Snow Guards Pipe-style snow guards act as Keep reading . . .
How Do Snow Guards Work? (Part 1: Pad-Style)
Believe it or not, this is a highly debated question within the construction and snow retention industries. It’s a common misconception that snow guards are intended to break up snow and ice into little pieces, basically cut up the mass, so that it comes off in smaller pieces. It’s easy to understand how people with Keep reading . . .