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Old 02-01-2021, 05:23 AM   #1
jasin1
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Snow and ice

When is advised to clear snow and or ice from my roof? Only have a few inches of snow on the roof but freezing rain froze on top of that . If it was just snow I would probably use a blower to remove it from a ladder..load is spaced evenly i realize but more freezing rain is expected and it’s gonna be a lot of weight
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Old 02-01-2021, 06:13 AM   #2
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Jasin, I've found there is only one cure for the snow and ice....GO SOUTH!!!

Sorry, I know it's not much help and I don't stay in snow any longer so I'm sure others that deal with it can help. Just had to throw that in since visiting with a couple of families that arrived from upper Wisconsin and -10 degree weather, snow, ice etc. They were like kids in a candy store with grins a mile wide when they got out in 70 degree weather. Been playing golf every day. Today is overcast (dreary) and cool (48 at 8am). They had already headed out to the clubhouse to get a tee time! Good luck on getting that ice/snow off.
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Old 02-01-2021, 06:15 AM   #3
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Jasin, I've found there is only one cure for the snow and ice....GO SOUTH!!!

Sorry, I know it's not much help and I don't stay in snow any longer so I'm sure others that deal with it can help. Just had to throw that in since visiting with a couple of families that arrived from upper Wisconsin and -10 degree weather, snow, ice etc. They were like kids in a candy store with grins a mile wide when they got out in 70 degree weather. Been playing golf every day. Today is overcast (dreary) and cool (48 at 8am). They had already headed out to the clubhouse to get a tee time! Good luck on getting that ice/snow off.
LOL I was about to edit this... I thought someone was gonna say .. get a snow shovel ...carefully place it in shed... hook up fifth and drive south for 1000 miles
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Old 02-01-2021, 06:26 AM   #4
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Here in Minnesota, the dealers never clear the snow. I think you may cause more damage then good getting up there to clear the snow.
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Old 02-01-2021, 06:35 AM   #5
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Here in Minnesota, the dealers never clear the snow. I think you may cause more damage then good getting up there to clear the snow.
Yeah .. I wouldn’t get up there on the roof but probably not a good idea to be scraping a shovel around even from a ladder..
For the structural engineers on the site....How much does the snow actually weigh in general terms ? At some point it has to overload the structure itself..isn’t the roof only rated for 300 lbs? I know that’s concentrated in a 2x2 area probably for someone walking.
I guess in a deep snow or when ice is combined you could actually put a lot of stress on suspension if the trailer was already loaded up for camping and close to gvwr.
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Old 02-01-2021, 06:39 AM   #6
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I wouldn't put much "worry about ice/snow" on the agenda.

I could ride around this area and take photos of trailers with 2-3 feet of snow on them nearly any winter. Sometimes, there's even more than that. Come springtime, they'll all melt and as May/June arrive, the owners will start checking for dead mice, mold from water leaks and break-ins from the "human pests".... Few, if any of them, will find roof damage from the snow load.

I can't remember the last time I actually heard about a "caved in roof" or a "damaged roof structure" from snow load.

Certainly, your 3 or 4 inches of ice/snow are not going to be an issue with weight. You'll probably do more damage trying to remove it than it will do just "melting naturally in the spring".... Now, that would change with 2 or 3 feet of snow on your trailer roof, but I wouldn't expect that in your area.
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Old 02-01-2021, 06:42 AM   #7
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I wouldn't put much "worry about ice/snow" on the agenda.

I could ride around this area and take photos of trailers with 2-3 feet of snow on them nearly any winter. Sometimes, there's even more than that. Come springtime, they'll all melt and as May/June arrive, the owners will start checking for dead mice, mold from water leaks and break-ins from the "human pests".... Few, if any of them, will find roof damage from the snow load.

I can't remember the last time I actually heard about a "caved in roof" or a "damaged roof structure" from snow load.

Certainly, your 3 or 4 inches of ice/snow are not going to be an issue with weight. You'll probably do more damage trying to remove it than it will do just "melting naturally in the spring".... Now, that would change with 2 or 3 feet of snow on your trailer roof, but I wouldn't expect that in your area.
Yeah I will be lucky to see a few more inches of snow l...I have an inquisitive mind lol, once I look at something, I look at everything both good and bad
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Old 02-01-2021, 07:20 AM   #8
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Definitely do not put a shovel to the roof. As was stated, dealers don’t cover the RVs and they have few problems. https://images.app.goo.gl/Uc3znVG67aEgXnSa6
This will help....and we have room for you here in Florida!
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Old 02-01-2021, 09:37 AM   #9
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Definitely do not put a shovel to the roof. As was stated, dealers don’t cover the RVs and they have few problems. https://images.app.goo.gl/Uc3znVG67aEgXnSa6
This will help....and we have room for you here in Florida!
Hopefully be down there in a few weeks lol and thanks for the chart. Wow wet snow 6” deep....that’s a few thousand lbs on the roof
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Old 02-01-2021, 09:45 AM   #10
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I don't touch mine until spring. I do check inside 3x a winter to make sure all is well.
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Old 02-01-2021, 12:00 PM   #11
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I've had 2 campers without slides and 2 campers with slides. I will say, when it come to snow and ice, a camper with no slides is much easier to work with.

Campers with slides in snow and ice create a completely different level of complexity.

If snow and ice are on the top of the extended slide, when attempting to retract, the ice and snow, first... can actually tear the rubber seals around the slide. Second, the ice and snow can dam up when sliding in, can actually prevent the slide from closing completely. Now you have a mess to deal with. And if the slide will not close all the way, the motor, cables, gears could become overstressed, break, or fail.

It's just way to risky to retract slides with any snow or ice on the roof.

For these reasons, when we know inclement weather is coming, we always pull the slides in, so if we have to hitch and go, there's never any problems.

At home, this is really not a problem, and when actually camping, we will pull the slides in also, until the snow stops falling. Then pull the slides back out. Yes, its an inconvenience, but it's more of an inconvenience dealing with ice on the roof of the slide being stuck in the extended position.

Also, Ice on the slide, if it passes under the slide, will become a puddle of water on the inside of your camper. So you REALLY do want all the snow and ice removed before retracting slides. Same as when it's raining, or else you will have water on your floor.

But, this does not help your current situation. I have read on other forums and videos that about the only way to get rid of the ice and snow on the slides is to heat the inside of the camper, and the heat will eventually penetrate the roof of the slides, causing some melting, then you can push the remaining ice or snow off with a boom or a floor squeegie. Never use metal tools on your roof. You'll run the risk of ripping up the rubber membrane in a whip-stitch.

Heat is the only solution for the safest way to remove ice and snow. A soft brush will help to push it off, but when you hit the solid stuff, I wouldn't use anything more than my hands.

If the camper is not moving at all, and it's parked for the winter, Snow and Ice on the slides don't hurt anything. It's only when attempting to move the slides when the problem comes in. They CAN support a lot of weight. A lot.
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Old 02-01-2021, 12:02 PM   #12
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I don't touch mine until spring. I do check inside 3x a winter to make sure all is well.
Ok I was probably worried about nothing ..
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Old 02-01-2021, 12:22 PM   #13
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Ditto - I've never gone out an cleared snow.

You're more likely to do damage to the unit while clearing it, and heaven forbid you slip - not worth it man!
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Old 02-01-2021, 12:47 PM   #14
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We had snow on our rig several times, and quite a bit a couple of times, and never had any issues. The photos were from four years ago, and the snow had melted some prior to the photos. Maybe a week later, things were thawing and I was able to lean a ladder against the rig and using a small plastic snow shovel, I was able to move snow off the slides and reduce the snow on either side of the roof. I had no damage from the snow and we were finally able to get the rig off the mountain before the next snow came in.
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Old 02-01-2021, 12:51 PM   #15
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Appreciate the responses ... I keep my boats on land for the winter at a local marina ..just went and visited and found the shrink wrap on one boat was catching the snow and now it won’t drain off if thaws.. have to get on a extension ladder and try and get it off carefully ...Florida is looking better by the minute
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Old 02-01-2021, 04:34 PM   #16
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Seven years of snow on the roof like you see in the pic.. however, if I were full time in it I’d use a long adjustable handle with a California squeegee and keep the snow off the slide out roofs and away from slide out seals as best as possible
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Old 02-01-2021, 04:40 PM   #17
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Seven years of snow on the roof like you see in the pic.. however, if I were full time in it I’d use a long adjustable handle with a California squeegee and keep the snow off the slide out roofs and away from slide out seals as best as possible
Ok thanks good to know
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Old 02-07-2021, 08:38 AM   #18
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Snow on to, broken spring on bottom

I had a 2011 Keystone Copper Canyon fifth-wheel 30 feet long. A few years ago we left Salt Lake City beginning of February to go to Arizona. There was about 10" of snow on the roof. I thought it would blow off on the interstate but when we go to Mesquite, NV most if not all was still on the roof. Since we stayed in Mesquite a couple of days it melted finally.

Two days later we were at a rest stop on I-10 south of Phoenix and I noticed the left rear spring was broken near the back eye. Had to call road service to bring a new spring and install it. $$$$

I'm not absolutely sure the snow weight caused the spring to break but next time I will get the snow off the roof before traveling just in case.
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Old 02-07-2021, 10:58 AM   #19
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I’ve read that quite a few states require the snow to be removed before you travel with any vehicle, including big rigs, due to the dangers to following vehicles from falling ice and snow.
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Old 02-07-2021, 11:36 AM   #20
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I’ve read that quite a few states require the snow to be removed before you travel with any vehicle, including big rigs, due to the dangers to following vehicles from falling ice and snow.
That's true in Michigan. If you're towing on a highway with ice/snow blowing off your trailer (or vehicle, for that matter) you can get a ticket. Several years ago, on I-75, a block of ice blew off the top of an 18 wheeler, broke through the windshield of a car behind it and killed the driver.

Around this area, lots of people tow snowmobile trailers during the winter. I've seen lots of trucks/trailers on the highway with a "blizzard behind them" so it's not always enforced, but .....
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