Snow cracking beams in my barn

Larry from MD · Feb 9, 2010

Looks bad for my old cow barn it has about 15 inches of snow and melted ice from the last 3 storms on it. The new storm is adding more now. Today i found one broken beam and 2 supports down with the nails pulled out. I tryed to block things up, but looks bad. 3 tractors and one dozer inside plus the rest is full of stuff. The barn is 65 by 185 feet.

D7fever · Feb 9, 2010

shovel the snow off the roof

87nassaublue · Feb 9, 2010

I agree with that. Need to get that weight off the roof if you can. That is a lot of weight. I think I'd engineer a kind of rake to pull it off the roof without getting on the roof. It would be bad to fall off that roof. Be careful.

Bill(Wis) · Feb 9, 2010

Boy, that is one big barn and I know big barns. Do you have a picture of it? How old is it? Is there anyway you can introduce heat inside that barn bigtime? Herman Nelson heaters come to mind from my old flying days. I have no idea what rental services might have to offer. If the roof is peaked the heat will go up there.

RayP(MI) · Feb 9, 2010

Can you get underneath and prop up with posts from underneath?

old · Feb 9, 2010

Ya had the same thing happen in 2007 to my horse barn. I got lucky that I had a few 4X4 laying around and some 2X6s and was able to brace it up. So if you want to save it you will either have to brace it up and or get some of that snow off the roof. Now this may sound funny but it will work to remove that snow. Get out your garden hose and spray the roof. The water will melt the snow and ice and lessen the load on that roof. Ya it will be one cold job but it could well save the building.

showcrop · Feb 9, 2010

ever seen a barn?

Fordman6442 · Feb 9, 2010

Get your wife to have a hen party in there. Will be enough hot air to save the barn with no work.
Don from Canada

Jon Hagen · Feb 9, 2010

I have the same problem, a 40X80 pole barn with not enough roof pitch. Does not help that it was a dairy barn for 30 years and the rafters are a little rotted from the moisture of all those warm bodys. When conditions are right snow builds up the south side of the roof.
I have 8 4X4 poles with 1X4 cleats screwd to one end of the poles so it straddles the rafter with the bottom wedged against the floor. When the snow is gone, they kick loose and store out of the way.

I also built a large, long handled scraper that attaches to my loader tractors grapple fork.

Works to drive up to the side of the building, drop the scraper blade near the roof peak and back up to drag the snow off the roof.

The support poles and that scraper are the only reasons that old building still stands with the last two snow heavy winters we have had.

paul · Feb 9, 2010

Have a real low shed roof, cobbled together with 3 different additions, one roof raising. All done before my time long ago by dad here in Minnesota.

Won't win any engineering awards, other than it is still standing!

Has a very low slope roof to one side. Has a few interior posts.

I've shoveled that roof off 4 times in my life now. Anyhow 2/3 of it. One spot the tin openned a bit, so it dripped water onto one of the interior beams where the buildings were spliced. Really bending on that rotty spot. I got in there early enough this year & put a 4x4 under it to hold it up. Think I made the difference between it standing or falling.

Need to fix that right this summer.

--->Paul

bradk · Feb 9, 2010

The BEST thing we ever did to our barn was to tin the roof.Slides right off.

Larry from MD · Feb 9, 2010

I shored it up today , but its not a real repair. The roof feels soft in the summer when you walk on it. Most of the barns don't have so much snow, ice on them as they get more sun. Just got up to it today and saw how bad it was.Its hard to get a good picture its surrounded by woods. Got my planter, drill, sprayer and antique engines in there with a snow plow too. My father put so much stuff in it that theres no room left.

Bill in NorthCentral PA · Feb 9, 2010

I'm not sure, but a large amount if rocksalt might be the lesser of the evils - it might be hard on the roof, but at least there would be a barn to reroof?

wayneh · Feb 9, 2010

Larry:

Where are you in Maryland? I'm hoping my 48B is safe in my friends tobaco barn.... We're in Davidsonville.

Wayne

Unruh · Feb 9, 2010

I have a neighbor that uses a zero degree tip in his power washer to "slice" the snow on the roof. He says it works wonders. He did't say if he can undercut it to slide it off or not. I'm just telling you what he told me.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 9, 2010

larry i feel for you. all i can suggest has already been said as far as some temp beams supports and getting some of that snow off, if you can figure it ahead a bit, buy lumber you you will need for permanent repairs this spring or summer and use them for your temps. if you try spraying with water as was suggested stay away from your weaker areas to start untill you get some of the load off. if snows not clearing off as you go its only gonna get heavier with that water

good luck to ya. rocko

Pat-CT · Feb 9, 2010

I would imagine if theres alot of snow, you would get a cushy landing lol, I think you should take the garden hose out and spray it off

Mathias NY · Feb 9, 2010

Crazy idea, can you add a lot of heat into the barn? Maybe it would melt the snow from the underside. The strategy seems to be working well on my house. I don't know if that would be practical on a barn that size.

3 years ago I was shoveling snow off my shed roof and heard what sounded like gun shots across the street. I looked in time to see the neighbors 100+ year old barn roof collapse. There was 15 inches of wet snow on the roofs and it was raining.

JK-NY · Feb 9, 2010

You need to try and shovel the roof and get some weight off it. If you can find one, maybe buy one of those light snow throwers and use that if its a flat enough roof. Usually steeper roofs , the snow will slide off so I assume this one isnt too steep to get on. Also as mentioned try to put in some extra supports if possible. Be careful and good luck.

RodinNS · Feb 9, 2010

Unload the roof or empty the barn....
They aren't pretty when they come down and it probably will come down. Good stiff breeze might just finish it off...

Rod

Ultradog MN · Feb 9, 2010

Rent one of those 250K BTU construction heaters and a couple 100# tanks of propane. Melt it off.

Ken Thies · Feb 9, 2010

Feel for you. Remember the year we got 18 feet.
Was about 3000 lbs a sq. foot. Lot"s of buildings went down.
Only thing you can do is try to get it off before it goes down. Don"t put water on it it will only make it heavier.
Good luck.
PS We only have about 36" up here so far this winter.
Can send you some -40 if you want it.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 9, 2010

Sugar will melt the ice, but that,s rather big.works well in the freezer though.

NCWayne · Feb 10, 2010

I've got to agree with the post suggesting a heat source inside of the barn, provided there is enough pitch to the roof for the snow and ice to run off. If you were close to me down here in NC I'd let you borrow the heater I've got behind the shop. It's a 600,000BTU Master jet heater and I'm here to tell you it throws out some serious heat. I've had it setting nearly 15 feet outside of my 30x40 shop animed in through a 8x12 roll up door on a day when it was below freezing and you could work in the shop in shirt sleeves. If you could introduce that much heat inside the barn for a few hours it would definately heat the underside of the roof enough to lessen the hold the ice/snow has on the roof. Remember it doesn't have to get "hot" inside or make the rood hot, all it has to do is get it just above 32 degrees. Worst case it would make it easier to wash it off with a power washer. Personally if it was the choice of losing the barn or spending a little cash at a rental store I'd get the BIG heater and possibly hot water pressure washer and have at it. You might be cold, wet, and mkiserable when done, but I'll bet you'd be alot more miserable if the barn came crashing down.

fixerupper · Feb 10, 2010

Can you get someone up there with a tele-handler? Or maybe just a tele-handler with a snow bucket could drag some down. Jim

Bill in IL · Feb 10, 2010

If you can't rake it off and don't want the corrosive nature of salt you could use urea (nitrogen fertilizer) to melt the snow. Its about 75% as effective as salt (just by my guess) and not noncorrosive. We have to use it around the airport to save the planes.

If you don't have much pitch on your roof I think you are in for a long day.

RodinNS · Feb 10, 2010

That must be a special blend of urea

The common stuff we use around here is plenty corrosive...

Rod

Pete in MD · Feb 10, 2010

I know you've got a lot of stuff in there but maybe you ought to think about getting your most important equipment out of there if you can.

Larry from MD · Feb 10, 2010

The roof has about 4 inches of ice plus 8 to 10 of snow on top. You have to break the ice to get the stuff to slide off. No hope of getting any truck up the hill to the barn. Thats one reason i didn't see how bad it was sooner. Right now were getting a blizzard strong winds heavy snow.On the one open side theres about 2.5 feet of old snow and ice in front of the tractors sprayer and planter. The planter and sprayer won't clear the roof to come out.

Snow cracking beams in my barn

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