How to Make Snow Guards for Metal Roofs

Making the Snow Guards

• 1

  Measure the roof to see how many brackets you will need. The first row of snow guards should be spaced about a foot apart along the edge of the roof. A second row should be installed about a foot above the first row with an offset of 6 inches for a staggered effect.

• 2

  Take the long side of an L-shaped bracket and measure its length. Use a marker to make two marks on that side: one 1/2-inch from the end of the bracket and the other 1/2-inch in from where the short and long ends meet.

• 3

  Tighten the bracket in a vise clamp. Then use a power drill with a 1/8-inch bit to make holes where the marks are.

• 4

  Use a metal-cutting saw to cut a galvanized steel sheet into strips 3 inches in length with a height that matches the short end of the bracket.

• 5

  Affix a metal strip to the inside portion of the bracket’s short end with a soldering gun. Make sure that the strip is centered with the 3-inch side parallel to the ground. Allow 20 minutes for the solder to fully harden before continuing.

• 6

  Repeat Steps 2 through 5 until enough snow guards have been created to make two staggered rows along the roof.

Installing the Snow Guards

• 7

  Ensure that the metal roof is clean and dry prior to beginning the installation.

• 8

  Use one bracket as a template by laying the long side on the roof where the snow guard will be attached then make marks on the roof where the two holes are. Repeat this step along the entire roof, with each bracket spaced as described in the first step of Section 1.

• 9

  Use the drill to make holes in the metal roof where each of the marks is located.

• 10

  Load a pneumatic rivet gun with 1/8-inch by 3/8-inch rivets. Place the first snow guard on the roof so that the holes on the bracket’s long side line up with the holes in the roof. Attach the snow guard to the roof by riveting it through the holes. Repeat this process for each snow guard.