Well now, despite the fact that it’s so late in the winter, it seems that we are getting a ten-yearsnowfall here in Eugene. At the moment there’s about ten to twelve inches of snow on the ground.
Given that a foot of snow is roughly equal to an inch of rain, I figure that each square meter of this accumulation weighs about 30kg, or much less than the weight of an average adult.
So will I need to shovel this or can I just let it melt?
Nah, as long as you know your deck is built to code. Code for decks is 40 lb per square foot, you’re well below that. If you lived in a snowy area, it was earlier in the season, and you were expecting a lot more snow before it warmed up enough to melt, I’d say maybe, more to keep ahead of the snow than because I’d worry about the foot that’s already down. Because it’s absolutely no fun shoveling 4 ft of snow off a deck at once.
I don’t have a deck at my current house, but for what it’s worth, here in Connecticut, I don’t worry about snow accumulation on my roof until it exceeds two feet or so. A few years ago, we got a lot of snow in repeated storms, and there were reports of roof collapses, so I got a roof rake and removed the snow from my porch roof, which has a shallower pitch than the main roof.
Further up north (e.g. Vermont and New Hampshire), you see a lot of metal roofs that are designed to prevent snow accumulation.
Shovel it only if you’d like to walk on the deck without stomping through snow.
(If you do shovel it, use a plastic shovel. Metal will scratch the hell out of your deck.)
10 inches shouldn’t be a problem at all as per mudoon. And as they said, you want to keep up on it if you’re getting a LOT more. Four feet of snow is a big job. In Eugene, guessing Oregon, I would think it’s gonna melt pretty fast. If it’s a walking path though, clear what you walk on, if it gets cold enough, and your walking on it, could turn into quite the skating rink.
An odd turn about is IF it gets icy, throw some snow back down on it to get some traction. I do that quite a bit.
Myself, we have 15 feet so far this year. A bit less than average and March is our snowiest month.
Shovel and salt a path, at least, in case you need to go out there quickly. Even a few inches can block a door or a gate, especially if the snow turns to ice.
Well no, because decking materials will spread that weight over an area much more than 1 square foot, but if you cover the entire deck with people all standing on one foot, with no space between the individual feet, then yes, the deck will collapse and they’ll all plunge to a humorous demise.
Shovel it. A foot of snow has a way of attracting its friends, and you’re going to be mad at yourself if it snows again, and rains again to freeze it all, and you can’t get your door open.
No, but it’s an urban legend that it’s actually a good idea.
If the marching is in sync with the natural frequency of the bridge, it could cause damage or collapse. But it isn’t. What would be the chance?
But if you let people walk naturally, if the bridge rocks the people will naturally sync their footsteps to the rhythm of the swinging bridge. Which is exactly what you don’t want.
20 years in snowy NH with a 20 x 20 (well built) deck*
I don’t use the deck in winter, so I ignore the deck snow unless we have an insane winter. And even then, its more the concern that spring rains will soak into the snow.
If the standing snow hits 3 feet or so, only then will I clear it. As I have a true beast of a snowblower, I just lay down a couple of 2x10s over the stairs and drive right up.
And before someone tells me I’m ruining the deck, a little downward pressure on the handles keeps the auger and chute an inch or so off the wood and prevents damage.
There are three other exits from the house and all open in, so it doesn’t impede egress.
*I moved to a less snowy area last summer, so this isn’t really true anymore.
Since we moved here we’ve become unbelievably suburban, because we have to drive everywhere. Our garage door is the kind that slides up along grooves without having to swing outward. We could live here for months and not have to open our “official” front door.
Two of mine do, one does not, and one is a sliding door.
Over Christmas, I noticed that the leaves were disturbed at the downstairs door (which opens outward), so I figured out that the girlfriend was sneaking gifts in through that portal.