How much snow is too much snow?

[rfield54]

Originally Posted by MelGoddard

How much snow is too much????
When your snow blower wants to 'tunnel' instead of throw; that's too much!😂

Here's an example of "too much snow" . . . WAY too much snow

[la nomade]

when comes winter i line the top with a heavy plastic to cover the roof,tape it on to trim,not the aluminum....i then put some flat rocks here and there to keep it down so heavy wind can't tear it off... After a snow storm,i get up on a ladder that i gently lean on the a.str.it has padding....and with a special car retractable car brush,i gently shove the snow off,it slides down ,no problem...and find it to be a excellent solution..comes spring i take it off and clean up the sticky tape patches with skin so soft or some other kind of gentle remover...i also put bubble wrap where there is a space,like the sky light et so the plastic forms a round shape....voila!!!!M

[John Geisen]

Why spend time worrying? I like the leaf blower idea. That should remove most of it. Good luck.

[Garnco]

Now that sounds like a really clever piece of work!

[KSA63]

Originally Posted by rfield54

Here's an example of "too much snow" . . . WAY too much snow

Now that is a lot of snow... BUT, on the roof itself, likely the same or less than what is on the roof of our AS. Still, is that yours and if so, how long did that take to dig out? [emoji50]
Kevin

[nwclassic]

Blow off what you can now. The more important concern in my mind is the eventual warm up scenario -- no precipitation, no problem... rain, big problem. Expect and watch for any roof vents leaking with melting snow dammed up against them. Once the thaw starts, raise your tongue and encourage snow melt to run aft (both on the roof and on the awning covers). Winter's half over, hang in there

[4mer Paddler]

Originally Posted by KSA63

Perhaps if I put the heat to it on Friday when the temp is supposed to go above freezing it will help to melt some of it off. I have 2 full tanks of propane so I may as well give it a shot.
Kevin

Just watch the interior carefully. Applying a lot of heat from inside will result in a lot of water trying to find its way south (gravity) and it will no doubt find any weaknesses. On the up side, it'll show you what needs repaired and sealed.

[KSA63]

Originally Posted by John Geisen

Why spend time worrying? I like the leaf blower idea. That should remove most of it. Good luck.

Hi John, thanks for the reply. I have to laugh cause I live in the east side of a lake and often get 100kph winds here and all they tend to do is contour and polish the snow. A leaf blower may work but only if I have a propane fired snow melter hooked into it somehow.

I have this image in my mind of Sisyphus rolling that boulder up the mountain.

So, I hope the weather getting warmer over the next few days will help to lessen the loading a bit and HOPEFULLY I never have to answer the question I posed at the start of this thread.

Kevin

[SailorSam205]

Personally, I would use a soft broom to push some of the snow off the edges if it's soft. Since you are on shore power, why not put a small electric heater inside the AS, it should slowly melt the snow. Also heat will go thru any roof vents pretty quick and allow them to seal back down, keeping water out.

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by BoldAdventure

It must take a lot of snow and ice. The Airstream has an arch frame, which is one of the best geometric shapes for carrying loads. This is why the Romans & Greeks used them so much. Hopefully you'll be fine.

Yes, but Greek and Roman arches have stone ramparts supporting them directly upon terrafirma. Airstreams do not....unless you've stacked rocks and mortar up along the sides and ends. (or it's buried like the pic rfield54 posted earlier.)

[majorairhead]

I'd get a plastic shovel, stay off the roof, don't slam in to anything, just get up on a ladder and start lopping off some of it from the top down. It's probably crunchy and won't slide, and I'm not sure I'd want it sliding off anyway. Yep, I'd shovel off some of it, real easy like, making sure not to ram in to any of the protruding goodies up top. Maybe a kids shovel or something.

[air_boy]

I cleaned mine off with a roof rake last night. We got 28 inches over the last couple days. Only took 20 mins or so. There was a crust of ice on the skin so I didn't even touch the skin with the rake.

[OttawaValleyGuy]

I would not be concerned about snow load
I had an Airstream motor home stored outside for 25 years in Ontario Canada where we notmsllt get 3 to 4 feet of snow without a problem
I think there would be mor chance of damage by trying to remove the snow.

[crispyboy]

I would be more concerned about the moisture from the snow wicking into places that it shouldn't.
I would turn on the furnace or stick a kerosene heater or torpedo heater inside and get it really warm for a day or two. Use a wide garage floor broom to pull down some of the big stuff.

[JCWDCW]

That Photo of snow on the roof should be a non-issue. I've had 2- 3 feet of snow on the roof with no issues, but the interior visual evidence suggests a possible problem The photo of the dented roof looks more like an impact than a crush from snow weight. If it was snow I would expect there to be damage at the rear where the long flat section of roof is more vulnerable. Airstream is made in a snow bound State. If they thought snow load was an issue they would probably include it in the manual..don't recall seeing snow loads as an issue in any of my SOB manuals either.
JCW

[Boxite]

I can't imagine how heating up the inside of a trailer would be a good way to remove accumulated snow. At the least, it might melt the snow closest to the outside skin...run down and re-freeze... and perhaps may enter air conditioner, fan, or other fixtures and refreeze causing damage.

It would also be indicative of an improperly-insulated trailer if the snow melted using that method and lead to the problems mentioned. I'd get a rake or broom and sweep it off if I faced the problem.

(You kin imajine how ex-spurt I am on snow remuvil sints I rezide in Hell (Texas).

[Jim Flower]

Any snow is too much snow. Jim

[KSA63]

Originally Posted by Jim Flower

Any snow is too much snow. Jim

After 2 months of the stuff, I tend to agree with you Jim.

Kevin

[thiel]

Originally Posted by crispyboy

I would be more concerned about the moisture from the snow wicking into places that it shouldn't.
I would turn on the furnace or stick a kerosene heater or torpedo heater inside and get it really warm for a day or two. Use a wide garage floor broom to pull down some of the big stuff.

Snow is pretty dry. Melted snow is pretty wet. Just saying.

[Rocinante]

Two words: Covered Storage