The angle of the roof can save the building from the weather or ruin it

Any building needs reliable protection from adverse environmental influences. This refers to climatic changes, expressed in the change in wind strength and precipitation (snow, rain, hail). This protection is provided by the roof of the building, above all, the roof of the pitched structure as the most effective. The reason is that the angle of the roof, using the gravity of the Earth, allows you to quickly remove the sediments from the roof, without overloading its elements.

It is reasonable to assume that the roof will be perfectly self-cleaning with the greatest possible inclination angle. But it is worth making a simple drawing on paper to see what insurmountable problems appear in this case.

The increase in the angle of inclination of the roof takes its hindlegs higher and higher, and at the same time, its construction and arrangement is growing exponentially . The larger the roof area, the greater its sail, that is, the surface that is exposed to wind. For example, if you increase the angle of the roof by 34 degrees, from 11 to 45, the wind load on the roof increases fivefold. This automatically entails a reinforcement of the roofing structure. Finally, a large roof area means more material consumption. In sum, all this increases the cost of work at times.

The above figures - 11 and 45 degrees - are not accidental. It is in this range that a compromise is sought between the need to protect the building from precipitation and winds, on the one hand, and the structural features of the house, on the other. There are no universal prescriptions here, the calculation of the optimal angle at the design stage in each case must be carried out separately.

Before calculating the angle of the roof, you need to know the value of the total load on the roof. It consists of the mass of the roof per square meter and the maximum snow load in the region.

The mass of the roof is defined as the sum of the masses of all its components. As you know, a roofing "pie" is a covering, a crate and a heater. But in this case it is necessary to take into account also some stock of mass, for which it is necessary to multiply the received sum by a factor of 1.1.

The regulatory documentation for construction contains information on the regional maximum snow load index and its reduction factors that take into account the roof incline angle.

It will need to be changed if, as a result of the calculations, the maximum permissible load on the roof is detected. This change will result in a decrease in snow load. If such a measure did not lead to an acceptable outcome, the root of the problem should be sought in an imperfect roof design.

For each type of roofing material there is a minimum angle of inclination of the roof. For example, tiles, slate and other materials from the compositing elements allow you to make a ramp of 22 degrees. Such an angle of inclination of the roof does not allow the accumulation of moisture in the joints. Three-layer roofing from roll materials - 2-5 degrees, two-layer roof - 15 degrees. Profiled sheeting - 12 degrees (at lower angles joints must be treated with sealant). Metal tile - not less than 14, soft tile - 11 degrees.

When choosing the angle of inclination of the roof, one must always keep in mind the bearing capacity of its structure, which allows resisting any stresses and external influences.

Thus, determining the angle of the roof slope is a crucial step. The mistake can not only cost material costs for emergency repairs, but also become a threat to the health and lives of people living in the building.