The winter season is brutal, unpredictable, and often unforgiving to property. Even after a dangerous snowstorm leaves your area, the accumulated snow offers a potential danger, especially as it freezes and becomes solid ice. If you have a metal roof you are even more at risk because of the low natural friction between the metal and the snow. The best way to protect yourself from potential risk is to have some kind of snow guards or snow rail in place to slow or stop the sliding snow. There are three potential benefits you will find with snow guards.

Personal Injury

The most costly thing that can happen when snow falls is if it causes personal injury or death to people entering or exiting the home. As the homeowner you are liable if someone gets hurt, and this is not always covered by your home insurance policy, which can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars of liability directly on your shoulders. Snow guards will slow the amount of snow that hits the ground, and break up large chunks of ice that can do the most damage to people.

Repair Costs

Accumulated snow will also cause property damage if you are not careful to have some kind of protection. As the ice and snow slide from the roof the first place where they will cause damage is to the gutter system. In periods of light snowfall, the gutters can handle the snow on their own, but when you start talking about hundreds of pounds of ice and snow, the gutters fail and they will become misshapen and separated from the home. Once the snow hits the ground, any landscaping hit by the snow will be crushed and destroyed.

Home Value

The final place to consider the benefits of snow guards is the long term value of the home. If you have the guards in place before the home goes on the market, then you can use them as a selling point to potential buyers and you can make your home stand out even in a crowded market. The buyers will be happy not to have to do deal with the stress and hassle of installing the system themselves, and they will pay a premium price for snow guards already in place.

Protecting your home throughout the winter is easy, if you have the right tools in place. Snow guards will give you the peace of mind that you need even through the heaviest snow storms this winter.