Excavated

[jducoeur]

My deck is likely one of the better representations of the season to date. It's sheltered from the wind, so hasn't gotten much drifting on or off. It's mostly shaded from direct sunlight, and open underneath, so the melting has been slow. Basically, the snow falls onto it and stays there.

It's piled up to my waist. Maybe higher: there's at least some ice on the bottom, so I don't know precisely how much I'm standing on at the deepest I can dig. The top foot or so is light and fluffy; it gets progressively denser as I go further down.

Anyway, I've just shoveled out. Not all of it by any means, but I've dug some pathways around on it, to relieve a little of the weight -- I probably threw 300-500 pounds over the side. Hopefully that's enough to more than compensate for what will be added tomorrow.

I confess, I'm a bit worried about the roof: it's sloped, but not enough to be confident. That's harder to do much about, but after I dig out on Thursday, I may see about getting a roof rake to at least take some of the weight off...

Comments

[calygrey.livejournal.com]

Is there any way of figuring out how much a square yard of snow-of-a-certain depth weighs? My chicken coop had started to sag under the weight - it's a hoop, and can take a very big load - but apparently not that big. It may need 2x4 encouragement to unbend next spring.

[jducoeur]

I'm fairly sure it depends on the snow: my impression is that fluffy snow weighs maybe 1/10th as much as water, but that can go up to 1/4 as much for dense snow. (And roughly the same weight as water for ice.)

[marysdress.livejournal.com]

Our roof is sloped that I haven't worried about it - until today I realized that there is one section that isn't sloped. However, Michael assures me that since it's less than twelve years old the construction standards should hold up.

[jducoeur]

Makes sense. But I do worry just a *little* about my 30-something year old house...

[marysdress.livejournal.com]

Michael told me not to worry. Doesn't mean I'm not. ;-)

[canthelpyou.livejournal.com]

My cousin's husband was looking for a snow rake, and all the stores around him just laughed when he asked for one. My uncle, his father-in-law, lent him a masonry rake which seems like it will do the job. He's planning to extend the reach with a piece of PVC pipe, since the extendable expansion poles seem too bendy. If Home Depot laughs at you, check other parts of the store.

[jducoeur]

Sounds like good advice; thanks. I suspect you're right that a lot of places will be sold out...

How's the roof?

[dave waks (from livejournal.com)]

Looks like the storm has pretty much gone through. How's the roof holding up?

Re: How's the roof?

[jducoeur]

So far, so good -- the ice dam is being pretty bad, but aside from that there haven't been any problems yet, knock on wood. But I'm going to be nervous until some of this crap melts off...

Eek!

[the-resa.livejournal.com]

Be safe!

Re: Eek!

[jducoeur]

Thanks. There's no cause for immediate alarm here -- it's just a more extreme form of weather than I've seen since getting up here, which always makes me a hair nervous...