Metal roofs are a smart decision. But with metal roofs, you must consider the risk of roof top avalanches. A quality snow retention system will help you maintain your roof, avoid personal and property damage, and efficiently and safely allow snow to melt off your structure. But there are a number of methods to mount snow guard systems. What is the best way? Click through to learn the best way to mount snow retention to a metal roof! About S-5! S-5! has been the leading authority on metal roof attachment solutions for over 25 years. Our zero-penetration clamps attach ancillary items to standing seam metal roofs without violating roof integrity or warranties. The clamps mount snow-retention and wind-performance systems, satellite dishes, solar arrays, signs/banners, light fixtures, gas piping, stack/flue bracing, walkways, HVAC, lightning protection, equipment screens, conduit, condensate lines and more. S-5! products are now installed on over 1.9 million metal roofs worldwide. Architects and metal roof contractors endorse S-5! as the safest engineered products and the most trusted name in the metal construction industry. Learn more at http://www.s-5.com. Tested. Trusted. Engineered.

1. What is the Best
Way to Mount
Snow Retention to
a Metal Roof?
Clamp Mounted vs Structure
Attachment vs Stick-On Snow
Retention Solutions

2. A quality snow retention system will help:
- maintain the integrity of your roof
- avoid personal damage
- avoid property damage
- efficiently and safely allow snow to melt off your structure
Metal roofs are a smart decision.

3. What is the
BEST way?

4. You must consider the risk of roof top
avalanches and the need for snow removal
maintenance.
A quality snow retention system will help:
- avoid snow removal maintenance
- encourage snow to melt safely away
- provide decades of trouble-free service
of your roof.
The Best Design for Your Roof

5. There are basic methods
available for mounting snow
retention systems to roofs.
3

6. - the process of either clamping to the seam (non-penetrating)
or screwing through the roof material (penetrating)
Mechanically-Attached
1
2
Waterproofing is important with
penetrating systems. See slide #16
for an enlargement of a failure with
the above snow guard.
1 2

7. - a “stick-on” method, which
involves gluing individual snow
guards to a roof
Chemically-Attached
3 3

8. Drilling holes requires proper
weather-proofing to prevent leakage.
S-5!® manufactures and markets
clamps and brackets to reliably
mount snow guard systems to metal
roof seams by dimpling the material,
but not penetrating it.
Distinguishing between clamping and drilling
a snow retention system onto a roof
Penetrative attachments need
sealants to waterproof the holes
created. They need to be protected
from harmful UV sunlight.

9. The Three
Methods for
Mounting
Snow Guards:

10. Clamping a snow guard to the seams of a
standing seam type roof
Attaching to the building structure itself
Gluing a stick-on guard
1
2
3

11. • A strong and secure option for standing seam style metal roofs - (but only when properly
engineered and tested)
• S-5!® clamps attach to the panel seam by tightening the “bullet-nosed” stainless steel setscrews
against the seam material.
• Does not penetrate the metal (mechanically-attached)
Clamping a Snow Guard to a Standing Seam Roof1

12. •Avoids drilling unwanted holes in
standing seam roof profiles, preserving
warranties
•Clamp-to seam attachments should
not fatigue due to thermal heating or
cooling of the roof.
FACTS

13. Expect this with
Clamp Mounted
With clamp mounted, the sliding force of the snow is
transferred to the clamp and then into the roof panels
themselves.
The holding strength of such a system should be
documented through rigorous testing and must be able to
resist the loads to which it is exposed.
At S-5! we have tested our
clamps with almost every metal roof
profile available. You can view our
results directly on our website at
S-5.com under our “Load Test
Results” tab located at the bottom of
the page.

14. Attaching to the Building Structure Itself2

15. • A strong, secure, and reliable
method if properly designed,
tested, installed and
waterproofed.
• Only suitable for a roof that is
attached the same way (i.e.
with screws that penetrate the
roof’s surface, attaching it to
the structure).
FACTS

16. Expect this
with Structure
Attachment ----
With guards that attach directly to the
structure, holes will need to be drilled (or
other penetrations), to anchor the snow
guard brackets to ensure secure
placement and the long-term service life
of the roof.
S-5!’s web-based tools, offer
tested, proven and scientific
holding strengths, engineered
to the specifics of each
project.

17. TAKE THE GUESSWORK OUT
S-5!® offers a tested engineered
system with sealants factory-applied.
Simply remove the protective release
paper and install.
To avoid leaks, prior to installation with other
(non-S-5!) products, waterproof these roof
penetrations.
This means you should know sealant chemistry, part
design, sealant selection/sourcing, etc.
The strength of the structural attachment
mounting method is also important and should be
proven by testing and matched to the in-service
loads to which the snow guard will be exposed.

18. Using a Stick-On Guard
Some variations employ a factory-applied adhesive
(chemical-attachment) and others a field-applied one.
On the surface, stick-on systems appear to be a very
convenient and lower cost option.
3

19. • Lower cost only when considering single
part cost, not total job cost (e.g. labor,
required, guard quantity and distribution
over the roof surface).
• Remember that all adhesives diminish in
holding strength, beginning with the first
day of exposure…and will eventually have
to be replaced.
• We have witnessed thousands of
examples of this and have seen the
replacement time from one to eight years.
FACTS

20. Potential
Complications
with Stick-on
Mounted
Installation is simple enough. Parts attach
directly to the roof with a glued
application.
- Careful surface preparation and many
days of temperature-specific curing time
are often required.
Stick-on snow guards’ holding strength
diminishes with age. The adhesive and/
or plastic degrades with harsh elements
(U.V., moisture, temperature change,
etc.).
When the bond fails, the guard can rip
away paint and protective roof coatings,
leading to corrosion.

21. Wrapping it All Up:
Choose The Right Way to
Reduce the Risk of Roof Top
Avalanche

22. MCA (Metal Construction
Association) technical
documents are the greatest
aid available for snow guard
selection criteria and downloads
are free.
Learn more about installing snow retention
systems with mechanical attachment via clamp
mounting or structural attachment and weather
proofing at S-5.com.
Visit MCA for more information.
Read the complete blog here.
A quality snow retention system will
help preserve your roof and allow
snow drifts and snow melt to exit the
roof in a more controlled manner. Need more convincing?

23. S-5!® Attachment Solutions
Metal Roof Innovations, LTD.
(888) 825-3432
(719) 495-0045 (fax)
The Right Way!™
General Information
info@S-5.com
Sales
To find a distributor near you, visit our distributor pages.
Become a Distributor - distributorships@S-5.com
Technical Support
support@S-5.com
www.S-5.com

24. TESTED.
TRUSTED.
ENGINEERED.
©
A.B.M
artin
R
oofing
Supply,LLC