Snow Removal on RV roof

Snow Removal on RV roof

Posted on April 29, 2021

Throughout winter season, there is a possibility that you might want to remove snow and ice accumulation on the roof of your RV because too much weight could result in structural damage. A RV roof is usually built to support a certain weight based on things like the roof thickness, the wood and hardware used, the construction type etc..
 
Because there is not always exact roof weight capacity information available from every manufacturer, model and year, it is highly recommended to remove snow and ice accumulation that could get over 8″ to 12″. Keep in mind that rain and freezing rain can add a lot more weight to existing snow, as an example, 1 cubic meter of light snow weight about 100kg as the same quantity of wet snow will be around 800kg.
 
When there is no real problem to stand on the roof of an RV for maintenance and cleaning, it is not recommended to do so when the roof is full of snow. It is also a smart thing to choose your snow removal tools wisely as most of the roof components are plastic and really frail in the cold so unless you marked the location of every components on the roof, as soon as snow will raise over 6″, there is already a lot of components you won’t be able to see anymore and therefore, damage risk is really high if you use an aluminum snow shovel as an example.
 
Recommendations to prevent potential damages;

Use a ladder to get to the roof level all around the RV.
Use a large garage broom to remove snow from the center to the side of the unit. You will be able to step on the roof to remove what is left in the center.
If you use a shovel, be very careful not to dig too deep, remove small layers of snow at a time and go slowly to prevent from destroying plastic roof components that are beneath snow.
If you use a shovel, don’t get too close to the roof membrane, it is better to let a small amount of snow on the roof than trying to remove all of it and scratching it badly.
You might want to place a small piece of pool noodle over the shovel edge.
Should you need to break ice layer on the snow, it is best to break from under than hammering on top.
Remember to do this as well if you need to put your RV on the road this winter. If you follow these directions, you will save time and money by not having to replace plastic parts on the roof next spring.