Allianz SE : Snowed in - when snow becomes a burden

As heavy as an elephant

Only 20 centimeters of snow on the roof of your house weighs around two tons - as much as an elephant. This is a strain that many roofs are not readily designed to withstand. Homeowners in areas with high snowfall levels should be aware of this risk and adjust their insurance cover if necessary. And what can you do about snow loading on you roof?

• Only one night of constant heavy snow can be enough to pose an acute risk to the stability of your house roof. To prevent the roof from caving in, the snow should be cleared from the roof.
• Homeowners who want to do this themselves need to make sure that they are well secured. After all, skylights are often obscured by masses of snow and there is always the risk of slipping while on the roof. If you're not keen on the idea of getting up on the roof with your own shovels and snow sweepers, leave this dangerous work to the professionals.
• In particularly snowy areas, some houses are already designed so that the pitch of the roof allows the snow to slide off itself. If your home isn't one of them, you can consult a structural engineer for advice. He will be able to calculate whether the roof can cope with the load.
• You should be particularly careful when you see cracks appearing in your walls or roof beams. These can pose a life-threatening risk. In such cases, leave the house as soon as possible and inform the fire department.

Shovel your way to safety

Disputes often arise if a tenant falls on icy stairs or paths are blocked by snow. The question that usually arises is: who has to clear snow and ice when and how?

• As a general rule, the city authorities and municipalities have an obligation to clear snow and ice. In most cases, however, they pass this obligation on to homeowners in their statues.
• The obligation can only be passed on from the landlord to the tenant if this has been explicitly agreed in the lease. In such cases, however, the landlord is responsible for ensuring that the tenants meet their obligation to clear properly.
• Either way, most local statutes state that footpaths have to be cleared so that people can pass easily and safely.
• In the event of heavy snowfall, snow has to be cleared repeatedly at appropriate intervals, i.e. several times daily if required.
• If passers-by sustain injuries because snow has not been sufficiently cleared, you may face numerous claims (treatment costs, loss of earnings, damages for pain and suffering or even lifelong pensions and administrative fines).

Frost damage - beware of bursting pipes

The icy cold isn't just a burden for shivering winterphobes. It also affects water pipes and radiators. This is because when the temperature reaches freezing point, the volume of water increases by around 9 percent - and pipes often cannot withstand this pressure.

• Never turn off the heating completely in winter, but always leave it running on low.
• In those parts of the building that are not heated, empty pipes and radiators and turn off the water supply (this applies in particular to outside water taps and pipes!)
• Protect open pipes using good thermal insulation or heating.
• If you are going to be absent for a longer period of time, check the fuel supply for the heating; the heating pumps have to run constantly to ensure that the heating water can circulate.

If your pipes have already frozen, the following will help:

• Defrost them using hot water and towels, heating pads, hair dryers, etc. NB: defrost pipes pointing towards the blocked section from the open tap so that the pipe doesn't burst.
• Shut off the water supply while you are defrosting the pipes. When you switch it on again, open the main tap slowly so that you can detect ruptures based on how the water meter fluctuates.
• Do not under any circumstances use infrared radiators, heat guns or open flame (candles, blowtorches or welding torches) to defrost pipes. This could cause them to burst.

As with all content published on this site, these statements are subject to our Forward Looking Statement disclaimer, provided on the right.