Roof Pitch For Rain

The pitch of your roof also helps determine the type of materials that can be used on your roofing system.

Roof pitch for rain.

The picture below shows the pitch of a 7 12 roof slope meaning that for 12 of horizontal measurement roof run the vertical measurement roof rise is 7. The chief reason for having a roof pitch is to redirect water and snow away from the roof and avoid any percolation that might result from stagnation of water on the roof. To put it in perspective the angle of this slope would be around 30 degrees. This means that the rise of the slope goes up or down 8 inches for every 12 inches.

Minimum roof pitch the minimum pitch for a roof is 1 4 12 which translates to 1 4 inch rise to 12 inches of run. The following table provides the minimum required allowable roof slope for each type of roofing material mentioned in the code. Pitched roofs including gabled and hipped roofs are the most common types in the united states. The roof pitch would be described as a 6 12 pitch.

Thatch is one of the oldest roofing materials and needs a steep pitch to drain properly some types of stone roofs have a very restrictive roof pitch. This measurement is best done on a bare roof because curled up roofing shingles will impair your measurement. An example for a steep sloped roof is 8 12. The minimum roof slope allowed by code for any type of roof is in 12 applicable only to coal tar pitch roof systems.

Lower slopes don t handle wind driven rain as well. It is an essential element to ensure water drains properly off of your roof. The purpose of pitching a roof is to enable water and snow to run off so the greater the amount of rain and or snow an area receives the greater the amount of pitch needed for the roof. As standard practice places with heavy rainfall or snow storms will have higher roof pitches compared to places that experience less rain and snow.

Steeper slopes increase the sail effect that makes them susceptible to wind. Display of roof pitches 1 12 through 18 12. Adding a roof can create drainage problems if the roof pitch is too shallow. The slope of a roof or pitch is determined by how many inches the roof rises over 1 foot or 12 inches.

A 30 degree roof slope 7 12 pitch is the right pitch to aerodynamically handle high wind.