Hoop house users - do you shovel it off?

[buckabucka]

This is our first year using a hoop house (unheated). I am wondering if people usually shovel the snow off. We've only had one decent storm, but we worried about the weight on there, plus the lack of light getting in.

As an experiment, we left one hoop house alone. The other one we shook, poked at, brushed,etc. to get the snow off. Now, 3 sunny warmish (45 degree) days later, the untouched hoop house still has a little snow on it (not much). I'm thinking that when we start getting multiple storms, and sunny days are not so warm, that the snow will never slide off without help.

We can't really reach the top of the hoop house, which makes removing snow difficult. Does anyone have experience with this? Do I just need to be more patient and the snow will always slide off?

 

[thistlebloom]

I don't have a hoop house Bucka', but we do have a 10 x 20 shed we affectionately call the "costco" shed. It's one of those temporary jobs which has more or less become a permanent fixture around here. I think it's similar enough that I can pass along what I do.

I make sure to keep up with snow removal after seeing one our neighbor had that collapsed after a wet, heavy snowfall.

I use the back of a bow rake ( tines up I mean ) to gently pull the snow down. Your hoop house may be be much taller than my shed, but I can get pretty close to reaching the peak, and I find that once the snow starts sliding the stuff on the very top comes along too.

After a few storms the stuff I've pulled down makes a handy ramp to stand on and I can reach further up the roof.

I definitely wouldn't leave it on there though.

 

[digitS']

It is hard to know how well-supported your structure is, Bucka'. Mine doesn't amount to much.

It is 9' by 20' and in a very sheltered part of my backyard so it is protected from the wind. It has an excavated center aisle so that it only needs to be 5' high. There is a wood framed window at one end and a framed door at the other. Pvc pipe (15 feet) of only 1/2" is what the hoops amount to.

In about 10 years, I've had it collapse under a March snowstorm twice but I've never had it covered thru the winter. The film goes on in March and I've "shook, poked at, brushed, etc." after snow covers it. Since it is right up against a greenhouse of the same size, snow will pile up between the 2. I've gotten in there once with a shovel and tossed the dang snow completely over the hoop house to get it out .

No, I don't think mine would stand up to even 4 or 5 inches of snow. A push broom may be best to clear it. I've got a snow rake but never used it on that plastic film.

BTW - I may double the covering next March and put some heat in there. I've used the double walls before and it doesn't amount to much even tho' there's another set of pvc hoops. It won't really make it stronger, just warmer inside.

Steve

 

[buckabucka]

Thanks for the replies. Our hoop houses are 20x24 and made out of bent metal poles (the kind that is used for chain-link fences). They are anchored into the ground to keep from blowing away (so far, so good).
Snow weight, though, is another story. Maybe very gentle raking would do the trick. I shoveled a little around the base, and knocked some of the lower snow off, thinking the rest would come cascading down. It is surprising how well snow can cling to a vertical surface!
DH was good at shaking the whole apparatus and pushed up on the ceiling inside with a shovel handle. The sun and warm temperatures took care of the rest, but it could turn into a real project if we have a snowy winter.
Thistlebloom,-we can relate to the Costco shed. These structures are cheap enough to build that DH erected yet another to serve as a tractor and lawn mower shed. Certainly easier than building a garage.
DigitS',- we would like to add a second layer and maybe some heat someday, but there is no electricity out there to inflate the second layer. It could be done, if we get determined.
Anything that happens in there this winter will be an experiment, as this is the first winter. I must say I am enjoying eating fresh greens this time of year. Grass started growing in thickly along the edge, so I've been digging up chunks of sod and giving it to the chickens (much to their delight!).
It should provide some winter entertainment, anyway.

Robin

 

[thistlebloom]

Just a small word of warning Robin, you mentioned your husband pushing up on the inside with a handle, I'm guessing that the plastic on the hoop house probably isn't as durable as the shed material, and I used that same technique and put a hole through the roof!

What I used (after the hole incident! ) on the inside to encourage the snow to slide off is a leaf rake (the plastic kind ) with tines backward and gently lifted and slid it along the roof peak. That works pretty well.

Yeah, it's a project and a real pain in the rear, but I guess it keeps me out of trouble in the winter!

 

[buckabucka]

Just a small word of warning Robin, you mentioned your husband pushing up on the inside with a handle, I'm guessing that the plastic on the hoop house probably isn't as durable as the shed material, and I used that same technique and put a hole through the roof!

What I used (after the hole incident! ) on the inside to encourage the snow to slide off is a leaf rake (the plastic kind ) with tines backward and gently lifted and slid it along the roof peak. That works pretty well.

Yeah, it's a project and a real pain in the rear, but I guess it keeps me out of trouble in the winter!

Thanks for the tip. It did make me a little nervous watching that activity! The plastic is rated to last 3 years, so a hole in the first year would be a little discouraging!
Robin

 

[catjac1975]

For the most part the snow will slide off. If it is heavy and deep I go inside with a broom and push on the cover to get it to slide off. If you have deep snow often I would certainly sweep it off. I don't know how much weight they can take.