Instructions / Assembly

Snow Fence Installation Instructions
Snow fencing can eliminate the need for snow removal, lower pavement
maintenance costs, and increase visibility and safety on the road. A well planned
snow fencing program can save time and money. Following are installation
instructions for snow fence.
How Snow Fencing Works:
Snow fencing reduces the wind speed, causing most blowing snow to fall behind the
barrier. When the snow is at rest, the particles freeze together making a smooth snow
drift.
Steps to Installation:
1. Research, determine variables
Snow fencing is designed for snow storage. A thorough knowledge of the problem is
needed to estimate a sound solution.
• Wind Direction – This information can be found in meteorological data from weather
stations, by examining drift features in area or aerial photographs, and by checking the
orientation of vegetation, such as bent trees or snow-caused abrasion on wooden poles.
• Snow Transport – Estimate from wind speed records in the area. Keep in mind that in
winds of less than 20 mph, 90% of the blown snow stays below 4 ft. In winds of less than
45 mph, 70% of the blowing snow remains below the 4 ft. mark.
• Snow Fall – Look up the records for past years and estimate snow fall records for the
problem area.
2. Design
Design is critical to installing the most effective snow fencing for the area.
• Porosity refers to the open area of a fence. A porosity of 40-50% is recommended to
form the largest drifts.
• Bottom Gap should be 10 - 15% of the fence height. Although in rough terrain or snow
covered areas the bottom gap may be higher. This makes the fence less likely to be
buried.
• Windy Conditions warrant the use of ties or wood strips to attach the fence to wood
posts (see illustration above).
• Anchoring the fence firmly is a necessity. In good soil, a six-foot fence post should be
buried 2-1/2 ft.