Should I shovel snow off my vinyl deck? [solved]

Question

Doug T.1377 Asked 12 years ago

Should I shovel snow off my vinyl deck? [solved]

Will there be damage if I don't shovel the snow off (due to snow thaw/freeze/thaw)? Is it safe to use a metal shovel on vinyl decking? Is it ok to allow the stuff to melt naturally if I don't plan to walk on it?

96

0

4 Answers Found

Easy to say when you don't often get 6-10" of snow in single day :) - Eric Petroelje 12 years ago

If you care about it, you can keep up with it. - SchwartzE 12 years ago

A good push broom can remove 4-6" of light snow, but if you get heavy snow, it's hard to keep up, especially if the snow comes during work or sleep hours. - TomG 11 years ago

user5580 Answered 12 years ago

Why do you need to get the snow off of it? Unless the mass of snow is so large that it will cause the deck to collapse, leave it there.

Shoveling a vinyl deck can do more than just scratch the vinyl. You can crack the plastic. Cold vinyl will be significantly more brittle than it is under normal conditions. Enjoy the view. That snow will melt before long.

65

4

for fear that ice can damage the decking. But I'm not sure if the freeze->thaw->freeze->thaw cycle is something I should be concerned about. - Doug T. 12 years ago

Ice will not damage it, nor will freeze thaw cycles. But you can do damage by using a shovel on cold embrittled vinyl. I've seen vinyl crack when it gets cold. And as it ages, probably mainly from UV exposure, the tendency to crack gets worse. - user558 12 years ago

If you really want to remove the snow, use a plastic shovel. If you don't need to walk on it, take Woodchips advise and leave it alone. - shirlock homes 12 years ago

As a compromise, you might clear one shovel's (or broom's) width along the house to prevent water from seeping into the house as it thaws. - TomG 11 years ago

mohlsen6191 Answered 12 years ago

I think shoveling it off would cause more potential for damage (scratching - esp with a metal one) than just letting it thaw. The worst thing that could happen by letting it sit would be a little fading in color I think.

56

1

I'll bet that color fading comes more from exposure to sunlight than from some snow. So leaving the snow there will probably reduce fading, not increase it. - user558 12 years ago

Daniel1900 Answered 6 days ago

Deck Maintenance Tips - How NOT to Remove Snow from Your Deck

0

Answer this question

Share this Page

Click "Copy this Link" to copy page link to clipboard

score 71 · Accepted Answer

I would clean it off using a push broom. There would be little risk of scratching.