What you can do to prevent ice dams.
Gutter ice damage.
Winters are tough on our homes especially the roof and gutters.
One way that harsh winter weather can damage gutters is ice buildup.
This would consist of gutter guards gutter covers gutter screens or gutter filters.
A cubic foot of ice weights roughly 60 pounds and when enough builds up on your gutter guards they may collapse into the gutter system.
Normally this isn t really a problem.
After all running water off your roof is exactly what gutters are designed to do.
This debris created pools of water that turn to ice and facilitate the blockage problem.
Another equally troubling problem are ice dams.
A really bad winter with an onslaught of ice and snow can do a lot of damage especially to older roofs and gutter systems.
Purchase a roof rake.
This way you can scrape away snow and debris right after a storm hits.
Consider having a professional.
Rotten soffits and fascia damaged warped gutters and downspouts water stains on your home damaged attics including wet insulation shingle damage as water and ice move underneath the shingles.
This will make it more.
These ice dams can lead to serious home damage such as.
Keep your attic properly insulated you may not think of your attic when you think of maintaining your gutters but.
Time to start planning to 1 clean out the rain gutters in the spring and 2 install a gutter protection system.
As autumn comes to an end clear out any debris and gunk that your gutter guard didn t catch.
Do not climb up on a ladder to rake or chip away.
As the ice and snow melts it turns into water which runs down into your gutters.
To prevent water damage to your home or worse a roof collapse this winter make sure you protect your roof and gutters from ice that can cause a clogged gutter.
How to prevent gutter ice damage make sure your gutters are clear of debris such as leaves twigs or other items.
The stacked up ice and snow causes the run off to flow over the lip of your gutters and create long icicles.
Ice buildup in your gutters prevents the flow of melted snow to your down spouts for proper drainage.
But in the cold winter months the temperature can stay low enough that the water re freezes in your gutters and turns back into ice.
These heating devices help to keep the trough at a warm enough temperature so that ice dams do not form in the gutters and so that snow that sits in the gutter melts.
When ice and snow melt they liquefy.
