Winter Gutter Maintenance: Keep Gutters From Freezing

Frozen gutters and ice dams have a way of wreaking havoc on your roof, siding and foundation. Hanging like giant wrecking balls, ice dams pull gutters away from your house and create channels for water infiltration. Not to mention, 20 pound chunks of ice could hit someone in the head. So, it’s important to take steps to winterize your gutters before it freezes, manage your icicles safely through the cold season and know the signs of trouble early to prevent expensive repair bills.

Use this game plan for gutter freeze victory as a guide for information you need to get a jump on brutal winter weather.

Ok, before we move further, let’s get on the same page. Gutters cannot just wake up one cold winter morning and decide to be transformed into an ice sculpture (unless you are the Snow Queen fairy tale character, and your owner is the owner of your house!). Certain known culprits create the frosty disasters, and the most important part is recognizing who and what they are.

Believe it or not, a clogged gutter is the most common culprit of them all. A frozen gutter/ice dam combination wreaks havoc for your roof, siding, and foundation. It takes your gutters hostage with the help of one or two good pullings, tears holes in your property, making the way for water infiltration, and/or drops the 20-pound ice chunks on someone’s head. Winterizing gutters, using safe ice management, and early problem identification help prevent expensive and frustrating repair bills down the road. This blog gives you essential knowledge and information needed to winterize a house for harsh months.

Temperatures outside are not 32° Farenheit or below. This does not mean that your attic isn’t the root of your frozen gutter problem (if your attic is not properly insulated). An improperly insulated attic allows the hot air in the attic to escape, which melts snow that is sitting on the roof even when it’s below zero outside. The melted snow then makes its way down into the cold gutters, essentially making your roof an ice dam producing machine.

Throw in poor attic ventilation (which also prevents the attic from heating up in the winter and cutting off air that helps the melt-refreeze process) and you’ve got a house that can’t breathe, and therefore, runs like a 24/7 ice dam-producing assembly line.

So what exactly happens when your gutters freeze? Let’s find out:

• Ice dams: This build-up of ice along the edge of the roof are not just an eyesore. They act as a dam, preventing water from escaping your roof and causing it to pool behind your shingles.
• Sagging gutters : Ice is heavy. Did you know that one cubic foot of ice weighs approximately 57 pounds? Consider that you have several cubic feet of ice weighing down your gutter system, and that is a lot of extra weight your gutters were not designed to hold.
• Water Damage: Water needs a place to go. If it can’t get through your gutters, it will find its own way through your soffit, behind your siding, and into your walls. Often the damage from ice dams and overflowing gutters is not seen until springtime when you are stuck with mold, rot, and upset contractors.

 The formation of ice on your gutters is a continuing predictable cycle that starts with the weak sun hitting your roof, melting snow and heat loss from your house. Gutters are made out of aluminum that are great conductors of cold and are open to wind chill. The two combined causes the water and cold to freeze up into solid ice. The more ice that forms the more insulation there is foryour gutter and it will stay colder longer. The new water splashes out and onto the cold surface and instantly freezes causing you to have icicles and gutters that look like ice hotels. Because the temperature is always colder on the gutters than on your roof the buildup grows faster. 

Gutters are not the cause of ice dams but they can certainly aggravate the problem. The ice dam is being formed by a loss of heat and the gutters are a nice place to build bigger and be more destructive. Gutters will become the foundation of ice dams to build upon, so large ridges are formed of even more water in the process. Gutters are more of an enabler to the situation and will add to the problem in terms of poor maintenance and/or improper installation.

Eliminating gutters in the attempt to eliminate ice dams is equivalent to removing the brakes from a car to prevent them from wearing out. It’s a misdirected effort at a solution that will only create additional problems. Gutters are not the cause of ice dams, heat loss is. Ice dams will still occur if gutters are removed. But now you have other problems to contend with:

• Roof runoff creating puddles of ice on your sidewalks (pending lawsuit)
• Foundation damage caused by a concentrated volume of water running off the roof
• Basement flooding during the spring thaw 
• Extreme erosion of landscaping (“war zone” quality yard)
• Damage to siding from constant exposure to water

In winter, your gutters go from simple drainage systems to problem areas. We’re going to review the 8 most common issues you’ll encounter when the temperatures plunge — and more importantly, how to fix them. Because it’s one thing to know your enemy, and quite another to know how to defeat it.

• What they are : Ice dams are ridge-like accumulations of ice on the edge of your roof that trap and hold melting snow in place.
• The damage: Water backs up under your shingles and gets into your attic and walls, causing water damage, stained ceilings and walls, and rot.
• The cost: Often $5,000-15,000 to repair damage from water, drywall and structural problems.
• Warning sign: Icicles on your gutters mean ice dams are likely forming above.
• Sneaky factor: Can look harmless or even pretty, but the pooling water behind them is quietly doing serious damage to your home.

Solutions: 

• Immediate : Clear snow away from roof edge with a roof rake (typically 3-4 feet) after every snowstorm.
• Quick fix: Install heat cables in a zigzag pattern along the roof edge to prevent ice dams. (Runs about $20/foot installed) 
• Long-term : Increase attic insulation to R-49 or higher and increase attic ventilation with soffit and ridge vents.
• Emergency removal : Stuff calcium chloride ice melt into pantyhose and lay them perpendicular to the dam to create channels through the ice.

• Winter’s special twist : Fall debris can freeze into concrete-hard plugs 
• What’s clogging them : Leaves that have decomposed, pine needles, shingle granules, an unknown black goop
• Why it’s worse than fall : Frozen debris means you’re powerless to clean it out until spring
• The compound effect : Frozen debris creates a sponge that soaks up water
• Damage multiplier : Overflow can cause damage to fascia boards, soffits, siding

Solutions:

• Prevention is everything: Clean thoroughly in late fall after last leaves drop
• Gutter guards: Install micro-mesh or reverse-curve gutter guards before winter ($8-12/foot)
• Winter clearing: On warm days (above 35°F), flush with hot water from ground level using telescoping wand
• De-icing tablets: Drop sodium or calcium chloride tablets monthly to prevent freeze-ups
• Spring commitment: Schedule professional cleaning immediately after thaw to prevent damage next winter

• Cause : Joints/seams in gutters widen 9% each night due to freeze/thaw cycle
• Symptom : Gutters mysteriously spring leaks because running water freezes instantly
• Detection : Vertical ice streaks on outside of gutter signal an inside leak
• Progression : A hairline crack in November widens to a real gap by February
• Spring surprise : Gutters that looked OK all winter suddenly overflow from several places

Solutions:

• Fall prevention : In fall, when things are still dry, apply good quality gutter sealant to all seams ($8/tube)
• Temporary winter fix : In winter, during brief thaws, apply roofing cement to visible leaks
• Permanent repair : Remove broken sections and replace with seamless gutters ($6-12/linear foot)
• Joint reinforcement : Install gutter brackets at all joints for added support
• Monitor and mark : Mark leak locations with a ribbon during winter for repair next spring

The problem: Decorative ice sculptures that don’t do the job of gutters

• Weight reality: A 20-foot section of gutter can hold over 100 pounds of ice (like hanging heavy suitcases from your fascia)
• Overflow damage: Water spills over the sides of gutters and down the side of the house, damaging exterior paint or wood and building up ice on the ground around your home
• Worst-case scenario : Sections of gutter come loose from the house completely, taking the fascia board with it
• Repair costs : $2,000-5,000 to repair gutters and fascia boards, plus landscaping and other damage

Solutions:

• Heated gutter guards : Heated gutter guards with self-regulating heat tape underneath ($15-20/foot)
• Proper slope : 1/2 inch of slope downward every 10 feet toward the downspout
• Increase downspouts : Add more downspouts to speed drainage 
• Calcium chloride treatment : Calcium chloride (the safe ice melt you can buy for your driveway) will not damage your gutters like rock salt will
• Professional help: Hire professionals who have steam equipment ($200-500 per service call)

• Numbers : Fresh snow = 20 pounds per cubic foot / Ice = 60 pounds per cubic foot 
• The slow disaster : Occurring over time, it can impact the entire drainage system
• Hidden damage : Creates pockets that allow water penetration which leads to rot, mold
• Visual test : If you can see gutter sagging from street level then it’s already in crisis mode

Solutions: 

• Strengthen support : Add additional brackets at every 18 to 24 inches rather than the normal 32 inches
• Upgrade hangers : Switch to heavy duty hidden hangers that are snow-load rated
• Strategic snow removal : Clear your gutters after every 6” of snow accumulation
• Reinforce fascia : Install metal fascia backing 
• Consider upgrades : 6-inch commercial gutters can manage 40% more volume than a standard 5-inch gutters

• The hazard : 50+ pound ice daggers and roof avalanches dumping hundreds of pounds at once
• Liability nightmare : Injuries on your property = potential lawsuits and insurance claims
• Real damage : Dented cars, destroyed deck furniture, cracked skulls 
• Insurance impact : Claims can send premiums skyrocketing 
• Prevention priority : Not just property damage — this is about safety

Solutions: 

• Snow guards : Install metal or plastic guards to break up sliding snow ($5-8/foot)
• Heated zones : Focus heat cables on high-traffic areas below 
• Physical barriers : Rope off dangerous zones during winter months 
• Regular removal : Knock down icicles with telescoping poles when small
• Professional service : Schedule regular icicle removal ($150-300 per visit) 

• Accelerants of rust in winter : Persistent dampness, freeze-thaw cycles, and salt damage combine to exacerbate rusting and corrosion.
• Materials affected : Steel corrodes (rusts), aluminum develops oxidation (white powdery substance), copper develops a patina, all fasteners are at risk.
• Salt damage : Salt-based ice melt products can significantly speed up the corrosion process.
• Rust progression : Underneath the snow, corrosion can progress undetected, with tiny rust spots turning into large holes over time.
• Rapid aging : Gutters can appear 5 years older after just 5 months of severe winter conditions.

Preventing and Stopping Rust: 

• Seasonal treatment : Apply rust preventative primer and paint to the gutters prior to winter ($30-50 for materials)
• Alternative materials : Replace steel gutters with aluminum or vinyl gutter systems in areas with heavy road salt spray
• Select the right ice melt : Use a magnesium chloride based ice melt product rather than rock salt around gutters
• Spring inspection : Check gutters for rust after the winter and treat as necessary
• Sacrificial anodes : Fasten zinc strips to the steel gutters to protect them by galvanic corrosion.

• The connection : Inadequate drainage –> attic moisture –> wet insulation –> less R-value –> more heat loss –> more ice
• The positive feedback loop : The more of each problem you have, the worse the others are
• Warning symptoms : Frosty roofing nails, wet insulation at eaves 
• Long-term dangers : Structural damage, toxic mold, loss of insulation 
• The multiplier : Converts a gutter problem into a whole-house problem

Solutions include: 

• Ventilation upgrade : continuous soffit and ridge vents (1:150) 
• Vapor barriers : 6-mil plastic sheeting on the warm side of insulation
• Air sealing : Caulk all penetrations between living space and attic
• Humidity control : Keep indoor winter humidity below 40% 
• Integrated approach : Repair gutter drainage and fix attic problems at the same time

Winter gutter maintenance is important for the health of your home. Preparation is key, and is your insurance against winter disaster. Regular inspections can be an early warning system, and no gutter is worth a trip to the emergency room. Homeowners, take 30 minutes, and check your gutters for sagging, downspouts and attic issues. Post your winter gutter war stories here, so we can help you find a solution. Winter gutter maintenance is like going to the dentist, it’s no fun, but it can save you from bigger, costlier problems later. Take small steps towards a better winter gutter maintenance regime, and keep your home safe from winter’s evil ways.

Ready to protect your home from winter gutter disasters? Contact New Vision Exterior Solutions today for a professional inspection and winterization service that’ll keep your gutters flowing all season long.

The post Winter Gutter Maintenance: Keep Gutters From Freezing first appeared on New Vision Exterior Solutions.

The post Winter Gutter Maintenance: Keep Gutters From Freezing appeared first on New Vision Exterior Solutions.