Frozen gutters can wreak havoc on your roof, your siding and your whole house. Also known as ice dams, they’re one of the top causes of costly winter weather repairs.
If your gutters were frozen last winter, now is the time to address the issue before the temperature drops, or your home could suffer the consequences.
It Puts a Strain on Your Roof
Frozen gutters are heavy, and this can put a significant strain on your roof’s load-bearing capacity. Combined with the weight of snow, frozen gutters could potentially cause a roof to collapse, especially one that’s older or already weak.
Your Roof Could Leak
When gutters are frozen, melting snow on your roof has nowhere to go. The moisture is pushed back underneath the shingles and can contribute to leaks elsewhere in the home. Water damage is difficult to control and expensive to resolve!
Indoor Humidity Can Lead to Mold
Lack of adequate ventilation is one of the underlying causes of ice dams, and this leads to humidity in the attic— another problem that goes hand in hand with a backed-up gutter. Your attic can quickly develop mold, which poses health and safety risks.
Structural Instability Is a Threat
Between mold, water damage, rot and excessive weight, the structural integrity of your home is at risk when you have frozen gutters. Don’t let Utah winters sabotage your safety. Recurring ice dams must be addressed before another long winter begins.
Insulation Might Become Damaged
Frozen gutters may also damage the insulation in your attic. This can decrease the energy efficiency of your home, costing you more for heating throughout the winter.
Drywall and Plaster Can Crack and Crumble
Ice dams typically lead to moisture in the home, and this isn’t good for your drywall. This is one of the reasons they’re an expensive problem to resolve — your drywall might crack and crumble, leading to unsightly interior damage.
Prevention Is the Best Strategy
Don’t take a pickaxe to your frozen gutters. Brute force causes more damage and doesn’t resolve the issue. Some homeowners and gutter repair companies may also try using steam or hot water to melt the ice dams, but beware: if it’s still cold when you attempt this, the gutters are likely to freeze again quickly, so all that effort may be wasted.
At Wizard Screens and Gutter, we believe that preventing frozen gutters and downspouts with regular maintenance, roofing insulation assessments and strategic gutter system design will help you avoid all the potential damaging side effects from ice dams. Call us today to get gutter service before the first snow!
